Free Beauty in Disguise by Mary Moore

hiding place. He finally got a glimpse of her face, and he wanted to memorize her features.
    What? He stared into the eyes she did not realize were uncovered. His hold of both her arms increased in intensity. “Kathryn?” He thought it must be a trick of the moon. He felt her tense in his arms.
    “It is you!” He pulled her fully into his arms, holding her so tightly, unable to stop. Nine years slipped away as nothing, only now he knew he must hold her and never let her go.
    He felt her grab on to his labels and turn her face into his chest. It was her. Kathryn. He could not see her clearly, but the moonlight had shown him enough. And she smelled so good. Would he ever forget that scent?
    Wait. He had smelled it again, recently. Think, think, he ordered himself. It was...it was Miss Montgomery! What was going on here?
    Suddenly he moved her back to his arm’s length and stared into her eyes. She tried to pull free, and when she could not, she turned her face away.
    “Oh, no you don’t.” He grabbed her chin with one hand and held it steady, staring into the eyes of the one woman he had thought never to see again.
    “Well, well, Lady Kathryn,” he said with clenched teeth. “What game are you playing this time?”

Chapter Six
    K athryn’s first feelings when he pulled her to him were of hope. She felt as if she were home, where she belonged. But those feelings changed to fear and embarrassment at his words. How could she have let this happen? Two weeks, that was all—if she had just remained in her room for a fortnight, he would never have known. God still held a grudge, it seemed, and she had been stupid to test it.
    At least she was to finally learn what would happen if he knew.
    “I want an explanation. And I want the truth, if you please.” His arms still held her like a vise, and he used his power to make her stand perfectly still. But he could not wait for an explanation from her, it seemed. He was trying to make sense of it on his own.
    “You... This cannot be.” She watched him, wary of what he would say next. “You and the companion...you smell the same. Are you masquerading here?” He shook his head, trying to understand, she supposed. She doubted he ever could.
    “You wore this scent...back then. I could not place it on this woman, on you, until now. And the companion, Miss Montgomery, she wears it, as well. What game is this?” He said the last through clenched teeth, not realizing the grip on her arms would leave bruises tomorrow.
    How could he remember her fragrance from nine years ago? If he only knew she was the woman on the bridge, she could have disappeared into Miss Montgomery, and he would never have found her again. But he remembered. Perhaps once past his initial anger, he would be happy to see her.
    “What in the blazes is going on, Lady Kathryn?” He spoke her name as if it made him sick to say it. “Tell me the truth.”
    “You already know most of the truth. I have never outright lied to you. I realize the sin of omission is not much different, but I did what I had to do.”
    “Your definition of truth seems to be quite at odds with mine, Miss Montgomery. ”
    She tried to stem the anger that rose in her as he became dreadful. She balled her hands into fists and said, with as much grace as she could muster, “You have made your point, my lord. You know my name is Kathryn. Please use it or not, but stop your reminder of my crime.” This was so much harder than she had imagined. She had longed for the day when he would come to find her and would hold her hands and gently soothe her as she told him the truth. If that’s what he wanted, then that is what he would get. All of it.
    “You wish to berate me.” She was no longer angry. She thought she had just faced the worst night of her life. All she wanted was to be safe and alone in her room. She even wanted to go back into the protective shell she wrapped around her on the bridge. But she knew now that the worst of this