SILK AND SECRETS by Mary Jo Putney Read Free Book Online Page B

“Interesting that you thought my calmness was so irritating. The same thing almost got me killed once before. Does that mean the British stiff upper lip is dangerous?”
    “So it would seem.” Certainly Juliet had found his stoic detachment infuriating. When they were married, she had seen him withdraw behind that barrier of remoteness with others, but never with her. “Was the bullet through your chest a result of excessive calmness?”
    “No, that came when someone tried to kill a friend of mine and I stupidly got in the way.”
    Juliet considered questioning him further, but decided against it. Ross, the understated aristocrat, would never admit to anything as embarrassing as bravery. Besides, there was no reason why she needed to know what had happened to him.
    As he fastened his cuffs, he said, “While it would have been simpler if you had managed to keep your identity secret, you didn’t, and I find that I have rather a lot of questions to ask. You may have one or two yourself. Shall we begin?”
    Now that the cat was out of the bag, Juliet could not, in fairness, deny him the chance to ask how she had come to be here on the edge of the world. But at the moment she was in no state to begin what would be a profoundly difficult discussion.
    “Not now.” She stood, her black robes swinging. “There are some things I must do this afternoon. Will you dine with me this evening? We can talk until we’re both hoarse and furious.”
    “As we surely will be,” he said, a glint of amusement in his brown eyes.
    Ignoring the comment, she continued, “Between now and then, you should rest, perhaps visit the bathhouse. Hot water will help some of those bruises.” She gave him the small jar of ointment so that he could reapply it as needed.
    “Very well.” Ross rose and pulled on his battered coat. “By the way, am I a prisoner?”
    Juliet gave him a startled look. “Of course not.” Then she bit her lip, knowing there was no “of course” about it, not after the way she had treated him earlier. “I’ll take you to your room. Your things should be there already.”
    Silently Ross followed her through the sprawling building to the suite of rooms assigned to him. Inside were his saddle and the luggage from the packhorse.
    After giving directions to the men’s hammam, or bathhouse, Juliet said, “Until an hour after sunset. I shall send someone for you.”
    It flashed through her mind that every other time they had stood at the entrance of a bedroom, they had been going in together, not separating. Perhaps, from the enigmatic way he regarded her, Ross was thinking along the same lines.
    Abruptly Juliet turned on her heel and strode off without looking back, forcing herself to move at walking speed rather than running for her life. She turned the corner into another passage, walked the length, then turned again. The palace had many fewer inhabitants now than in its heyday, and this section was usually empty. Finally she was alone, for the first time since she had discovered Ross.
    The resolve that had carried her through the last several hours crumbled away and she leaned against the wall, her knees so weak they would barely support her. Dear God, Ross had been right, it would have been infinitely easier if he had never learned who she was… and Juliet had no one to blame but herself for giving away her identity.
    She clung to the wall, shaking, her cheek pressed to the rough plaster and her breath coming in shallow gasps. If only she hadn’t decided to goad him! True, she had been concerned about his injuries, as well as frustrated by his cool detachment, but the underlying reason for her appalling behavior had been anger. Once more her damnable redhead’s temper had gotten away from her, and her action had backfired, as anger so often did.
    Her rage had not been for Ross himself, but rather for his presence. Juliet had spent years striving to rebuild her life, to find contentment, and in an instant her