bloody hell I tell you to do. Understood?â
The stick snapped in his hand and he threw the pieces in the fire.
When he turned round again, he was surprised to see tears in her eyes.
âHow dare you speak to me like this?â Her voice shook. âIt is true I misjudged the intentions of the post-guard and the coach driver,â she carried on in a choked voice. âIt is also true Iâm not clever. Iâm nothing like my mother or Harriet, my brotherâs wife. I canât read a serious book without falling asleep and if I donât concentrate really hard when I help Akhtar with the accounts I get all the figures mixed upâ¦â
She was so pretty with her pink cheeks and her shiny blue eyes that he had trouble concentrating on what she was saying. Why was she saying she wasnât bright? Hell. The woman could speak French, English and Arabic, and if that wasnât clever, he didnât know what was.
âBut Iâm not a spoilt brat,â she resumed, âand I donât crack the whip to anyone. We only have a few servants in Bou Saada and theyâre like family to us.â
Her words penetrated the thick mist of his consciousness. He shook his head.
âHang on a minute⦠So what you said that first day about whipping your servants, it was a lie?â
She shrugged. âOf course.â
âAnd youâre not rich?â
She shook her head. âOur estate was confiscated by the French army over a year ago and was only recently given back to us in a pitiful state. My brother offered to help us rebuild it, but my mother is a very proud woman. She would never accept charity from anyone, let alone her own son.â
âDoes McRae know youâre not rich?â
âOf course.â
âThen why did he marry you?â
Her blue eyes opened wider.
âHe married me because he loves me.â
âLove?â he sneered. âMarriage is a business arrangement, especially where McRae is concerned.â
Her cheeks turned a deep shade of red.
âYou are truly the most horrid man I ever met. How I wish youâd fallen off that cliff the other night or that your Merry Dancers had come to take you away!â
She darted to the door, grabbed hold of the handle, managed to pull the door open onto the cold, stormy night, but he was right behind her. He slammed the door shut.
âWhere do you think youâre going?â
She spun round, her back against the door. He put his hands on either side of her head, caging her in.
âOutside. And I donât care if I freeze to death. Anywhere is better than being stuck here with you. You hated me from the very minute I arrived at Wrath Harbour. Itâs a wonder you bothered to come after me at all.â
Mesmerized by her mouth, so tantalisingly close, he bent down slowly. His heart beat fast, driven by a need so powerful he was losing control.
She was trapped between the hard, cold wooden door and his hard, hot body, and even though he wasnât touching her she was completely at his mercy. His gaze skimmed over her eyes, her face, down to her throat and her chest which rose with every fast, shallow breath she took. She was no match for him. It would be so easy to kiss her and take her, here and now.
He closed the gap between them until her breasts brushed against his chest and their hips made contact.
She gasped and fear made her eyes grow wide. It was like a slap in the face. What the hell was he doing, forcing himself onto a woman?
He pulled away, and stepped back inside the room.
âI already told you. Iâm protecting my interests,â he said, bringing a note of harshness into his voice. âAs long as I have you, McRae will have to do what I say and call his bankers off.â
âSo Iâm just a pawn in your bitter war against my husband. Thatâs the only reason you came after me?â
He nodded. âOf course, what else?â
âThen you really