Free A Touch of Passion by Bronwen Evans Page A

stern scowl.
    She tilted her head and studied him for a moment. Then she turned to look out across the waves. “It’s very beautiful sailing on a calm sea, isn’t it?” At his nod she continued. “I never saw anything of my trip to Alexandria, for they kept me locked in a cabin.”
    His heart missed a beat, but he voiced his concern. “Did they hurt you?”
    She shook her head. “No. I know what you are asking me. No one hurt me at all. Not on the ship and not in the sultan’s palace. I think they were too scared, as they knew I had been purchased for the sultan himself.”
    She settled against the railing beside him. The warm softness of her body called to his, a siren song weakening his defenses. He told himself he should put some distance between them. They really did have a lot to discuss, and having emotions involved would not help.
    “Did you manage to get some sleep?”
    “A little,” she said with a nod, still gazing at the ocean. “I’d sleep better if I knew Philip was safe.”
    “We’re unlikely to hear anything until we reach England.”
    She let out a sigh. “I don’t understand why this happened.” She finally turned her too-knowing hazel eyes on him. “It has something to do with you.”
    He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. “Why do you say that?”
    She looked away again, a blush racing over her cheeks. “They lured me in your name. Why not one of my brothers’ names, or simply kidnap me? Using your name made it personal.”
    Her accusation was astute, and he did not miss the implication of her words. She’d been happy to meet him at midnight in Vauxhall Gardens—totally inappropriate, but something Portia would do, throwing caution to the wind. “I suspect it does center on me,” he told her, “but I have no idea why. I’m sorry you have been caught up in this sinister game.”
    “Game?”
    “I have been investigating an incident regarding Lord Markham. He has been accused of a crime I know he did not commit. Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to ensure that the evidence points in his direction. Again, I have no idea why.”
    “You think my abduction is connected?”
    “I hope not, but I wonder if I’m getting too close to whoever implicated Christian and this is their way of discrediting and distracting me.”
    “You think their plan was to kidnap and sell me, and blame it on you?”
    “Or worse. They could have made it look as if your disappearance was because I’d killed you.” He leaned forward on the rail and hung his head. “It’s only a theory. I cannot think of any other reason why they would use my name. However, what worries me more is that this faceless enemy seems to be aware of my personal relationships. How else would they know to use you, or that you would agree to meet me?”
    “It’s only because of what you said when we last met that I stupidly answered your missive and went to Vauxhall Gardens.”
    He kept his face neutral, refusing to rise to the bait, though he understood which conversation she was referring to. When he turned to look at her, Portia’s face was aflame with color. “I cannot remember saying anything to you that would make you forget propriety and meet me at midnight in the pleasure gardens,” he lied. “Perhaps you don’t know me as well as you think if you believe I would have asked a respectable young lady to a midnight assignation.”
    Her shoulders sagged. “I’m hardly a young lady, and I’m old enough to know my mind. If I were to take a first lover, I could do no better than the infamous rake Grayson Devlin, Lord Blackwood.”
    “You think I would take you as a lover and walk away? You really don’t know me!” He began pacing the deck, his face a mask of anger. “What on earth gave you the idea I’d agree to be your lover?”
    “Nothing. I simply hoped I could persuade you.”
    That stopped him dead in his tracks. “God almighty, you’re like family to me. I would never compromise you—or