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She met his eyes. ‘I’m still not leaving, Rhys.’ She rose and moved, planning to search out another flannel. But before she left, she gazed over him to reassure herself he was not about to die.
He returned to the bed, stretched out lengthwise, his head at his pillow and his ankles crossed. ‘Sweet, you may return to calling me Your Grace at any time.’
She spoke over her shoulder. ‘You must recover. You would need a big spot to be buried in and the man who cares for the gardens would grumble if I asked him to dispose of you.’
‘Bellona, you do not just dash a duke into a hole in the ground. You must have a bit of a ceremony first.’
‘Yes, Rhys. I suppose it would take some time just to dig a hole for your boots.’
She could feel his eyes on her as he digested her words.
‘Even if you address me as Your Grace, I suspect you’ve always seen me as no more privileged than one of the sailors on the ship that brought you to England.’
‘That’s not true.’ She shook her head. ‘I’ve always seen you as a duke.’ She continued searching for a useful cloth, only stopping to look at him. ‘But the men at sea are quite skilled in things that matter. You are skilled in books and learning, and I suppose that has a place besides writing letters.’
She found another flannel inside the washstand.
‘Thank you.’ He exchanged the reddened bandage he had for the new one, pressing it once more against the wound. He shut his eyes. ‘Would you bring me a brandy glass and the bottle?’
She went for the drink, splashed some in the glass and then returned. He pushed himself upright with an elbow, his injured hand still gripping the cloth. He downed the liquid and held out the empty glass. She refilled it with the same amount. He looked at it, frowned and drank more slowly before handing the glass to her once again. The fresh blood smears on the flannel pressed to his injury caused her stomach to clench.
Putting the glass and bottle on the table, she returned to the dressing chamber and found another flannel for his cut. When she returned with it, he took it from her and placed it over the other one.
His eyes moved over her, reminding her of the way water in a stream followed the movement of the current.
‘If you wish to get the dressing gown from my wardrobe, you may wear it,’ he said. ‘I would not want you to catch a chill.’
She moved to the dressing chamber. She didn’t feel cold at all and she didn’t think he’d been overly concerned about that. When she opened the wardrobe, she reached out, running her fingers over the silk and linen in front of her. Nothing looked as if it had ever been touched, but everything had rested against Rhys’s body. She took the banyan, wrapping it around herself, amazed at how well shaving soap smelled. The garment drooped from her shoulders and dragged on the floor, but felt like a royal robe.
‘This is so...’ She snuggled into it. Then paused when she met his eyes. They’d narrowed, but she couldn’t see behind them.
Padding back, she sat in a chair, looking across at him.
‘You can’t sit there all night and stare at me.’ He pressed against the flannel. ‘That will surely enough do me in.’
‘If you die because I’m looking at you, I will take note of it, since I have never even been able to pain my sisters by giving them my harshest look.’ An army couldn’t have taken her from the room. ‘I need to stay to make sure if you fall asleep, you don’t get blood on the covers.’
‘You sound like my mother. You have been spending too much time with her.’
‘I think she will agree with you and so do I.’
He adjusted the pillow with his left hand. ‘I suppose I should not have been traipsing about in the dark, but I have done it often in the past year. If I walk enough, then I sleep without my own dreams and I prefer that. The nights are so long after I have finished with my ledgers.’
‘The dark frightens me. I always had my sisters close by when I was young. I had never been alone in the night until I sailed here. Sometimes I feel smaller than Willa. And now it has caused your injury. I didn’t want to hurt you. I would rather my hand be cut.’
‘I believe you. I didn’t mean to grab the blade. I didn’t know you had a knife in your hand until I reached the hilt. Then it was a little late to reconsider.’
‘You could have been hurt much worse.’
‘So could you.’ His voice rose in exasperation. ‘Granted, you did me an injury, but do you realise what could have happened?’
‘It’s better to have a knife than nothing. Even the smallest man is stronger than I am.’ Rubbing her fingertips together, she examined them for red. ‘It is important I protect myself.’
