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She was frozen to the spot, unable to pull away from the magnetic pull of his proximity. This was no good at all. “You’re wrong,” she said in a voice that was too husky for her liking. “I never lose. The sooner you give up and let me marry an earl, the better off we’ll all be.”

He responded with a voice more like a purr, soft and velvety.

“Why would I give up when I’m so clearly winning?

I can see your pulse fluttering in your neck, you know.

Don’t try to pretend I don’t affect you.

I love the way your voice turns sultry every time I get close, the way your cheeks flush, the way your gaze turns molten. You want me, Isabella.”

Was it written so plainly on her face? “No, I don’t,” she said in a breathy voice. That wouldn’t do. Clearing her throat, she tried again. Harder. Harsher. “No, I don’t. I’ll never surrender to your pathetic efforts to woo me. I’m far too clever to fall into your poorly made trap.”

His face turned suddenly serious. “Not a trap, Isabella. An offer. I would never try to trammel your fierce spirit. I want to give you joy and love and freedom in a world that will try to put you in a cage.”

Freedom! Ha! What honeyed nonsense he speaks.

“There’s no such thing as freedom. At best, we get to choose between cages, and frequently not even that.

You’re in a cage too, my lord. Don’t pretend otherwise.

Are you not trapped between a weak king and his ambitious rival?

Is that not why you sought marriage to a stranger?

You are a kept pet, and I fear your cage would not fit us both. ”

It was the most honest thing she’d said since boarding this vessel.

Perhaps it was unwise to reveal so much, but the need to confide in someone, even her enemy, had become too overwhelming.

She’d never felt as alone as she did aboard this ship.

There would never be anyone to defend her but herself.

She had to escape Martin’s snare, and the pressure of trying to evade such a clever opponent was wearing her down.

Martin sighed and shook his head. “I am sorry you feel that way. I must work harder to convince you otherwise. Look around you. Do you see any bars here? Or warring factions for that matter? At sea, we are free of their shackles. Until we reach Winchelsea, we leave war behind. And I have done everything in my power to keep Winchelsea free of strife as well. Its walls are well-defended. Within them, we can live as we please.”

It was a valiant effort, but he was only strengthening her point. “And would we not be trapped within the walls of Winchelsea? Is that not a cage in and of itself? And a rather small one at that…”

“And you think an earl would give you freedom I cannot?”

His words struck far too close to the heart of the matter.

She had no assurance that the future she fought for was an improvement on the one she was trying to escape.

But with Martin, it was certain that she would be eternally under her ladyship’s thumb and would lose her sister.

With an earl, there was a chance she might work things to her advantage.

Of course, it could all go terribly wrong, but she wasn’t going to dwell on that.

“I’m not a fool. I know there will never be any freedom for me.

But if I must live in a cage, I would like for it to be one of my choosing.

Married to an earl, my cage would be spacious enough that I might forget the bars.

Whereas with you, I would be hobbled and cramped.

I have no intention of becoming your pet, my lord.

” It was the most honest answer she could provide.

She had no reason to expect anything but misery from marriage, and she had to grasp for what compensation she could for surrendering herself to such a miserable state.

Martin nodded slowly. “You’ve given me much to think about. I must find a way to convince you that marriage to me is not a trap.”

Poor deluded little baron. Nothing you could possibly say will change my mind.

“Talk all you like. I care not. But know that no words will sway me, no matter how clever and witty they might be.”

He smiled, the coxcomb. “We shall see, my lady.” And then the man had the audacity to wink at her.

What gall! “In the meantime, I must ask you to please leave my crew out of your machinations. Keeping order on a ship is a matter of life and death. If you and your sister wish to arrive safely at your destination, do not interfere.”

That sounded ominous. What did he mean by that?

She stiffened. “Is that a threat?”

“No, Isabella. Merely the truth.”

Looking at the frigid ocean around her, she couldn’t help shivering at the thought of how fragile their vessel was and how easily they might all succumb to a watery death. “You have my word I will not interfere with your crew.”

There were other ways to sway the baron. She would find a way to land in Norfolk one way or another.

“Thank you. And now I must return to my work. You are welcome to scheme all you want, by the way, as long as you confine your conniving to me. I welcome the challenge.” He winked again and turned to go.

Isabella couldn’t help but smile at his parting words. Martin de Vere had no idea who he was dealing with. She would win this war if it was the last thing she did.