“Ye are an insufferable cad.”
She heard him step closer. “Do not pretend, My Lady. You will not seduce me with that innocent act.”
“I am nae pretendin’,” she insisted, her blush deepening.
The Duke sighed, a theatrical sound of exasperation. “Suit yourself,lady wife.” He began unbuttoning his waistcoat, his movements deliberate and teasing. “I, for one, prefer not to sleep covered in the day’s grime. Unlike some, who enjoy the scent of mud and horse on their skin.”
He cast a pointed glance at her, clearly referencing their first meeting.
Will this man nae stop pokin’ at me in such a manner!
He was infuriating, and yet his shoulders were as broad as a barn. And those eyes were as blue as a loch.
If only he knew the true arrangement between her and her late husband. How they never consummated their marriage due to his love of liquor. She was grateful he had never forced himself on her, but now…
She hated how out of her depth she felt.
Her cheeks burned as she considered her own naivety. Yet she could not help but sneak a peek at his muscular chest over her shoulder before she tore her gaze away.
She looked at the tiny window, covered in a burlap curtain. Then, her eyes flitted back to the door, a thin piece of wood in desperate need of repair.
“The water is warm.” She heard him swirl his hand in the water to test it. “I am still willing to give you the first soak. What do you say? Are you ready to be a civilized woman, Lady Inverhall?”
“I am a civilized woman,” she muttered, but not loud enough for him to hear, keeping her eyes fixed on the plain wall.
She looked at the peeling paint, imagining that the intricate patterns left by aging were people, plants, and other things. She began to make up stories, thinking to herself that maybe if she focused hard enough, she could merge with the wall and become a shape within it.
It was her way of coping since she was a little girl, wandering the Highland hills to collect herbs and flowers. She was never alone because she had the power of imagination.
Perhaps it wouldnae be so bad to be a nameless shape on a chipped wall.
Finally, Elspeth grabbed a wooden chair, pulled it around, and sat down facing the cursed patterns. Her back was stiff with travel fatigue, embarrassment, and a desperate attempt to keep control. She would not give him the satisfaction of her attention.
The Duke, clearly amused by her discomfort, whistled as he finished washing.
After what felt like hours to Elspeth, she heard the Duke rise from the water, toweling off vigorously and making far too muchnoise for such a simple task. She heard him pull on his trousers and pictured the fabric stretching taut over his powerful thighs. She again listened to the sound of him dressing, picturing a tailored shirt morphing over his broad shoulders and rippling biceps.
Finally, the bed creaked, and Elspeth understood he was dressed and lying down. She listened to him sigh, sinking into the mattress with a groan of pleasure.
Wait… He is in the bed?
“Rest now, My Lady,” he commanded, his voice muffled, as though he’d covered his face with a pillow. “You will need it to resume our travels. We have the latter half of our journey ahead of us.”
“I will sleep on the floor,” she whispered, still facing the wall.
He snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. That is a silly idea.”
Aye, the nerve of this man! To demand that I share a bed with his oversized arse, yet nae even offer the courtesy of takin’ the floor himself.
Elspeth’s anger flared. She rose from the chair in a flash and snatched a pillow from the far side of the bed. Then, without hesitation, she ripped the blanket clean off his half-asleep form.
He was very much shirtless.
She froze for a heartbeat. Moonlight spilled through the window, catching the lines of his chest—broad, sculpted, far too defined for any man who had the audacity to behave likehim. The muscles of his arms flexed as he made a sluggish attempt to reclaim the blanket, his reach slow and uncoordinated with sleep.
She gulped despite herself. His skin was warm-hued and taut over powerfully built shoulders; his torso, long and lean, moved with unintentional grace even now.
Of course,hewould look like that.
