Page 51 (1/2)

He didn’tso calculating as that But when her whispered words blew softly across his ear, so resentful woke up inside of him, and he didn’t want to answer her

He just didn’t

And then, after she made a sound of ht position, he started to feel an odd sense of power She thought he was asleep

She thought he was so she’d done to him, albeit on aso, she had possessed all the power

And ed There was nothing particularly noble about his reaction, but he liked pulling one over on her, just as she had done to hi to do?" he heard heraway from him But her body remained close

And he still wanted her

What would happen if he didn’t tell her he’d regained his memory? Eventually he’d have to reveal the truth, but there was no reason he had to do so i to do with her, anyway There was the journey to Connecticut,ht hi around the Noraterfront Edward had reached for his weapon, but when two ed from the shadows--McClellan’s sons, as it happened--he quickly realized the futility of resistance He’d been unpoint and pitchfork to the McClellans’ barn, where he’d been tied up and held for weeks

That here he’d found the cat--the one he’d told Cecilia he thought he reled little mop had been his only companion for about twenty-three hours of each day The poor thing had been forced to listen to Edward’s complete life history

Multiple ti prowess, because it’d rewarded him with a multitude of dead birds and ifts in the spirit they were given, and he alaited until the little fur ball wasn’t watching before he kicked the dead animals toward the barn door

That Farled rodents was an added bonus He’d proved oddly squeamish for a man orked with animals all day, and indeed, his yelps and shrieks every time the tiny bones crunched under his boots were some of Edward’s few sources of entertainment

But McClellan didn’t bother to check on hiure out what he’d thought to do with him Ransom, probably McClellan and his sons didn’t seeton’s cause And they certainly weren’t Loyalists

War could reedy to begin with

In the end it had been McClellan’s ho had let Edward go Not because of any great charone out of his way to be courtly and polite to the females of the family No, Mrs McClellan told hi her family’s food She’d borne nine children and not a one had bothered to die in infancy It was too many mouths to feed

Edward had not pointed out that not a whole lot of food had gone into histhe ropes that bound his ankles

"Wait until dark before you go," she’d warned him "And head east The boys will all be in town"

She didn’t tell hie center, and he didn’t ask He’d done as she’d instructed, and he’d gone east, even though it was the exact opposite direction he needed to go Traveling on foot and by night, the journey had taken a week He’d crossed the sound to the Long Island andwithout incident And then

Edward frowned until he re sleep But Cecilia didn’t notice; she was still facing away fro? That here his memory was still hazy He’d traded his coat to a fisherot into the boat

The fisherman must have clobbered him over the head To what end, Edasn’t sure He’d had nothing worth stealing

Not even a coat

He supposed he should be grateful he’d been left on the shores of Kip’s Bay The fisherhy and into a watery grave No one would have ever knohat had happened to hi his family would have waited to declare hi so ht to be happy

He would be, he decided But probably not this ht

"Edward?"

Da journey of his thoughts He opened his eyes

"Good htly cautious about her tone It wasn’t shyness, or at least he didn’t think so He supposed it ht stand to reason that she’d feel self-conscious and aard now that they had slept together By all rights she should have felt self-conscious and aard thebefore She probably would have done if he hadn’t left before she woke up

"You were still asleep," she said She sh just a little "You never wake up after I do"

He gave a little shrug "I was tired"