“This is not the end, CC. Not by any means.” His expression carefully blank, Noah stared down at her for a brief moment before turning away and walking off into the stable to meet the men who were coming for him.

Numbly unaware of the compromising danger of her situation, CC stood stock-still staring after him as he disappeared into the building. When he’d gone from sight, the harsh truth of the moment assailed her. She knew she had to get home, and get home fast, by the darkest, most out-of-the-way route possible.

Clutching her shirt across her bosom, CC ran from the scene. She was scared, but that was not the overriding emotion that was driving her as she skirted the more populated areas of town and stayed hidden deep in the shadowy cover of the night. No, hatred for Lord Noah Kincade was the fuel that was guiding her flight homeward. It was a hatred that burned so fiercely it left her wondering if she would ever be able to look at him again without wanting to wreak very real vengeance upon his person.

Gasping for breath, she finally reached the haven of her tree, and with her last ounce of energy, she climbed it’s protective branches to the safety of her own bedroom. Secure within the protective surroundings of her own locked chamber, she moved unsteadily to her four-poster bed and collapsed weakly across it.

Her heart pounding, CC lay panting upon the softness of the counterpane. As she stared up at the ceiling, her thoughts were of Kincade, and Kincade only. She despised him. He was everything she’d thought he was and worse! And to think that he had the gall to suggest she come to his room later! The thought embarrassed her, and she rolled quickly over to hide her burning face against the coolness of the covers. Still, the despicable visions of his unwanted kiss and touch would not be so easily dismissed, and a shudder wracked her as she remembered in humiliation the way her body had responded to him.

The memory of the ecstasy she’d experienced at his hands troubled CC, and she drew a long, ragged breath as she thought of all that had happened. How could she have done it? How could she have sought his touch so eagerly when he’d brought her full against him? CC blushed as she remembered how she was all but climbing all over his lean, hard frame. A dull, hungry ache started anew within the heart of her as she recalled the heat of his mouth upon her breast and the taste of his passion-inducing kisses, and, frowning, she timidly touched herself. CC gasped at the sensation that shot through her and gritted her teeth as she climbed off the bed. What had that fiend done to her? She had never felt this way before, and it was all his fault!

Her distress evident in her actions, she viciously stripped off the boy’s clothing and poured herself a bowl of cold water at her washstand. Vigorously she scrubbed every inch of her body, wanting to erase his scent from her skin, but even as she washed, thoughts of the way her breasts responded to him haunted her, and she threw the damp wash-cloth across the room with violent force.

“Damn him!” she uttered in frustration. Why couldn’t she put the memory of him from her mind? He had used her…abused her…

CC stormed to her armoire and rummaged through, looking for her nightdress. Finally locating the soft, filmy garment, she tugged it on impatiently, trying to ignore how sensitive her nipples were now to the material’s silken caress. Bundling up her boy’s things, she hid them carefully again in the back of her wardrobe.

After climbing back into bed, CC curled on her side and tried to rest, but sleep would not come. Instead, her exhausted mind replayed again and again her degrading, outrageous encounter with Kincade. She had been helpless against his formidable charms, and she was devastated by the realization. He had manipulated her body just as he manipulated people. Though CC forced herself to acknowledge that she had responded to his touch, she vowed never to allow him near her again. She would see him Friday night only because circumstances forced her to, and after that he could fall off the ends of the Earth, for all she cared. She hated him. She despised him.

CC wondered for only a brief instant if there was any possible way she could use her knowledge of his activities against him, but she knew the answer even as she thought about it. There was no way she could confess to her father the truth of his double-dealings without revealing to him her own involvement. Caught in a web of intrigue, she knew she had to remain silent.

Clutching her pillow to her breast, CC hugged it tightly and sighed. If she could just make it through the ball Friday night, she would probably never have to see Lord Noah Kincade again. Yawning, she closed her eyes and, after lying quietly for a long time, finally drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

It was late, well after midnight, and Noah was frustrated in more ways than one as he sat alone in the taproom of the Red Lion Inn. Signaling Polly to bring him another tankard of ale, he accepted the mug of brew and was grateful when, after tossing her a coin in payment, she moved off to tend to her other duties, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Nothing had gone as he’d expected this evening. He had thought that his offer of arms would be snatched up eagerly by the insurgents, but they had hedged on making a firm commitment to him. He was now being forced to cool his heels while they bickered among themselves. He’d returned to the inn then, temporarily thwarted, but confident of ultimate success.

He held out small hope that Cecelia Demorest would be eagerly awaiting him in his bed, and he stifled a sardonic chuckle as he thought of her reaction to his advances. Her display of “maidenly” nervousness had not amused him and certainly hadn’t convinced him of her innocence. No, CC was definitely not the sweet little virgin her outraged actions would lead a lesser mortal to believe. She had definitely known what she was doing with that lovely body of hers, and he wondered just how she would react when they came face-to-face Friday night at the ball. His own body tensed in remembered excitement as he saw in his mind’s eyes her naked beauty, and Noah knew that there was still much unfinished between them. Friday night was definitely going to prove an interesting evening.

For a brief instant, Noah worried that CC might betray his business maneuverings to her father, but he knew she would keep silent. In betraying him, she would have to explain how she came about her knowledge of his activities, and there would be no way she could do it without revealing her own unsavory connections. Satisfied that he was safe from interference by agents of the Crown, he finished off his brew and headed for the stairs, intending to retire.

The light shining from under his bedroom door brought him up sharply in the hall, and Noah frowned. Had CC come to him? His breath quickened at the thought, but as he opened the door his excitement rapidly died. He had forgotten. Matthew was waiting for him.

“Well?” Matt stood as Noah entered the room, and he watched him expectantly. “What happened?”

“Nothing.” Noah was tired and in need of sleep and had no desire to discuss the meeting.

“Nothing?” He glanced at him in disbelief. “You’ve been gone all this time and you’re trying to tell me nothing happened?”

“That’s right. I made my offer, and the man I’m dealing with said that they needed to think it over…that they’d be in touch.”

“It’s not too late to change your mind, you know,” he prompted. “There’s no reason why you have to be involved in the dirty side of things.”

Noah’s face was blank as he stared at his brother. “I’m not involved in anything. I’m merely trying to arrange a business transaction, and frankly, Matt, I’m not in the mood to debate the issue with you.”