Free Bound by Night by Amanda Ashley Page B

watched the miles slip by. “Your cat is very strange,” she remarked a short time later. “Sometimes I think he understands every word I say.”
    “I do not own a cat.”
    “You don’t? Then who owns that big gray tom? He seems quite at home in the castle.” And in my bed, she thought ruefully.
    “No one owns him,” Drake said. “He comes and goes as he pleases.”
    “He brought me a dead rat the other day.”
    Drake laughed softly. “Indeed?”
    “It’s not funny! It was disgusting.”
    “He has never brought a rat into the castle before.”
    “It was probably my fault,” she admitted. “I told him to go out and earn his keep.”
    “You know what they say,” Drake said, grinning at her. “Be wary what you ask for lest you get it.”
    She glared at him, then burst out laughing. A warm glow suffused her when his laughter mingled with hers.
    She was still smiling when the faint glow of streetlights came into view.
    Drake pulled up in front of a large hotel with an old-fashioned ambiance. After turning off the engine, he got out of the car, then came around to open her door for her. Taking her by the hand, he ushered her into the hotel. After securing a room, he asked if she was ready to dine, and when she said yes, he escorted her into the hotel’s elegant restaurant.
    It was quite the loveliest place she had ever seen. The lighting was subdued, the walls papered with an elegant rose and cream stripe. The tables were laid with rosecolored damask threaded with gold, gleaming silverware, and crystal goblets. She looked at Drake, her brows raised, when all he ordered for dinner was a glass of red wine.
    “Don’t tell me you’ve already eaten?” Elena said, disappointment in her tone. “I know you like to eat alone, but I thought you might make an exception tonight.”
    “Sorry, sweet wife, but do not let my abstinence spoil your supper. I am told the cuisine here is quite good.”
    The roast, country potatoes, green beans, and bread looked good, smelled wonderful, and tasted even better, but when she offered Drake a bite of roast dipped in gravy, he refused.
    “I don’t understand why you won’t eat with me,” she said with a pout. “Are you embarrassed by your table manners or something?”
    “Yes,” he said with a wry grin. “Something like that.”
    She made a face at him. “I don’t believe you.” He was so polished in every other regard. His clothing was always impeccable, his speech refined. She decided then and there that, one way or another, she would discover what he was hiding.
    After dinner, he took her walking down Republicii Street, which was lined with quaint storefronts reminiscent of days gone by. Most of the smaller shops were closed for the evening, but a few of the larger ones remained open. They passed stores that sold clothes, books, souvenirs, jewelry, electrical appliances, and even art, as well as cafés and restaurants. No cars were allowed here, which made it ideal for an after-dinner stroll.
    Elena was treated to more evidence of Drake’s generosity when he insisted on buying her another new dress—this one the color of a ripe plum. He also bought her a pink sweater, a pair of shoes, and a fur-lined jacket, and instructed the clerk to send it all to the hotel.
    “Is there anything else you would like?” he asked as they continued down the street.
    “I need a mirror. I can’t believe you don’t have any in the castle.”
    She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she heard him swear softly. And then he smiled at her. “Of course.”
    He bought her a full-length, antique, stand-up mirror framed in polished mahogany. When she protested, insisting it was too costly, he silenced her by saying, “Consider it my wedding gift.”
    She could hardly argue with that.
    After leaving the shop, he asked if she was tired. Elena shook her head. She felt as if she could walk for miles. It felt good to stretch her legs, to feel the breeze on her face. To feel Drake’s hand