Mystic Mountains

Brunt," Gareth said. "He 's a wee bit on the shy side. Doesn't want anyone to see him arriving at Selena's house, if you get my meaning. He's due to be wed at the end of the month and his future bride has a harridan for a mother, isn't that so, Fergus?" Gareth winked at his friend as he seated himself beside Selena, opposite Isabella and the reticent Fergus.
    Isabella 's estimation of Gareth went down a peg or two. She was secretly disgusted with both of them. "Aren't you a betrothed man yourself, Gareth?" she asked, and he sucked in a breath, shaking his head.
    "Quite so, but my fiancée hasn 't arrived from England yet, so I'm a lonely man at the moment." He sighed, but his grin showed no guilt.
    Isabella pressed her lips together, staring at h er fingers on her lap. So tense her hands ached, she tried to relax.
    This whole business was distasteful, but now her decision was made she would have to live with it. But it was not going to be easy. She sighed, looking across the carriage. Selena sent her a warning glance. Isabella looked away, and saw that Fergus Brunt had a distinctly lascivious glint in his pale eyes, which were settled on her breasts.
    "You 're a pretty wench," he murmured.
    Isabella felt like a piece of prime mutton under inspection at the market as his gloating eyes ate her up.
    "Thank you," she mumbled, bringing a hand up to her throat in an effort to cover some of her displayed flesh.
    Selena gave her a gentle nudge on the knee, saying, "You have me to thank for delivering her to you, Fergus love. Take my word for it, if you don 't snatch her up for yourself you will be on the end of a long queue once the gentlemen of this town have seen her."
    Nausea churned inside Isabella . Until now she'd viewed this as a bit of a lark, and it had certainly been more pleasing than being thrown on the streets to fend for herself. She owed Selena much, but now the time had come to repay her she wondered if she would be able to go through with it.
    Fergus Brunt looked about thirty, not much different in age to Tiger, but there the similarity ended. Fergus did his best to conceal his paunch, but was already running to fat, his blonde hair thinning. He lapsed into silence, leaving Selena and Gareth to hold the conversation. Isabella shut herself off, barely hearing a word.
    But she could feel the odious man 's eyes on her and her skin crawled, making her feel as if she was being eaten alive by insects.
    "Come along, no time for daydreaming, we 've arrived," Selena announced, allowing Gareth to assist her from the carriage. Isabella put her hand in Fergus's as he helped her down, then withdrew it sharply. His palm was sweaty and hot; she felt it through the fabric of her gloves, and she caught a frightening gleam in his eye as he offered his arm.
    He sighed, then whispered dramatically, "Alas, we must show our faces here, but I would sooner be alone with you, sweet child. Have no fear, I 'll be your regular caller, and I'll pay you so well you'll have no need for other men."
    Isabella reared back. At least Gareth was enough of a gentleman that he never made Selena feel like a whore, but this man had successfully done that with the only sentence of any length he 'd uttered.
    Isabella refused to answer, and he apparently didn 't expect a comment from her. Lifting her chin she turned her attention to the house they were entering. Selena had told her it was the home of a wealthy free settler. The front door was reached by a flight of steps leading to the veranda circling the entire house. They went into the large living area, which had been cleared for dancing. The floor was highly polished and a many-candled chandelier hung from the center beam of the vaulted ceiling. Isabella recognized the sideboard and chairs as rosewood. Selena told her the Governor favored the rose mahogany. Selena's own bed, dining setting and cabinets were made of the beautiful timber that came from the heavily forested area north of the Hawkesbury River.
    "Welcome to my home," a bearded giant of a man roared in an ear -splitting voice that made her wince. "Well, well, and who's this choice piece of womanflesh, eh, Selena my darling? Where did you pluck this peach?" Casting bloodshot eyes over Isabella in much the same way Fergus had, he made her feel naked. She quenched a desire to cross her arms over her breasts.
    "So, you like her do you, Prince? Well, you 'll have to wait in line behind Fergus. Our darling man here is besotted. Isn't that