“What does he fear?” she said thoughtfully. “I think he fears not being respected. His fortune comes from trade. He fears that he is not a real gentleman.”
“I thought he managed to buy the Chapel.”
“Yes, but buying a thing and inheriting it are not the same.”
“True,” he said.
“He is willing to be generous, but only to the point that it does not come up against his desire to be respected.”
“So, he might wish to alert the wrong people about the attacks, if only to get respect from them.”
She leaned back against him, seemingly enjoying their closeness. “I think so.”
“That’s not good, Aerhril.”
“We also have to think that he doesn’t like you,” she said. “You had your hands all over his future bride to the point that he would not marry me. He would be happy to spite you.”
“That’s even worse,” he said.
“Well, I said this all last night, but then you changed the subject to wanting me to undress.”
He chuckled, and, just like that, he was hard. He pressed himself into her.
She gasped. “Oh, well, hello there, Dathor.”
“Hello,” he said. “I have plans for you in the carriage.”
She let out a noisy, ragged breath.
He kissed her jaw, feeling bright and excited and glad, in spite of everything. If he could hold her like this, the world couldn’t be that bad, could it?
But he needed to focus here. Elrion. “Fine,” he muttered. “Nothing for it, then. We’ll just have to capture him.”
“Capture him?” she said.
“No, but I don’t want him in the carriage with us,” he said. He groaned, kissing her neck, a little trail down the long line of her creamy skin.
She sighed. “We can’t capture him, anyway. What about my sister? She’s meant to stay with him and be safe.”
“All right, all right. Would he believe that you hate me?”
“What?” she said.
“Does he know what I did to you on your wedding day, for instance?”
“Well, I didn’t tell him,” she said.
“But could you make out that you realized I was an awful monster of a thing, and that you were ashamed of yourself for ever wanting to be with me?”
“Well, I couldsaythat.”
“Could you make him believe it?” he said.
“After I sent Nathre to her death over jealousy over you? I don’t know. Why?”
“I’m trying to think of how it is that I could control him, and I thought, if he thought that someone he needed to rescue was in my power, he might be quite malleable. And I don’t know that he cares about anyone, but he used to want to rescue you. Can you make him wish to rescue you again?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “How would I do it?”
