'Stay where you are.'
Kara's heart sank down to the soles of her bare feet as he left her and went back inside. Moments later he returned with a pair of towels.
'Take off that wet dress. Don't argue! Turn your back to me if you're so modest!'
Numbly, Kara obeyed. No sooner was she out of her sodden dress than he wrapped the towel about her and scooped her up in his arms. As he carried her upstairs, she was dimly aware of the terse orders he gave, that she was to be given a hot bath and put directly to bed. Somewhere along the way Kara did something she'd never done before in her life- she fainted.
She awoke to the smell of food and an overpowering hunger that gnawed at her stomach. Opening her eyes took a physical effort as she struggled to sit up in bed. A low chuckle greeted her as she tried to discern where the wonderful aroma was coming from.
'So that's what it takes to rouse you: food! Here, sit still. I'll place the tray over your lap.'
And then she remembered the events of the day before. Writhing with shame, she said, 'You must be so angry with me.'
'Oh, I think that you've been punished enough,' he rejoined, placing a fork in her hand when she showed guilty reticence about accepting his hospitality. 'Eat!' He chuckled softly as she obeyed. 'I hope you've learned your lesson. May I have your word that you won't go off exploring again without a guide?'
'I borrowed the bicycle without asking,' she admitted, deciding that she owed it to Roman to be completely forthright.
'May I ask why?'
Polishing off a bowl of chicken salad and washing it down with a glass of milk, she muttered, 'I'd somehow got it into my head that I just had to get to Port Haven any way I could. I don't know why, or the reason I acted to impulsively. The urge just . . . seemed to take over somehow.'
Watching her carefully, he said, 'Could you put a name to that urge?'
Avoiding his eyes, she replied, 'It was like I needed to get home, right away, which is an odd thing because I've never really felt that I had a real home before.'
His gaze narrowed, and he said sceptically, 'And you felt that your home was in Port Haven?'
'Not exactly,' she said slowly. 'I just felt that it was someplace close at hand . . . somewhere on the island. I don't know exactly.' She sighed. 'I've been so strung-up for such a long time . . . I suppose my own feelings are playing tricks on me.'