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Je
She was like a puzzle whose pieces he had to wait to see one at a time, and each piece was more surprising than the last.
She'd obviously heard the usual stories about his alleged atrocities, yet she was not half so afraid of him as most men were. That was the first and most intriguing piece of the puzzle-the entire girl. Her courage and lack of fear.
Then, there were her eyes-enormous, captivating eyes of a deep, rich blue that made him think of velvet. Amazing eyes. Candid and expressive with long russet eyelashes. Her eyes had made him want to see her face, and today when he had, he could scarce believe rumor called her plain.
She wasn't beautiful precisely, and "pretty" didn't quite suit her either, but when she'd looked up at him in the tent today he'd felt stu
Altogether it was an intriguing, alluring face, he decided. Definitely alluring. And that was before he allowed himself to remember her soft, generous lips.
Dragging his thoughts from Je
The girls were sewing. Royce found that notion rather difficult to comprehend, given the lateness of the hour. His own experience with wealthy women was that they sewed special items for their families and their homes, but they left mending for servants to do. He supposed, as he tried unsuccessfully to make out Je
How very industrious the Merrick girls were, he thought with a tinge of sarcasm and disbelief. How nice of them to want to aid their captors by keeping their clothes in good repair. How generous.
How utterly unlikely.
Particularly in the case of Lady Je
Shoving away from his tent, Royce strolled forward, wending his way past his exhausted, battle-scarred men sleeping on the ground, rolled up in their cloaks. As he neared the women's tent, the obvious answer to their sudden compulsion to have needles and shears suddenly struck him, and he stifled a curse as he quickened his pace. They were undoubtedly destroying the clothing they'd been given, he realized angrily!
Bre
"Let's see what you've been doing," Royce snapped, his gaze slashing from Bre
"Very well," Je
Completely baffled, Royce stared at the nearly invisible, tight seam she'd sewn. Proud, haughty, undisciplined, and headstrong she was, he admitted to himself, but she was also a damned expert seamstress.
"Does it pass your inspection, milord?" she prompted with a tinge of amusement. "May we keep our jobs, sire?"
If she'd been anyone else but his captive and the haughty daughter of his enemy, Royce would have been sorely tempted to lift her in his arms and kiss her soundly for her badly needed help. "You do excellent work," he admitted fairly. He started to leave, then he turned back, his arm holding the tent flap back. "My men would have been cold, their clothing torn and inadequate for the coming harsh weather. They'll be happy to know that what they have is at least wearable until the winter clothing arrives here."
Je
When he left, both girls sank back down upon the rugs. "Oh dear," Bre
Je
Long after Bre
Chapter Five
Frost lay sparkling on the grass, lit by the first rays of the rising sun, and Je
"Is it time?" Bre
"It's time," Je
Bre
"You're not a coward," Je
Bre
"Do you have your cap?"
When Bre
The moment drew near, and Je