He wanted to kiss her now, to join his body to hers. So where the deuce was she? Maybe she’d fallen asleep. If so, he’d awaken her. Gently, raining kisses all over her. He’d begin with her toes and nibble his way up. But first he had to wash.
He shoved himself up—
“Hold still.”
His wife’s order came from the other side of the screen. He rolled his eye upward, toward the ceiling, toward the frolicking shadows. Damnation. “How long have you been there?”
“Long enough to know you don’t sing when you bathe. Now don’t move. I’m almost finished, and then I shall keep my promise to wash you.”
“What are you doing?”
“It’s a secret.”
“I don’t like secrets.”
“Neither do I, but that doesn’t stop you from keeping them from me.”
“I don’t keep secrets from you.”
“How often do you awaken from nightmares?”
He gritted his teeth.
“Every night?” she asked quietly.
“Often enough. Tell me what you’re doing or I shall climb out and ravish you.”
“I want you to ravish me, but not just yet.”
“What are you doing?” he asked again, with a bit more force behind the words.
“As I hate needlework, I recently took up the hobby of silhouetting. I rather enjoy it and all I need is a shadow.”
He thought of how he’d watched her shadow movements and realized now that her insistence on his using the screen had nothing to do with keeping him warm. “You’re creating a silhouette of me?”
“Yes. I want to show you what I see when I look at you.”
“I know what you see.”
“I don’t think you do.”
“I insist that you stop.” He came up out of the water.
“I don’t ask for much, Sebastian. Allow me to have this.”
She didn’t ask foranything,damn her. At least nothing of consequence. He dropped back into the water with such force that some of it splashed over the side. He glared at the fire, because he needed to show something his displeasure.
“Face forward as you were doing before you knew I was here.”
With great reluctance, he did as she asked.
“Thank you.”
“It will be hideous, all disfigured. I don’t know why you would want it.”
“Will we never have a portrait done?”
He had considered that. For posterity, it was important that a portrait of the eighth duke and his duchess hang in the portrait gallery. “I shall have Tristan pose with you for the portrait.”
