Color rose in her cheeks, making the freckles seem to disappear as she grew embarrassed and uneasy. “I wasn’t fishing for compliments, Captain. I simply wanted to know what you see that no other man has ever seen.”
“Then every other man in this village is a fool, my lady. Because I sense a deep need in you. And I want to be the one who satisfies that need, as no other ever will.”
This was going to happen. Mary-Michael wasn't sure if the heat and humidity were finally getting to her or if she'd begun hallucinating. Her heart began to race, and she felt a little light-headed. Well, she thought, that just made one part of her task much easier. Now the calculating part of her brain had to figure out how to proceed. She would speak to Mr. Watkins about this before dinner tonight.
“You were n
