Free The Hawk and the Jewel (Kensington Chronicles 1) by Lori Wick Page A

womanly curves, Sunny, but she was not heavy,** he tried this time.
    Sunny's head turned back immediately, her eyes alight with yearning. "You mean she was not fat?**
    "Yes, I do, but I also mean that she was not overly endowed."
    Brandon saw in an instant that he had lost her, and found himself wishing that Chelsea were here. He knew that if Sunny wanted him to be much more specific, he would be blushing like a little girl.
    "What is this 'endowed'?**
    Brandon saw no hope for it; he would have to be more candid. "What I mean is that she was not large-breasted or full-hipped.**
    To his credit, he did not blush, and Sunny's face cleared as though a heavy load had been lifted from her mind. Such simple words, but they were enough to put her mind at ease. With her questions answered, she looked out over the waves.
    "Indira was heavily...endowed.** She struggled with the word for a moment and then proceeded. "She had very full breasts and hips," Sunny went on without looking at Brandon. "Were you to see her, you would see that it was not at all hard for Poppy to marry her."
    Suddenly all Brandon's embarrassment evaporated. "God's perfect plan is for husbands and wives to enjoy each other in every way, but how a woman looks is not as important as what's on the inside."
    "That may be the case in England, but in Darhabar, a man wants beautiful daughters so he can find husbands for them."
    74

    "How do the women feel about that?**
    "It doesn't matter how they feel," Sunny stated in a surprised voice. "They have no choice. No woman has money of her own, and without a man, she cannot survive." Sunny sighed on this note. "I find myself wishing I had money."
    "Why?" Brandon asked, although he was quite sure he knew the answer.
    "So I can stay single. I never want to be controlled by a man."
    Brandon found himself mentally thanking Cheryl for clueing him in on Sunny's view of marriage. "You don't think you'll find a man who will cherish you and love you enough not to dominate you?"
    Sunny shrugged. "He would still have the money, and thus, the power."
    Brandon debated over telling Sunny what was on his mind, and swiftly reasoned that she would be told soon in any event.
    "You have money of your own."
    Sunny turned slowly away from the railing and took a step closer to Brandon. Her hands took hold of the front of his cloak. She searched his face for signs that he was teasing and found none. Brandon went on in a soft voice.
    "I believe I told you that your Grandmama Sunny never believed the news of your death. She never changed her will, and left you more than half of her wealth. If you're careful, you have enough to live comfortably for the rest of your life."
    Brandon had no trouble interpreting Sunny's thoughts now. Her eyes had slid shut, and her whole body had slumped with relief. The smile she sported was one of quiet rapture.
    "Do you have a birthday gift for me, Brandon?" she asked softly, having opened her eyes.
    "Yes."
    "I won*t need it," she told him in a fervent whisper. "You've just given me the last gift I'll ever need-freedom. Now my body needn't be a worry." She met his eyes for just a moment before once again going to the rail.
    Brandon left her then. He was somewhat pleased by the peace he saw in her eyes, a peace he'd had yet to witness, but as he went below and settled at his desk, his prayer was that the peace would not last,
    "Don't let the money be enough, Lord. Give her a special restlessness until she searches for You and learns what true freedom can be."
    sunny's birthday supper that evening was to be in the large dining room that Brandon shared with his officers on other voyages. First Mate Flynn and the ship's bos'n, Kyle, were to join them. Decked out in their finest togs, both men arrived as Brandon stood critically eyeing the room with its dark mahogany furniture. He wanted everything to be perfect before going to claim his young charge.
    Neither man spoke as Brandon shifted a chair here and moved a candlestick