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Page 123
her. And his grip was no longer simply comforting. There was a disquieting light in his blue eyes and an eager tension in the hand that held her. Sybelle's breath quickened. Where his fingers touched, her skin felt odd, and she could sense heat, although she knew quite well that it was impossible for warmth from the hand to penetrate her woolen overdress, tunic, and shift.
"I am cleverer than that, Sir Walter," she said, twisting out of his hold. "You mistook honesty for a lack of subtlety. But I must admit that if I had desired a compliment, I might have been clumsy in fishing for it. I have never needed to do so, you sse."
"And so you have proved my point," Walter retorted, still laughing. He had noticed Sybelle's response to his own sexual urge. The fact that she had freed herself from his embrace only underlined her awareness that its character had changed. "You have just shown that shown that there is no reason for any man ever to tire of you. You know yourself beautiful. I will take your word for it that you are clever, merely inexperienced in flinging out lures for men"
"You must stop teasing me," Sybelle interrupted, sensing that his humor was as much a danger to her as his desire. "We are supposed to be engaged in a serious discussion. Do you not consider marriage a serious subject, Sir Walter?"
"Of course I do, but there is no sense in pursuing the path you wish to take, Sybelle. You are not being reasonable. No matter what I say, I cannot convince you of what my future feelings will be. It is not in saying but in doing that proof comes. I am more than willing to prove myself in the test of time." He held out his hand to her.
Involuntarily, she not only laid her hand in his but gripped his fingers. "I am afraid," she repeated. "Is there no way for us to gain a better knowledge of each other? I will not lie to you, Sir Walter. I am not indifferent. I . . . I think I would like to be your wife, but . . . but I am afraid."
Walter looked at her helplessly. There was no way to ascertain the future. He understood better now what Sybelle meant. Unlike most women, she was not physically afraid. He knew she understood that she could separate herself from him physically, that her father and uncles would defend her and her property, drive him away or even kill him if he were cruel to her or dishonest in his dealings with her. Obviously

 
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