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Melina rose, walked to him and took his face in her hands, her palms cool. She engulfed him in the scent of cleanliness. He didn’t know how anyone could smell so innocent and pure. Perhaps it was the new fabric mixed with her soap. And he was surprised she didn’t complain of wearing the formless sack. He thought a plain dress would keep her from tempting him so much. A foolish plan that could never have worked.
‘You’ve a son.’ Her voice soothed. ‘You no longer have to let Cassandra’s memory rule your actions. Let her rest or not. But you don’t have to punish Ludgate because she couldn’t honour your marriage. Think of Jacob. Is this the father you wish for him to have?’
‘Melina.’ He took her fingers from his face and let them fall from his grasp.
‘My father doesn’t care for me,’ she said, giving a twitch to her shoulder. ‘He doesn’t have feelings for my sisters. And I can’t believe he loves his other children. I’ve known all my life that we are not as much to him as art. He’s told us often. My gift is my purpose. My gift must be above all else. You at least care for Jacob. Do not let him grow up with tales of how his father attacked someone because of an unfaithful mother.’
‘He’ll surely hear the stories of Cassandra.’
She stood in front of him, face earnest, fist clenched at her breast. ‘But she’ll only be a wisp in his memory. You are his father and he needs you. And he needs more than ever to be able to look up to you and respect you. Do not let him feel he was born of two tainted parents. At least give him one he can know is noble.’
‘I don’t want him to have two tainted parents. I hardly know him, Melina. My son. And I think of him above all else. But I let that whore be his mother. For that alone he should hate me.’
‘I dare say he’ll get older and find plenty of other reasons. I could probably name ten.’
Warrington’s mouth opened. ‘Your honesty is not appealing.’
‘Stubborn. Forcing Broomer, a servant, to dishonesty. Bedding a woman and bumping her head into the wall, trying to—’
‘Bumping your head into the wall?’
‘On the ship. You near knocked me out.’
‘You should have told me.’
‘No...’ She waved a hand. ‘You were quite intense. And there was the whiskers...’
He stared at her. ‘The circumstances were not the best. I told you I am not that bad of a lover.’
Melina wobbled her head. ‘If you say so.’
‘You do not have enough experience to know. A woman’s first time is never quite what it should be.’
She shrugged. ‘You say that to yourself.’
He looked at her eyes. ‘You witch.’
She blinked.
‘You insult me to take my mind from him.’
She touched the back of her head, fingers probing. ‘It’s still tender—odyniros.’
He pulled her into his arms. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt you. Not in any way. And I did not bump you into the wall.’
She squeaked her disagreement. ‘You were consumed in the moment then. Just as you are mired in memories now. Don’t kill Ludgate. You don’t want to. You want to kill Cassandra. And you can’t.’
He pulled her against his chest. She could feel the cloth of his waistcoat and the movements of his coarse breathing.
‘You are a witch.’ He whispered the words against her hair.
‘I don’t think you like nice people.’
‘Whose side are you on?’
‘The children’s. And I’ve never met them. But I know what it is like to have a father you do not respect. And to be without a mother. I’m old enough to understand it, but I don’t think they are.’
Strong arms held her and he rocked her briefly, surrounding her in the scent of warm male.
He stopped the rocking movement and leaned back, watching her face. ‘Melina—do you have any fond recollections of our time on the ship?’
‘Perhaps.’ She looked at him and the heat of her memories weakened her limbs.
His eyes changed and he examined her with such intensity—the same way an artist would study a subject to be painted.
He pulled her into his grasp, holding her tight, but before she could gather herself, his lips closed over hers, overwhelming her with a storm of feelings as strong as any winds or waves from the ship. The swirl of his tongue slipping into her mouth tumbled her thoughts so strongly, she could not have remained standing without his support.
