Free One With the Shadows by Susan Squires Page A

him. “I respect that you made your own way. You are intelligent, intuitive. I didn’t say I respected the purpose to which you put your talents.”
    She snapped her head around to confront him. “Oh, you don’t respect survival?”
    “Honor is important. There were other ways to survive.”
    “Matthew always said my only choice was between chicanery and a brothel, since I had no money, no birth, and no looks. And a brothel of the lowest kind. Is there honor in that?”
    The corner of the carriage was silent.
    “And you know so much about honor anyway,” she accused. “You who use your beauty to enthrall women. You take, but you never give, do you? Is there honor in that?”
    He straightened, a little shocked. Good. “I … I never make promises I don’t keep.”
    “Oh, you don’t lie about loving them. How noble.” She folded her arms across her chest.
    His mouth gave something like a sneer. “They only want to say they’ve bedded me. I’m a trophy that gives them bragging rights. I see to their pleasure, but they deserve nothing more.”
    She felt her jaw drop. The … the arrogance of the man! He wanted them to give something of themselves, when he was already bleeding them for money? And he must be mad to think he didn’t break hearts, if not the hearts of the rich women who kept him, then those of the ones who couldn’t afford that luxury. “You can’t tell me young girls have never pined after you until they fell into a decline. You’re just the type to provoke that without any conscience.”
    “I don’t seduce virgins.” But he was looking guilty. He knew she was right.
    “Just married women?” She snorted her contempt. “Now that is honorable.”
    He looked exasperated. “I prefer widows, but there are plenty of women coerced into marriage who manage to enjoy life by taking lovers. I’ve played my part in their charade.”
    “It’s their charade, is it?” When his whole life was a charade?
    “Yes.” His eyes narrowed.
    “Well, I’ll tell you, Gian Urbano…” But he actually had her speechless. She folded her arms across her chest and closed her eyes. “I’m going to sleep.” How would she bear being cooped up with this insufferable man all the way to Florence?
    *   *   *
    Kate woke with a start to find Urbano shaking her shoulder. “What?” she asked crabbily. The carriage was no longer rocking.
    “Would you like to break your fast?” he asked, shrugging. “We are changing horses.”
    “Oh. Well, yes.” Actually, she was famished. And the feel of Urbano’s strong hand on her shoulder made her … irritable. She reached for the door handle. Urbano slid farther into the shadows in the corner. She glanced over at him. He looked very tired. That brought to mind the fact that he had been injured last night, though he showed little sign of it this morning. He was a puzzling creature. And he might be more than puzzling. He might be … whatever that woman, Elyta, had been. What was that?
    Nonsense! She refused to think about the Elyta woman. Urbano was simply an arrogant charlatan. Not unlike herself. That thought hurt. She didn’t want to have anything in common with this creature.
    Yet she couldn’t afford to make him angry. She was, at the moment, dependent upon him. She cleared her throat. “Will it cause you discomfort if I open the door?”
    “It is nothing. Perhaps you should leave your reticule here for safekeeping.”
    “Perhaps I don’t think that would be safe,” she returned.
    “As you wish, then. Buon appetito. Luigi will accompany you.”
    That was the coachman. She had heard Urbano call instructions to him. There was a postboy as well, Adolpho. She took her lip between her teeth. Urbano would have to stay inside. Which meant no breakfast for him, or luncheon, whatever time it was. She had no idea how long she’d slept. Well, then, she’d order him some food as well.
    Except she didn’t want to spend the little money she had feeding her