A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare Read Free Book Online Page A

arrowhead of green heath jutting over the sea. Four stone turrets, a few standing arches . . . here and there, a bit of wall. This was all that remained. In the background spread the English Channel, now turning a lovely shade of periwinkle in the dimming afternoon.
    Silence reigned for a long minute as the men took in the scene. Susanna kept quiet, too, as she tried to see the ancient fortress through fresh eyes. As a young girl, she’d been taken with the romance of it. When one viewed the castle as a picturesque ruin, the absent walls and ceilings were the best features. The missing parts were invitations to dream; they inspired the imagination. Looking upon this as a prospective residence, however, she could only imagine the missing parts would inspire grave misgivings. Or perhaps hives.
    “And the village?” he asked.
    “You can see it from here.” She led them through a standing fragment of arched corridor, across an open expanse of grass that had once been the castle’s courtyard, to the bluff, where they could overlook the crescent-shaped cove and the valley that sheltered her beloved community. From here, it looked so small and insignificant. With any luck, it would remain beneath his notice entirely.
    He said, “I’ll be needing a closer look tomorrow.”
    “It’s nothing special,” she hedged. “Just an average English village. Hardly worth your time. Cottages, a church, a few shops.”
    “Surely there’s an inn,” Lord Payne said.
    “There is a rooming house,” Susanna said, leading them back from the edge of the bluff. “The Queen’s Ruby. But I’m afraid it is completely occupied at this time of year. Summer visitors, you understand, come to enjoy the sea.” And to escape men like you.
    “An inn won’t be necessary.” Lord Rycliff walked slowly about the ruins. He propped a hand against a nearby wall and leaned on it, as if to test the wall’s soundness. “We’ll be staying here.”
    This statement was received with universal incredulity. Even the stones seemed to throw it back at him, rejecting the words as false.
    “ Here ,” the corporal said.
    “Yes,” Lord Rycliff said. “Here. We’ll need to begin settling in, if we’re to make camp before nightfall. Go see to the carts, Thorne.”
    Thorne nodded his compliance and quit the place immediately, descending the way they’d come.
    “You can’t mean to stay here ,” Lord Payne said. “Have you seen here?”
    “I have,” Rycliff answered. “I’m looking at it. So we’ll be camping. That’s what militiamen do.”
    “I’m not a militiaman,” Payne said. “And I don’t camp.”
    Susanna would guess he didn’t. Not in those fine boots, at least.
    “Well, you camp now,” Rycliff said. “And you’re a militiaman now, as well.”
    “Oh no. Think again, Bram. You’re not pulling me into your tin soldier brigade.”
    “I’m not leaving you a choice. You need to learn some discipline, and this is the perfect opportunity.” He cast a glance around. “Since you’re so fond of setting blazes, see if you can start a fire.”
    Susanna put a hand on Rycliff’s sleeve, hoping to claim his attention.
    She got it. His full, unwavering attention. His intent gaze ranged over her face, searching out her every feature and flaw.
    “Forgive the interruption,” she said, releasing his sleeve. “But surely camping isn’t necessary. My father may not have made the express invitation as yet, but I’m certain he intends to offer you lodging at Summerfield.”
    “Then give your father my thanks. But I will respectfully decline.”
    “Why?”
    “I’m meant to be defending the coast. Difficult to do that from a mile inland.”
    “But my lord, you do understand this militia business is all for show? My father’s not truly concerned about an invasion.”
    “Perhaps he should be.” He glanced at his cousin, who was currently snapping dead branches from an ivy-covered wall. With a tilt of his head, Rycliff drew her aside.