His brows lifted. "You're not being fair. You've not told me your name yet." He bowed. "But if we must be formal, I'm Jared Barton Danemount."

"And you're a duke?"

"I have that honor… or dishonor. Depending upon my current state of dissipation. Does that impress you?"

"No, it's only another word for 'chief,' and we have many chiefs here."

He laughed. "I'm crushed. Now that we've established my relative unimportance, may I ask your name?"

"Kanoa." It was not a lie. It was the name Lani had given her and meant more to her than her birth name.

"The free one," the Englishman translated. "But you're not free. Not if this ugly one keeps you from pleasure."

"That's none of your concern."

"On the contrary, I hope to make it very much my concern. I've had very good news tonight, and I feel like celebrating. Will you celebrate with me, Kanoa?"

His smile shimmered in the darkness, coaxing, alluring. Nonsense. He was only a man; it was stupid to be so fascinated by this stranger. "Why should I? Your good news is nothing to me."

"Because it's a fine night and I'm a man and you're a woman. Isn't that enough? I hate to see a woman deprived of-"

He broke off as he came to within a few yards of her. Then with disgust he said, "Christ, you're nothing but a child."

"I'm not a child." It was a common and most annoying mistake. She was very small-boned and tiny compared to the Junoesque islanders and was always being thought younger than her nineteen years.

"Oh, no, you must be all of fourteen or fifteen," he said sarcastically.

"No, I'm older than-"

"Of course you are."

He didn't believe her. It was foolish to argue with a man she would probably never see again. "It doesn't matter."

"The hell it doesn't," he said roughly. "I heard what Kalua said about having her first man when she was thirteen. Don't listen to her. Pay heed to this old one. You have no business swimming out to foreign ships and coupling with sailors."