Riana stepped towards him. “Father Vaughn, I have no intention of marrying this man.” He halted in front of them and gave Sir Bryant a questioning look. Sir Bryant grasped her shoulders and turned her to face him. “There is only one reason the duchess would send men-at-arms for you.” “Aye,” Riana replied. “She knows you have kidnapped me.” “Nay. She knows I have come for you. You will not escape this time, Riana, nor will your sister.” “How dare you?” She tried to twist free, but he tightened his fingers on her shoulders. “The moment you rode through the gates of the prison, your life was forfeit.” She gave a morbid laugh. “My life was forfeit the moment I entered Arundel.” “Think,” he said. “I can protect you, dower your sister, even break down every brick of the prison to rescue Glen for you.” She stared. “You are indeed mad if you expect me to believe this fantasy.” “Is it so impossible to believe a man could want you?” A rush of memory assaulted her—Stuart’s smile when he had asked for her hand in marriage, the gentle way his fingers caressed her sex that day in the field, his lingering kiss the day he had left.
