Free Sail Away by Lee Rowan

must be a Milord."
    "Just something left me by my father, I promise. I've done nothing to earn it. And I would guess that you must be a princess?"
    "I am pleased to be nothing more than a Frenchwoman, milord. And safer so. Would you—"
    She hesitated, and Angelique immediately moved into the breach. “M'sieu, would you care to retire with us for a little while?"
    He wasn't’ sure what she meant by ‘retire’ and felt it would be too gauche to say, “ Both of you?” so he followed the two young ladies up a narrow flight of stairs to a hallway lit only by a single candle-lantern. Angelique took a candlestick from a table at the top of the stair and lit it from the lantern. “This way, sil vous plait! "
    She knocked at one of the doors. When no one answered she opened it and motioned the others inside. “I will be back with more wine,” she said, and vanished down the hall.
    The room was a bedroom, a very plain one, though as far as he could tell by the light of one candle it looked clean. But it didn't suit this girl. She should have a glittering chandelier and a mahogany bed with everything fine, not a faded quilt and lumpy pillows. “Mademoiselle ... this seems most irregular."
    "Do you not want me?” her voice was plaintive. “Angelique is much prettier, I know—"
    "No! That is, yes! I do! I think you are exquisitely beautiful, milady. But this does not seem the place for you—"
    "Please!” She threw herself into his arms and kissed him, furiously and with an awkwardness he would not have expected in a Parisian girl. His body responded, though. That sweet, slender form pressed so close against him muddled his thoughts even further.
    "Mademoi—
    "Please, call me Zoe! And you are Christophe?"
    "Yes, yes, that's fine.” He took her by the shoulders and held her off, just a bit. “Zoe, I am honored by this invitation, but—my dear, have you—” Heavens, what a question to ask. “Have you ever been with a man before?"
    "I do not kiss very well,” she admitted, with a small quick smile. “Will you teach me?"
    "I don't understand—"
    She took a deep breath, and her small hands closed into fists. “No. I have not been with a man. I want to be! The boys I have known—they all are gone. You are a beautiful man and your face is kind. Will you not let me be a woman with you?"
    Her explanation made very little sense. Her desperation was evident, though, and Kit could find no good reason to refuse her invitation. He was also just a bit concerned that if he did refuse, she would march back downstairs and press some other fellow into service. And considering the number of drunken fools downstairs who would probably make her first experience an ordeal, he simply could not allow that to happen.
    Angelique's question echoed in his conscience. Are you gentle? Yes, by God, he would be as gentle as he could with this mad little creature, and hope that he was man enough for the task.
    Kit scooped her up into his arms. “My dear,” he said, “I am, as I told you, entirely at your service.” Zoe put her own arms around his neck, and in that position he found it easier to slow things down. Not that he wanted to, but he remembered his own first experience so clearly, and the one thing he recalled above all was that he had been terrified at first. What on earth had she expected, flinging herself at a stranger? And why would she do such a thing? He knew that Philip would say she was merely a good actress, but he could not bring himself to believe that. He wanted her, yes, but not like this. If only they had met in someone's drawing room and he could have courted her in a reasonable way!
    But at least they had met. Her face was turned up to his, so he kissed it. First on the lips, then her cheeks, her chin—then the tip of her nose. She giggled and did the same to him. He sat down on the bed, thankful that it did not squeak, and they continued in that manner for a little while. There was no need to hurry. “Tell me if you