“I would not – marry you if you went down on your knees – to ask me,” Gretna stormed.
“And, as I have no intention of marrying you,” he jeered, “such fire is quite unnecessary. But, as I have told you before, it delights me to see you in a rage. When your eyes are flashing, you are infinitely more beautiful than at any other time.”
He had not touched her, but his assurance and the way he was looking at her made Gretna feel as if his big hands and thick lips besmirched her.
She gave a little cry of horror and turned from him, looking wildly round the cabin.
“I cannot – escape you, my Lord,” she said desperately. “I know that. So I must ask you, if you have a spark of decency within you, to take me back. I – beg you to do so, to be – merciful.”
He laughed.
“So now you are pleading with
