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She did not return his so to London, don’t want to play their little ga her his best devilish grin, he leaned in to kiss her

She put a hand to his chest, stopping him "What if I told you I can’t?"

"Of course you can" He pressed a fir her objections "And you will, for me I must ask it of you After Bel’s settled and Joss assumes the partnership, then the world is ours to explore But I have to see this through first, or …" He stroked her cheek "Or I’ve done it all for nothing"

She stared at hi, Gray You did it for them And no matter what occurs, I’m certain they know it"

"I wish I had that certainty"

"You may borrow mine" She laid a hand on his cheek, her eyes dewy "I’m certain they kno much you love them"

For a moment, he feared she would cry For a moment, he was mortally terrified that if she did, he would join her

Then she cocked her head, and a knowing saze With a cheerful sniff, she straddled his lap and pushed back on his shoulders

"Now" The as a proainst the bed "Let me show you how much I love you"

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The daas cruel

Sophia watched daylight creep across her beloved, stealing hi in the captain’s chair, legs folded under her shift, she regarded Gray as he slept He lay prostrate on the bed, the linens twisted about his body, one forearm draped over his eyes It was the sa sent him into sleep

When his seed had filled her, she’d sent up a silent prayer that it would take root If she conceived, all choice would be taken from her She couldn’t leave him if she carried his child; she kneouldn’t leave her He would be forced to reconsider his plans in London, but the joy of a child ate his disappoint for theht have been a happy one If only she’d conceived

She’d held hi his chest under hers Then, leaving him to his well-earned rest, she rose quietly to perforun to bleed An hour’s worth of silent, racking sobs later, Sophia curled into the chair and atte to do? How could she begin to tell Gray the truth? Perhaps shetale of the red-faced bank clerk, how she’d char five hundred pounds froh at that But then she would have to tell hi one hundred That it had been won at cards, and a fair bit of it at the Duchess of Aldonbury’s own table Should she tell Gray she’d been at school with his cousins? Stayed as a guest more than once in their family home? By now, Her Grace would have heard the sordid, albeit false, story of her elopement She, like every other lady of the ton, would cut Sophia from her acquaintance as a matter of social necessity

For Sophia, there could be no pretending, no adopting the role of a West Indian planter’s daughter Even if she could stoht of further deceit--and she was not certain she could, even for Gray--if ever she returned to London, she would be a pariah Her ruin would be a contagion to anyone connected with her

She knew she ought to tell Gray the truth But once she did, all the choices would be his Hehis sister’s prospects and his fa he’d worked so hard, sacrificed so o

Sophia buried her face in her hands How could she tell him? How could she tell hi she had been, yet still make a claim on his honor? How could she force him to make this choice, between his love for his family and his promises to her?

Hoould she bear it if he chose theh to stand up to her parents, to ask Toby to release her fro away There would have been scandal, to be sure, but she still would have received the occasional invitation from old friends And perhaps next Season, she would have attended a ball, a azes with a tall, broad-shouldered gentle scar on his chin

Perhaps he would have asked her to dance

The sunlight gilded that scar now, as well as the larger one on his chest How she envied those scars, the indelible marks he bore for love One for his brother, one for his sister In soht never see it, never know it--but in her heart, he would always be hers

Rifling quietly through her trunk, she located an inkwell and a small paintbrush As she settled beside him on the bed, he stirred … but did not wake Instead, he rolled onto his side, away from her Perfect Fortunately, Sophia had a deft touch and a steady hand And Gray was exhausted and sleeping like the dead She worked quickly, stealthily to create her mark Just as she sat back to admire her sadly i out:

"Land ho!"

"There’s the Aphrodite," Gray said, squeezed next to her in the jolly boat as a crewman rowed them toward Road Town Of course, Gray had insisted she and her trunks be the first items taken ashore He would not have left her behind