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"I’hed He stamped once on the deck to settle his foot in its shoe, then brushed past her and lifted the bolt easily with one hand

"Help yourself, sweetheart," he said, with another casual wave toward the desk as he went out "You orth it"

She heard his footsteps going away down the cohter and a muffled remark as he met someone, then a shift of his voice, suddenly clear and harsh, shouting orders to someone above, and the tra to obey Back to business

It was sitting in a bowl made of cowhorn, ju, and other bits of rubbish Like hiht, with a cold clarity Acquisition for its own sake; a reckless and savage delight in the taking, with no knowledge at all of the value of what he stole

Her hand was shaking; she saith a vague sense of surprise She tried to grasp the ring, failed, gave up She scooped up the bowl and emptied its contents into her pocket She walked down the dark co it like a talisman There were seamen all around, too busy about their tasks to spare her lance of lewd speculation Her shoes were perched on the end of theoverhead

She put them on, and with an even tread walked up the ladder, across the deck and gangplank, onto the dock Tasting blood

"I thought at first I could just pretend it didn’t happen" She took a deep breath, and looked at h to hide it "But I guess that won’t work, will it?"

I was silent for aIt was no ti after…uer?"

"Two days"

My eyebrows lifted at that

"Why are you so sure it isn’t Roger’s, then? You weren’t using pills, obviously, and I’ll bet er didn’t use what passes for condoms in these times"

She half smiled at that, and a small flush rose in her cheeks

"No He…um…he…ah…"

"Oh, coitus interruptus?"

She nodded

I took a deep breath and blew it out through pursed lips

"There is a word," I said, "for people who depend on that particularwary

"Parents," I said

46

COMES A STRANGER

Roger bent his head and drank froreen, pointed out by a finger of sunlight stabbing down through the trees Without it, he would never have seen the spring, so far off the trail as it was

A clear trickle bubbled through a crack in the rock, cooling his hands and face The rock itself was a sy, rurew brilliant as ee that he would see Brianna shortly--perhaps within the hour--soothed his annoyance as effectively as the cool water eased his dry throat If he’d had to have his horse stolen, it was soh to reach his destination on foot

The horse itself had been an ancient nag, barely worth stealing At least he’d had the sense to keep his valuables on his person, not in the saddlebags He clapped a hand against the side sealed against his thigh

Beyond the horse itself, he hadn’t lost much more than a pistol--nearly as ancient as the horse and not half so reliable--a bit of food, and a leather water flask The loss of the flask had troubled hi, but now that minor inconvenience was reround as he stood up, leaving dark streaks in the emerald moss He stepped back and wiped the mud from his shoe soles on the carpet of dry leaves and crusted needles Then he dusted down the skirts of his coat as well as he could, and straightened the grimy stock at his throat His knuckles rasped the stubble on his jaw; his razor had been in the saddlebag