The order caught her as she passed.

“I would prefer not to.”

“I did not ask what you preferred. Close the door, then bring me some wine.”

Gritting her teeth, she pushed the door shut and went to pour the wine. Delivering it meant that she had to face him.

She tried to avert her gaze, but she saw him all the same. Saw the shoulders she had held and the hard chest she had kissed. Saw the strong arms that had embraced her, and moved her body at his will. Saw the wonderful, masculine hand that now grasped a cloth and squeezed rivulets of water down a well-formed leg.

She held out the goblet of wine. His other hand closed over it, and imprisoned her fingers beneath his.

Startled, she looked up. His face appeared as harsh as she had ever seen it. His eyes held dangerous, vivid lights. Not only anger flamed in them. The fuel that fired them was more complex than that. And whatever else passed in that gaze, she could not deny that she also saw a bit of the way he had always looked at her, and she reacted a bit as she always had.

She pulled her hand free and walked over to the table to fuss with the rest of the food, slicing cheese and meat. “I expected Sir Addis to be here, not you.”

“I gave him my chamber. He will use it while he is here.”

“If you summoned me so I would know where you will sleep henceforth, there was no need. There was no danger that I would slip into that chamber looking for you and find him instead, I assure you.”

No response came at first, but she could almost hear an unspoken one in the pause. “I summoned you so that we might speak,” he finally said.

“It could have waited until you are done with this.”

“In my present humor our talking could not wait. It has been in my head for hours.”

“Then the bath could have waited, so I would not have been summoned like a servant to attend you thus.”

“I found myself impatient for this too. I wanted to wash a day of riding off me. And also the stench of death.”

“I thought perhaps you wanted to cleanse yourself of a bad judgment, much as Pilate did.”

The sounds of washing instantly stopped. An ominous silence came from the tub.

She sliced more meat, and cursed the way her hand shook.

“A different judgment would not have brought those three men back, Nesta, and if I were you I would not be throwing accusations at anyone tonight. The way I see it, the death of those villagers is on your head.”

She swung around. “How dare you say that. Arundal’s men commit murder, and you blame me?”