AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Or was it because of their kiss? She lifted a hand to her mouth. The memory of that encounter had been one that she’d wanted to savour, to remember during the lonely years to come, but perhaps he’d taken it to mean more. Perhaps he’d thought that she wanted to sleep with him!
If she’d ever been tempted by the idea, she wasn’t any more. Every moment she’d spent with him felt jaded. Foolishly, she’d thought that he was different, that there had been some kind of special bond between them, but now she realised that it had only ever been physical. He’d gambled for her body, that was all.
She lifted her hands, making a barrier between them.
‘Let me get this straight. You won me in a game of tabula from the man my brother sent me to marry?’
H
e nodded stiffly. ‘I was trying to help.’
‘Help?’ If there had been any kind of weapon nearby, she would have attacked him with it. There were only stones at her feet and she wondered how much damage she could inflict by hurling them.
‘You said you didn’t want to marry Scaevola.’
‘And you think that gives you the right to gamble on me?’ She took an angry step towards him, lifting a finger and jabbing it into his chest. ‘Do you think I’ll just do what I’m told because the two of you played a game?’
‘No.’ He didn’t flinch. ‘I intended to give you a choice.’
‘A choice?’ Somehow the words only made her angrier. ‘Before or after my marriage? Or doesn’t Scaevola care who his barbarian wife sleeps with?’
A hand shot up and circled her wrist as she made to jab him again, his face registering a series of emotions, starting with shock and culminating in anger.
‘I intended to give you a choice about marrying me.’
‘Marrying...you?’
‘Yes.’ He let go of her wrist again, though her arm stayed where it was as if frozen. ‘That’s why I’m here. I came to ask you to marry me.’
Her mouth fell open, though she had no idea what to say. She hadn’t been asked anything for as long as she could remember. She’d only been told what to do for the past ten years. The idea of being asked to make any decision at all seemed incredible. Being asked whether she wanted to marry him rendered her utterly speechless.
Even when they’d kissed, the thought of marrying him had never occurred to her. She might have wished that he’d been the man she’d come to marry, but the possibility had seemed as remote as the stars. She’d been a legal possession of her brother and an integral part of the business arrangement he’d made with Scaevola. There had been no question of her having a choice.
But if Scaevola really had gambled her, then surely it meant that his agreement with Tarquinius was no longer valid? Nerva’s sending them outside to discuss matters suggested that he thought so, too. Tarquinius might dispute it, given that she was still legally under his care until a marriage took place, but then Tarquinius wasn’t there. Marius was.
‘So when you said that Scaevola staked me, you meant all of me?’
‘Yes.’ His voice was clipped, as if he were angry.
‘I thought...’
‘I know what you thought.’ He was definitely angry. ‘But as I said, I wanted to help. You said that you couldn’t go back to your brother and that you had no money to be independent. You also said that you didn’t want to marry Scaevola. If you’ve changed your mind about either of those things, then you’re free to do as you please. I’m only offering you an alternative. It might not be the same as freedom, but it’s the best I can offer.’
She stared at him in wonderment. He could hardly have looked or sounded any less like a suitor. In fact, it was hard to believe he was the same man who’d kissed her so passionately the night before. His expression was almost fierce, his dark eyes gleaming like obsidian stones in the half-darkness, as if she really had offended him this time, which given the nature of her assumption was a reasonable response.
She seemed to have made a habit of mistaking and misjudging him. But then the very last thing she’d expected was for him to propose! True, there had been an undeniable physical attraction between them from the start and she believed that he was honourable enough to want to rescue her—and surely he’d played the game of his own free will!—but neither of them had ever mentioned feelings.
Her heart seemed to stall in her chest. She knew why she preferred him to Scaevola, but why did he want to marry her? It made no sense. He’d said that he wanted to be Senior Centurion. Winning her away from a tribune could only damage his career prospects, so why had he gambled? Was it because he’d felt honour-bound after their kiss—the kiss that she’d asked for? Had she trapped him somehow? Or was it possible that he might care for her, too?
On the other hand, what did it matter why he was asking her to marry him? The reasons were surely irrelevant. All that mattered was that he was prepared to save her from a life with Scaevola. Even if he was acting out of a sense of honour, how could she say no? She ought to grasp at the opportunity. Still, she wanted to know...
‘How much did you bet?’
She asked the question lightly, hoping that the amount he’d risked would tell her something about his feelings, but his frown only deepened.
‘It doesn’t matter. I won.’
‘I’d still like to know.’
