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Philippe slammed his glass onto the table, the delicate crystal nearly splintering beneath the force.
“Yes, she damn well is a lady, and anyone who dares to say otherwise will answer to me.”
Tomas held up his hand in swift apology. “Of course.”
“Her birth might have been humble, but it is perfectly respectable.”
“Still, it might be a bit overwhelming to be thrust into an entirely different sort of life. It could be she just needs time to adjust to her new circumstances,” he pointed out softly.
Philippe made a sound of impatience as he resumed his pacing. Raine Wimbourne feared nothing. Not the magistrate, not the ill temper of a powerful nobleman, not the threat of a madman. No, Raine did not make her decisions out of cowardice. She charged through life with a reckless abandon, far too often allowing her heart to lead her.
“That is not why she hesitates,” he muttered.
“Are you certain?”
“No man with a bit of sense could claim to be certain when it comes to a female,” he said dryly. “But I am convinced that there is more bothering Raine than the thought of a luxurious life.”
There was a short silence as Tomas watched his impatient trek across the room. “Forgive me if I am overbold, but could it be that she is in love with another?”
Philippe stiffened as he turned around with a sharp motion. During the long trip home he had brooded for hours upon whether Raine had been swayed by Carlos’s obvious attentions. It would not be surprising. Carlos was young, passionate and possessed an easy charm that Philippe could not hope to compete against.
But, while the possessive need to bind Raine irrevocably to him still roared with stunning force, his more logical self had slowly come to accept that Raine did not consider Carlos as more than a friend.
If she truly loved Carlos, then she would not have allowed Philippe to send him to England without her. At least not without a fierce battle. And certainly she would not still shiver with awareness whenever he was near. Raine’s loyalty to her unworthy father revealed that she would not stray once her heart was given.
“No.” Philippe gave a firm shake of his head. “She would never respond to my touch if she loved another.”
Tomas abruptly lifted his thick brows, as if struck by inspiration. “Ah.”
“What?”
“She cares for you, Philippe,” he said simply. “What are your feelings for her?”
Philippe instinctively shied from the blunt question. “I have offered to make her my wife.”
“Men take wives for any number of reasons, many of which do not take into account the needs and desires of the women that they wed.”
Philippe frowned at the implication that he intended to be some sort of ogre to Raine once they were wed. He may have many faults, but he knew how to care for those who belonged to him.
“What could Raine possibly desire that I cannot give her?”
Tomas met his gaze squarely. “Love.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
RAINE REMAINED IN HER ROOMS until dusk began to paint the sky with a spray of soft lavender and pink. She had not been precisely hiding. In fact, she had spent every moment awaiting Philippe to arrive and haul her downstairs for his luncheon with the priest. It was not at all like Philippe Gautier to issue commands and then not insist that they be followed through.
But much to her surprise he had not so much as strayed near her door. And even more surprising, a delicious luncheon that included fresh tuna and fried corn meal had been delivered by a smiling maid.
Of course, there had been no real need to join the two gentlemen, she acknowledged wryly. Philippe was perfectly capable of arranging the wedding without her presence. God knew he had been arranging her life for weeks without consulting her.
Settling on a marble bench, Raine allowed her gaze to roam over the exotic garden and then toward the magnificent villa. It was truly beautiful here. A small glimpse of paradise.
This was a place that she could be happy, she thought with a small sigh. There was such a sense of ease and peace about the estate. Even the servants had openly welcomed her presence, as if they were genuinely pleased at the thought that she would soon be their mistress.
A pity that it was never going to happen.
Ridiculous tears pricked her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. Bloody hell. She had promised herself she would not cry.
