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Chapter One

London, 1815

The hunter waited patiently for his prey

It was a dangerous deception the Marquess of Caineas playing The infaan of Shallow's Wharf would certainly hear of his i then, for his pride, monstrous by all whispered accounts, wouldn't allow another to take credit for his own black deeds The pirate would certainly try to extract his own foran showed himself, Caine would have him

And then the legend would be destroyed

The Marquess had run out of choices The spider wouldn't leave his web Bounty hadn't worked No, there wasn't a Judas aiven that e for the aold he'd offered It was a miscalculation on Caine's part, too Each seaend as his own personal reason for refusing the coins Caine, a cynic by nature and past sour experiences, guessed fear was the real motive Fear and superstition

Mystery surrounded the pirate like the wall of a confessional No one had ever actually seen Pagan His ship, the E the water like a pebble thrown by the hand of God, or so it was reported by those who'd boasted of seeing the ship The sight of the black beauty sparked terror in the titled gentlelee froiving froan was known to share his booty with the less fortunate

Yet as often as the le shipmate on board the vessel This only increased the speculation, admiration, and awe about the phantom pirate

Pagan's thievery extended beyond the ocean, however, for he was a man who obviously enjoyed variety His land raids caused just as an was discri only from the members of the ton It was apparent the pirate didn't want anyone else taking credit for his ownHe therefore left bis own personal calling card in the for-steht to find the flower on the pillow beside hih to send grown men into a dead faint

Needless to say, the poor idolized the legend They believed Pagan was a man of style and romance

The church was no less effusive in their adoration, for the pirate left trunks of gold and jewels next to the collection plates in their vestibules, topped by a white rose, of course, so the leaders would knohose soul they were supposed to pray for The bishop was hard put to condeh, for to do so would incur the wrath of some of the most influential ue instead

The nicknarin and a sloink

The War Department held no such reservations They'd set their own bounty on the pirate's head

Caine had doubled that a down the bastard was a personal one, and he believed the end would justify whatever foul means he employed

It was going to be an eye for an eye He would kill the pirate

Ironically, the two adversaries were equally matched The Marquess was feared by ordinary overnend If the circuan hadn't dared to prod Caine's wrath, he an's ed it with a vengeance

Night after night Caine went to the tavern called the Ne'er Do Well, situated in the heart of London's slums The tavern was frequented by the more seasoned dock workers Caine always took the corner table, his broad back protected by the stone wall froan to come to him

The Marquessa man with a dark past In this section of the city, aHis survival was dependent upon his size, his ability to inflict pain while defending himself, and his indifference to the violence and crudity surrounding him

Cainehs His size alone could intiers Caine was dark haired, bronze skinned, and had eyes the color of a dark gray sky There'd been a time when those eyes had had the power to spark a rush of flutters in the ladies of the ton Noever, those sa there, and the flat, emotionless expression They whispered that the Marquess of Cainewood had been turned into stone by his hatred Caine agreed

Once he'd decided to play the role of Pagan, his pretense hadn't been difficult to reed on the fanciful notion that Pagan was actually a titled gentle up with his lavish lifestyle Caine sie When he first entered the tavern, he'd worn hisHe'd added his own personal touch by pinning a small white rose to the lapel of his dinner jacket It was an outrageous, silently boastful addition, of course, and gained hiht amount of notice

Immediately, he'd had to cut a few roup Caine was dressed like a gentlenity The men loved him In bare minutes, he'd earned their respect and their fear His Herculean size and strength gained him immediate loyalty, too One of the more fearless asked hian then? Caine didn't answer that question, but his quick grin told the seaman his question had pleased him And when he re mind, he forced the inevitable conclusion By week's end, the ruhtly visitations to the Ne'er Do Well had spread like free gin

Monk, the bald-headed Irishame of cards, usually sat beside Caine at the close of each evening Monk was the only one who knew about the deception He was in wholehearted agreean's atrocity to Caine's fanificant, business had picked up considerably since the deception had begun Everyone, it seeood look at the pirate, and Monk, a ed exorbitant prices for his watered-down ale

The tavernkeeper had lost his hair years before, but his bright orange-colored eyebrows more than made up for any lack They were thick, curly, and crept like determined vines of ivy halfway up his freckled forehead Monk rubbed his bro in true frustration for the Marquess It was al, an hour past ti custo over their drinks now When they'd belched out their sleepy farewells and taken their leave, Monk turned to Caine

"You've gothere night after night I'ed," he added He paused to pour a full goblet of brandy for the Marquess, then sed a hefty portion directly from the bottle "You'll flush him out, Caine I'm sure of it The way I see it, he'll send a couple of hisyou to protect your back when you leave each night"

Monk took another drink, and snickered "Pagan's a mite protective of his reputation Your pretense h Why, I'll wager that toht"

Caine nodded agree with prohtly speech with the prediction that tomorrow the prey would show himself

"You'll pounce on hi"

Caine sed a long drink, his first of the evening, then tilted his chair back so he could rest his shoulders against the wall "I'll get him"

The harshness in Caine's tone sent a shiver down Monk's spine He was about to give hasty agree his attention Monk half turned in his chair to call out that the tavern was closed for the night, but the sight standing in the center of the doorway so stunned hiape in astonishain his voice, he whispered, "Holy Mother of God, has an angel co on us?"

Froainst the wall, Caine faced the entrance and had a clear view Though he didn't move or show any outward reaction, in truth, his surprise was just as great as Monk's His heart started sla a wild beat and he couldn't seem to catch his breath

She did look like an angel Caine didn't want to blink, certain his vision would vanish into the night if he closed his eyes for just a second or two

She was an incredibly beautiful wonificent shade of green The green of his valley, he thought to hiht

She was staring at him Caine stared back

Several long minutes passed while they studied each other Then she started walking toward him As soon as she moved, the hood of her black cape fell to her shoulders Caine quit breathing The muscles in his chest constricted painfully His vision was blessed with lush, auburn-colored hair In the candlelight, the color was as brilliant as fire

Caine noticed the pitiful condition of her clothing when she neared the table The quality of her cloak indicated wealth, yet the expensive material had been shredded halfway up one side It looked as though so hung in tatters around her hem Caine's curiosity intensified He looked back up at her face, saw the faint bruises on her right cheekbone, the small cut below her full lower lip, and the splotch of dirther forehead

If his vision was an angel, she'd just been forced to pay purgatory a visit, Caine decided Yet even though she looked like she'd just lost the battle with Satan, she was still very appealing, too appealing in fact for his peace of rew tense as he waited for her to speak

She stopped when she reached the other side of the round table Her gaze was now directed on the rose pinned to his lapel

His angel was obviously frightened Her hands were shaking She clutched a s to her bodice and he noticed several faded scars on her fingers

He didn't knohat to h That admission made his frown intensify

"You're all alone?" he asked, his tone as brisk as the rising wind

"I am"

"At this tiht, in this section of the city?"

"Yes," she answered "Are you Pagan?"