Simon moved closer and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was chaste and innocent, and she wanted much, much more. She let her eyes drift closed and kissed him back in the same innocent manner. He inhaled and the hand on her shoulder tightened. She opened her eyes again and gazed into the dark pools of his.
“Sleep well,” he murmured.
“Goodnight,” she said.
He withdrew, and it took all her willpower not to pull him back. She had to keep repeating to herself that she wanted him to go. Finally, he closed the door, and she heard his footsteps retreat. She blew out the lamp, but she didn’t lie down. She remained sitting so she didn’t risk falling asleep. She had to wait until the house was quiet and then she could make her move.
She didn’t have a clock in the chamber, so she wasn’t certain how long she sat and waited. It seemed hours passed before the only sound she heard was the settling of the house and the persistent crash of the waves on the shore. Carefully and quietly, she eased out of bed and knelt at its side. She fished out the pillowcase and emptied the contents on the bed. Using touch, she found the garments she wanted and donned them as best she could. She didn’t have everything tied and laced perfectly, but it wouldn’t matter. Simon had hung his greatcoat on a peg by the front door. She’d put that over her dress on the way out. Then all she had to do was make her way inland, toward whatever village was nearby, and ask the first person she encountered where the magistrate lived.
Was she terrified?
Yes.
Was she an idiot?
Probably.
Did she have confidence she would succeed?
Absolutely. In fact, she felt more in her own skin now than she had since she’d awakened in the cave. Clearly, this sort of subterfuge was not something new to her.
Marjorie went to her bedchamber door and eased it open. Thankfully, all was blackness, and she relied on the map of it in her mind to make her way into the sitting room. The entryway lay to her left. Just a few steps and she’d grasp the coat, open the door, and be away.
She turned left. Behind her something scraped, and a shaft of light appeared on the wooden floor. Marjorie froze.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Four
Marjorie halted, uncertain whether she should run or try and devise some sort of excuse. Sleepwalking?
Simon rose from the couch behind her. “I bloody well knew you would do something like this,” he said.
“What?” she said. “Where am I?”
“Do not pretend to be sleepwalking. You don’t remember me, Marjorie, but I know you. Very well.”
She turned to see him coming around the couch, where he’d obviously been sleeping. He wore loose black trousers, and his white linen shirt was untucked. But nothing was rumpled or wrinkled. Even his hair was still in place. Still, seeing him in shirtsleeves seemed incredibly intimate. She might have been tempted to kiss him again if not for the scowl on his face.
She took a step back. “From all accounts, I slipped out last night. You don’t have to be an astute observer to assume I might try it again. But perhaps ask yourself why I want to get away from you so much.”
“I can’t speak to your motives tonight, but last night had nothing to do with me. Of that, I’m sure. I’ll ask again, where were you going?” Those lovely blue eyes were filled with a mixture of anger and concern. He was obviously annoyed, but he wasn’t threatening. She wasn’t afraid of him.
Perhaps she should have been.
“I was going to the village.”
“The village? Why? You don’t even know how to get there—unless your amnesia is some sort of ploy I don’t know about—in which case, you must be the most skilled actress in the world because your entire personality has changed. Not to mention, you allowed me to kiss you.”
He wasn’t making any sense. She allowed him to kiss her? She’d wanted him to kiss her.
“The village, Marjorie. Why?” he demanded, coming even nearer.
“To fetch a magistrate,” she shot back.
All the anger in his expression fell, replaced by confusion. “Why?” he asked, seeming truly not to know. Oh, now who was the actor?
“Because I love my country, and you, sir, are a traitor.”
