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David had gambled, drank and fucked his way around Italy with abandon. A bloody spectacular experience. There were times he thought his father had purposefully planned his stroke. It had been the only sure way to bring David back.
“I lived in Rome. And Venice. I finally managed to make my way to Florence, where I studied for a time. I returned to England when my father became ill.”
“What did you study?” She stared at David with open interest.
It was rather wonderful to have all of Andromeda’s attention solely on him. His gaze fell to the slender threads of copper shining in her braid. She had beautiful hair, a lovely shade that was neither brown nor red, but some amazing color in between. He wanted to wrap the thick braid around his wrist and pull her lips to his.
David’s fingers twitched against his thighs.
“Architecture, mostly.” At her obvious surprise he said, “I was obsessed by the building of the Colosseum and the mastery of those who built it. The design fascinated me. Did you know the Romans would flood the main floor of the Colosseum and hold boat races? The engineering involved in such an enterprise is astounding.” David had spent hours roaming the levels of perfectly cut stone, marveling at the feat built so long ago.
“My father told me once, but I thought he was teasing, for I couldn’t conceive of such a thing.” The corner of her lips drifted upward in a smile, perhaps the first one she’d ever truly bestowed upon him. She was looking at David as if he were the most fascinating human being in the world.
A pressure built inside his chest, squeezing gently above his heart.
“My mother,” she continued, “is obsessed with Greek culture, as you can probably guess, Your Grace.”
The lady’s companion. The familiar stirring of distaste welled up inside him, warring with the desire he had for her.
“My father loved ancient Rome,” she said. “It was a passion they both shared, ancient civilizations. They toured Greece before I was born. A dream of my mother’s. I have a younger sister named Phaedra. Andromeda, Theodosia and Phaedra. We also have a cat named Theseus and a stable full of horses all named for Greek gods.”
The force of her smile warmed David from the inside out. “Your mother should have named you Athena. Is she unaware of your combative nature?” He could easily imagine her as the warrior goddess, ready to do battle with the hideous gorgon.
I am the gorgon.The thought tore at him.
A small laugh bubbled from her lips and she closed her eyes, holding her face up to the sun. “Athena? She changed a poor girl into a spider which I am incapable of doing. But Athena is the goddess of crafts and weaving, so I suppose that, at least, is appropriate.”
He wondered at her comment but didn’t question her, not wanting to disturb the sense of intimacy invading the grass. “Closing your eyes will not make me disappear.”
“Oh, Your Grace,” she said in a saucy tone, “if only that were all I had to do.” Another soft laugh came from her as her lashes fluttered open. “I was trying to imagine you in Rome, carefree and walking about, attending a festival. I can’t picture it. Seems an impossibility, though your love of art is everywhere in The Barrow. Theo claims the paintings in your drawing room show the discerning eye of a collector. She’s an artist and has studied the Italian masters,” she added.
“But not you?” He looked down at the drawings scattered behind her, trying to make out what had her so absorbed that she’d not heard him approach.
“No.” She slid her body, successfully blocking his view of whatever she’d been sketching. “I know only enough to sound intelligent. For example, the fresco installed against the far wall of the garden. Very impressive. One of the labors of Hercules, isn’t it? Something to do with golden apples.” Another smile. “My bedtime stories were all Greek myths, you must realize.”
He’d purchased the fresco from a dealer outside of Venice who was eager to rid himself of it. The fresco wasn’t perfect. The tiles were chipped, the once vibrant colors faded. A large crack bisected one of the nymphs. But the dealer would have destroyed the fresco had David not purchased it. “The Apples of Hesperides. It’s cracked.”
“Indeed, it is. Imperfect.” A question hovered in her eyes. The orbs were such a luminous blue, a hue, until recently, David had only seen in paintings. “Italy and broken stone seem somewhat out of character for you, Your Grace,” she said, her voice light.
“Perhaps you don’t know me as well as you think.” Andromeda made David doubt the truths of his life. The duke Horace had demanded warring with the young man he’d been in Italy. He’d been so certain of his destiny until a beautiful shrub had insulted his coat at a garden party. Andromeda had no idea what she’d done to him. What she was still doing to him.
“I don’t know you at all, Your Grace. This may be the first conversation we’ve had in which we haven’t expressed our mutual dislike for each other.” She waved her hand. “There is no need to give me a polite excuse that it isn’t the case. We got off to a bad start, and it has only continued. Especially after cheating me yesterday in bowls. Don’t bother to deny it.”
He hadn’t cheated, exactly. More a sin of omission. “I spotted you two points, which put you ahead before the game even started. How is that cheating?”
“The green slopes on one side. Very hard to see. Only someone familiar with the green, a person who plays there often, would know of it. I’m sure your other guests weren’t aware. It should have been disclosed at the beginning of the game because knowing of such a flaw on the green gave you an unfair advantage.”
A chorus of birds started in the trees above them.
David gave a careless shrug, knowing how much his indifference would irritate her.
“Do you admit it?” She clasped her hands and looked at him patiently, not the least concerned she’d just accused a duke of cheating, something no man would even do. “Does no one ever question you, Your Grace?”
“Not usually.” He sat down across from her, folding his larger body into a crouch until he was within a hair’s breadth of her slender form. “You are the first.”
The beast inside him howled, urging him to just press her into the grass.
She gave him a curious look as he lowered before her, her brows lifting slightly.
