Free The Penwyth Curse by Catherine Coulter

comparisons, do you? Well, no young men to speak of, at least none I could consider marrying.” She paused, then frowned. “I came to tell you that my grandfather is ready to talk about how long you will be staying at Penwyth.”
    â€œI will remain here until everything is resolved.”
    â€œThen you will leave?”
    â€œWhy are you so anxious that I leave?”
    She said nothing to that. As for him, he didn’t say anything either, because he was looking into those green eyes of hers, the color of a spring leaf freshly rained upon, and he was as hard as the castle stone he was leaning against.
    He said, “Do you fear that I will lift the curse and then another husband will ride in and force you to wed yet again?”
    â€œGiven that it’s happened four times, only an idiot wouldn’t be concerned.”
    â€œWhat do you mean exactly that I look excellent?”
    â€œWhat? Oh, you wish me to fill your gullet with compliments, do you? Very well. You have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen in my life. The blue is so dark as to be nearly black.”
    Beautiful eyes? A man with beautiful eyes? Hmmm. “You force me to be honest here,” Bishop said, looking down at her. “My eyes are nothing out of the ordinary. Itis your eyes that make me want to—well, never mind that.”
    â€œMake you want to what?”
    â€œI have forgotten, and you would do well to forget it too. You know, Merryn, I really am quite competent as well as excellent-looking. I will lift the curse, then we will see. You could consider trusting me.”
    â€œTrust a man who just rode into Penwyth hours ago, flinging his orders about? I don’t think that’s possible. Not after the four husbands who did the same thing. It occurs to me that you are here to lift the curse and then take me, just like all the others, only you’re smarter.”
    She was smart herself. He said, stroking his fingertips over his chin, “Do I have other excellent parts?”
    â€œYour feet.”
    He grinned. “What would you know about my feet?”
    â€œYour feet are big and that’s good because you’re a big man. I think all of your parts work well together.”
    â€œSo my parts are in harmony.”
    â€œExactly so. Do you want to know more about your excellent parts?”
    He very nearly nodded, but he had to keep his focus here, and that meant he had to avoid looking into her eyes. So she thought his eyes were beautiful, did she? He said, “How odd it would be to marry a girl who had already been wedded to four other men.”
    â€œI will tell you what is odd. To be wedded to four different men and have each of them drop dead before your eyes.”
    â€œMayhap God will give you a man who will outlive you.”
    â€œThat’s a nice thought, but I will not hold my breath waiting.”
    He wanted to tell her that it wasn’t going to be all that long a wait, but he didn’t. Instead, he turned to look east, toward a field where he saw six large stones in a rough circle. He pointed. “The stones set upright—I have seenmany of them in Cornwall, and also in the western part of France.”
    â€œI do not know about the ones in France. The ones yon are called Menya Alber, and have stood there for as long as any can remember. There is also a place called Lanyon Quoit that is perhaps a burial chamber, but so old it probably existed before men walked on the earth. And if that is so, then how can it be a burial chamber? There is also the Nine Maidens Stone Circle, not far from Penwyth. It is said that the maidens were girls who danced on the Sabbath and turned to stone.”
    â€œI can feel the age of them,” he said. “I can smell their age in the air. It makes my skin itch to think about it.”
    She blinked, said, “Mine, too. How odd that we are the same in this.”
    â€œLet me add that I also admire your feet, perhaps