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I fumbled my way back to the patio, and through it to my bedroom, aching in every bone. I had made a fool of myself, and I hated Lucas Cord all the more for his being the cause. See me in Silver City indeed! Would he actually have the daring to show himself there? And as for seeing him again, I had no desire to do so. I vowed to myself that when I saw Mr. Bragg again I would tell him, in no uncertain terms, what I thought of his peculiar sense of humor—if it had, indeed, been some kind of joke on his part.
My white robe was dirty and crumpled, and there was a long tear in the hem where it had caught on a twig. Even my embr
oidered linen nightgown looked crushed and had faint dirt stains on it. Marta would be upset and ask questions. I would have to tell her I couldn’t sleep and had wandered out onto the patio before the sun came up, that I had tripped and fallen over the hem of my robe. That would account for my bruises too. I could not help grimacing at the thought that I was becoming an accomplished liar!
But why did I feel it necessary to lie? I lay across my bed, having turned down the lamp, and frowned into the darkness. All I had to do was tell them what had happened. Better still, I could tell Todd Shannon! I pictured myself doing just that, quite casually.
“I had an unwelcome and unexpected visitor last night. He came through the trapdoor to the roof that I had quite forgotten about. Of course you know him! Lucas Cord.”
Todd, of course, would fly into a fury. Oh, I could almost shiver at the thought! And I would say coolly, to his inevitable question, “Of course he did not touch me! Do you think I’d let him, a man like that? But he did say he’d see me in Silver City.”
Of course. That would be all that was necessary. I was certain Todd would see to the rest. I would need to say nothing to Flo. With Lucas Cord out of the way, surely the feud would die a natural death!
And then, unaccountably, I shivered. A strange choice of words. What had he told me about the bounty killers that Todd had sent after him? Lucas was a man who lived with death, even as he had dealt it out. They would kill him. Darn him, why had he told me he’d see me in Silver City? Could I bear to have his—or any other human’s—blood on my hands and my conscience?
I had all morning to think about it. Marta accepted my story of a fall on the patio with a rather doubtful look and comment that I should think about getting a dog.
“The boys said they heard something last night. I think maybe they disturbed you?”
I denied this, but promised her I would ask Mark to find a dog for me when I saw him next. And when I was alone in my father’s study at last my thoughts went back, inevitably, to last night. What on earth was I going to do? I still hadn’t come to a conclusion when Mark was announced.
I greeted him with an unusual amount of warmth, but his very first words set all my defenses bristling.
“Rowena, what made you do it? There was no need to run away, surely you realized that? The other guests asked questions, and my uncle was like a grizzly with a sore paw!”
“I hope he did not send you then,” I said coldly. “I’m in no mood to listen to recriminations. And I was not running away.” I had gone to the door to greet him, and now I turned from him, walking back to the window in order to hide my agitation.
Mark followed me, his face concerned. “Rowena, what is the matter? What I meant to say was that you did not seem to be your usual self last night, and then, when you left without a word, I thought—” he caught my shoulders, gently drawing me around to face him. “Did Flo say anything to upset you? Or was it what I said? It is not my uncle’s mood that upsets me, but the thought that you might be displeased with me!”
When I said nothing, he began to study my face, a worried frown knitting his brows. “There is something wrong,” he said quietly. “You cannot hide it from me. Is it my uncle? Something he said to upset you?” I tried to pull away from him and his fingers tightened on my bruised shoulders, making me gasp in pain. Immediately, his hands dropped to my upper arms; his face darkened.
“He hurt you? My God—this is too much to accept, even from my own uncle! No wonder you wanted to leave, and I let you down. But this time, I swear to you, I’ll…”
“Mark, no!” I had to interrupt him. I suppose my agitation was clearly visible, for his face seemed to go white with anger.
“He shall not get away with it! All his life he has ridden roughshod over people and I’ve pretended not to see it. But when he dares hurt you…”
“He didn’t hurt me! Mark, you don’t understand. Your uncle and I argued, yes, but I—I left the house merely to prove my own independence; it was not because…”
I had underestimated the extent of Mark’s anger—or was it his love for me? Without warning he pulled down the shoulder of my loose peasant blouse, revealing the livid bruises I had hoped to hide.
“Good God!” he said softly, and I thought I felt his hands tremble.
“Mark!” I said quickly, “you must listen to me! It was not your uncle, it was a fall! I couldn’t sleep very well last night; I wandered out onto the patio, and it was dark. I was clumsy, careless! I tripped over the hem of my robe and fell against the wall. You see? It was really nothing to become so concerned about.”
“I don’t believe you.” Mark had never used such a hard, tense tone when speaking to me before, and shock made me widen my eyes. Before I could speak he had caught me by the arms again, holding me firmly. “You are protecting him, aren’t you? In spite of what he did, you still want to protect him! For God’s sake, Rowena! Have you let him bewitch you too? I thought that you, of all people, would be the one to stand up to him.”
“That’s quite enough, Mark!” I was so angry that my voice was uneven. “Once and for all, Todd Shannon had nothing to do with the bruises you saw. Nothing, do you hear? Must I swear it to convince you that I’m telling the truth? What right have you to stand here and accuse me?”
“I’m in love with you, and you know it!” He almost shook in his frustration. “Do you think I can stand to see you hurt? To see the dark circles under your eyes and know that you haven’t slept? Oh, Christ, Rowena! I haven’t been able to rest either, for thinking about you and worrying about you, for wondering what he said or did to you to make you run so frantically from him! Don’t you understand? I know you do not think me much of a man, but damnation, I’m enough of one to want to kill whoever dares touch you and make you unhappy!”
The unexpected violence of his speech took me so much aback that I didn’t resist him when he pulled me against him. “Rowena! If you only knew, if you would only trust me enough to tell me…”
He rained hungry, desperate kisses on my temple, my face, my mouth, when I would have spoken. And then he buried his face against my shoulder, kissing the bruises. I had not expected such vehemence or such passion from him.
When he released me at last and lifted his head, I saw the hurt in his eyes. I had remained passive in his embrace, neither rejecting nor returning his kisses, while my mind raced. Now I gently disengaged myself from his hands and moved backward, to lean against my father’s desk.
He gave me a pleading look.
