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mention of this in any of the accountsshe had heard. But it explained how he had come to retreat, as the rest advanced to their doom. “What became of the horse?”
    He looked at her as though it were the maddest question in the world. “Shot in the battle. Poor dumb beast. It was all for naught. In the end, I spared him nothing. I should have ridden forward with the rest and died.”
    He touched his wounded leg. “Until I met you, this wound seemed a sufficient punishment for any wrong I committed. But now?” He shook his head. “That day, I took your husband from you with my carelessness. And I took your honor tonight. If you will have me, I will do everything in my power to make this right.”
    Something inside her eased, as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. And without thinking of what had brought her to this place and this moment, she let out a sigh of relief. Then she patted the mattress beside her. “I do not think I need ’til dawn to make a decision, after all. Come to bed, Thomas.”

Chapter 5
    H e reached for her again in the night, touching her skin and smiling in wonder as though her presence beside him was miraculous. She touched him in return, laying her hand against his cheek, tracing the planes of his shoulders and back, learning him in a way that was quite innocent, compared to their earlier coupling.
    He paid attention to the details of her body, kissing the hollow of her shoulder, the crease of her elbow, her finger tips, and running his thumb along her spine to find a place on her back that was surprisingly sensitive. It made her gasp, and he smiled, continuing to stroke the spot as he bent his head forward to nip her throat and her breasts. Tom was setting a leisurely pace, as though they had all night to pleasure each other. He gave another flick of his finger, which he combined with a slow pull on her nipple that made her arch against him, clutching his hair to hold him tight to her, clawing with her other hand, down his side to search for him, stroke him and spread her legs for him. Her need grew more urgent the slower he moved. She could feel him laughing in triumph as she shuddered against him, so she pushed him onto his back andstraddled him, impaling herself upon him, pressing his hand against her most sensitive place, forcing him to give her more pleasure as she bucked against him, her body clenching and releasing him, as she squeezed his hips between her thighs. She heard the moment when his laughter stopped and he relinquished control to her. His breathing quickened, his body thrusting in response, until he whispered her name and lost control inside her again. The sensation was rare, and she closed her eyes as she savored it. The risk of children born while on campaign had been too great to allow such completion. Now, she might have it whenever she liked, and the children as well.
    But when she looked into her lover’s eyes, she saw pain as well as pleasure. “Your leg?” She pulled away so that he could withdraw.
    He nodded, but laid a steadying hand on her arm. “It is all right.” His eyes seemed to glaze for a moment, and then he smiled, and said through clenched teeth, “No. It was marvelous. Well worth a twinge or two.”
    But all the same, she disentangled herself carefully to lie beside him, careful not to stress the wound.
    He put his arm around her shoulders, and kissed the top of her head. “That you would be willing to lie with me at all is pleasure enough. But that you have accepted my offer is quite amazing as well. There have been others who were not so generous.”
    She frowned. “How strange.”
    He laughed at her confusion. “My dear, I am not whole. It is quite obvious to you.”
    “But for the pain in your leg, you seem well enough.” She had the temerity to blush, and he laughed again.
    “In our case, perhaps it is better that you lie with me before you wed me. The woman I expected to take to wife on my return from the war was none too