The Abducted Heiress. Claire Thornton

sat up straight and looked at Jakob. She saw he was watching her intently and instinctively lowered her eyes. Then she hastily looked up again in case he should accuse her of hiding.

      He smiled briefly, but his gaze remained strangely intent.

      ‘Swiftbourne had two sons,’ he said quietly. ‘The oldest remained in England, but his second son—my father, James—forged a career for himself in Sweden. Like Kilverdale, I am one of Swiftbourne’s grandsons.’

      ‘One of them?’ Desire said thoughtfully. ‘Is your father still alive?’

      ‘No.’

      ‘I am sorry to hear that,’ she said, briefly but sincerely. ‘Do you have brothers?’

      ‘One. He’s younger than me,’ Jakob replied, pre-empting her next question.

      ‘Ah.’ Desire stared at him. ‘If everything you have said is true,’ she said slowly, ‘then it would appear you are not only a soldier, an abductor, an escaped prisoner—and God knows what else!—you will also be the next Earl of Swiftbourne.’

      ‘If I outlive my grandfather,’ Jakob agreed.

      Chapter Five

      Desire gazed at Jakob for several long, disbelieving moments. He smiled a little quizzically, but did not otherwise seem disturbed by her intense scrutiny.

      At last she dragged in a deep, indignant breath.