He was smiling, but his gray eyes were as cold and unblinking as the garden snake she had put in Clara's bed last week.

"You're a lucky man, Charles. She's as lovely as your beautiful wife."

Why was he lying? Clara had told Cassandra over and over that she was as ugly as a toad. She had said that beauty was founded in obedience and a bad girl like Cassandra would never be anything but homely. She had come to realize that Clara didn't always tell the truth, but there was a chance Clara was right about Cassie's lack of beauty. Mama was always gentle, always obedient to Clara, and no one could deny she was pretty. Cassandra set her jaw and said clearly, "That's not true."

The brilliant white smile on Raoul's lips never faltered. "Modest as well as comely." He patted her cheek and rose to his feet. "We must be sure to find a suitable match for her when you return."

"Match?" Her father looked dismayed. "You think I'll have to be gone that long?"

"We both know that's a possibility. Naturally, I'll let you know the moment it's safe for you to return." He clapped her father on the shoulder. "Don't look so morose, my friend. Tahiti is supposed to be a beautiful land. I was just talking to Jacques-Louis David about it last week, and he was saying what a thrill it would be to paint in such a place. You may be inspired to create a great masterpiece."

"Yes…" He lifted Cassie in his arms and gazed blindly down at the dock. "But it's so far away."

"Distance is safety," Raoul said softly. "You're the one who came to me in a panic. You even moved from Paris to Marseilles to escape him. Have you changed your mind now? There's a possibility you may be safe here for a time. Do you wish to stay and chance letting him find you?"

"No!" Her father's face paled. "But it's not fair. I didn't mean to-"

"It's done." Raoul cut into his sentence. "Now we must protect ourselves from the consequences. Why do you think I intend to change my name and cut ail my former ties? Now, do you need more funds for the journey?"