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“It would please me. I was clearly very remiss.”

“We were just children after all,” she murmured. “I don’t suppose you have heard from my brother today?” she said changing the subject.

“Not yet. Indeed, he made no promise to send immediate word on reaching Sitchmarsh. Is that his usual practice?”

She shook her head. “Gilbert is not much of a letter-writer. I only thought, because of the unusual circumstances...” her words trailed off.

“Perhaps I should have sent word,” he said smoothly filling the awkward gap. “But I did not wish to worry him by telling him you were unwell,” he lied calmly.

“Oh, of course. That was thoughtful.” She looked uncertain, but that could be if her brother would much care. He had not struck Oswald as the caring type.

“I think it would be better if you kept to these rooms for the next few days while you recuperate and we ready you for court.” He carried on casually. “After all, first impressions are important and we don’t wish to give rise to more gossip and speculation than is strictly necessary.”

Fenella swallowed her mouthful of food. “Of course, my lord. I am sure you know what is best and will be led by you.”

Yes, he thought looking at her as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. She would be a sensible sort of wife, the sort that caused very little bother. He remembered the solemn child he had once been betrothed to. She had listened to every word he had uttered, with a surprising intensity. She still did that, he realized with a faint smile. She would do very well for his purposes. He would just have to remember to be considerate toward her. Doubtless she did not anticipate much consideration, if her boorish brother was anything to go by. And at the end of the day, that would be far more practical to him than even an ambitious, clever or beautiful wife. He had done well.

**

Fenella woke several times during the night, mostly with her sore throat and stuffy nose. The first time, she was surprised to find Lord Vawdrey reading by candle-light on his side of the bed.

“Did the light wake you?” he asked quietly.

“No, no,” she said taking a hurried sip of water. “It is just my scratchy throat. I will fall asleep again presently.” She lay back down and rolled onto her side away from him, closing her eyes. Luckily sleep soon came and the next time she woke, the room was all in darkness. She could hear his steady breathing from close by and lay awake a while listening to it. It seemed so odd to think this was her husband now. This stranger lying on the mattress beside her. She reached out tentatively and felt the bolster solidly between them. Her eyes could make out no shape in the dark, but she lay a while anyway, trying to make out his profile in the shadows. She must have dropped off to sleep for the next thing she knew, she was waking to grey morning light and the heavy, warm feeling of a big male body pressed against her back, one large hand resting on her hip. Fen blinked into her pillow. Not again! Where was the bolster? She lifted her head to twist her body and peer over her shoulder, but the hand tightened its grip on her hip holding her place.

“Keep still,” a disgruntled male voice, thick with sleep growled at her.

Fen was so surprised, she did just that. Oswald Vawdrey’s face pressed into the back of her neck and breathed out. He shifted closer to her, his hand sliding round from her hip, over the swell of her stomach and settling at her waist before pulling her firmly back into his sleeping body. Fen gave a gasp of surprise but his breathing had evened back out and she realized after a few moments that he was sound asleep again. She lowered her head back onto the pillow and squeezed her eyes shut. After all, it would be pointless remonstrating with a sleeping man. To her own astonishment, she did manage to drift off to sleep again for the next thing she knew she heard the door opening and Meldon’s shuffling footsteps and the sloshing of the water ewer. However, when she tried to move she realized her legs were firmly entangled with two much longer, stronger and more muscular than her own. She lifted her head and held her breath as she felt him startled out of sleep behind her.

“What the-?”

“Meldon’s here,” she said hurriedly.

He cursed and disentangled himself, rolling onto his back. Fen made haste to pull her shift down, which had ridden up high on her legs.

Meldon regarded them both askance. “Washing water,” he said. “And a clean shift for the mistress,” He threw it over a chair back before stomping back out.

“I suppose I should really procure you a lady’s maid,” mumbled Oswald, rubbing a hand over his face. He yawned.

Fen surreptitiously glanced over the bed but could see no sign of the bolster.

“Will you wash first, or will I?” he asked turning to her.

She pondered this one a moment. From what she could see Lord Vawdrey once again was not wearing a stitch of clothing under the sheets.

“I will, if that is agreeable to you,” she said hurriedly and averted her eyes from his lolling figure. She didn’t know if she could go through that spectacle again.

“Of course,” he said.

Fen clambered from the bed with as much dignity possible but it was so high that she had to slide down the side with a thud. Hoping he had not received an unimpeded view of her bare backside, she scrambled to pull her shift back down around her plump knees.

Lord Vawdrey coughed. “How’s your throat this morn?”

Fenella turned back to look at him and promptly went sprawling onto the floor as she tripped over some unseen object on the floor.

“Fenella?”

Fen sprang up, red-faced and once again had to straighten her wretched shift. If he hadn’t seen her generous behind before, he certainly had now, she thought dying of mortification. She looked down and saw the bolster lying innocuously on the floor. So, there it was! “I’m fine,” she panted, flinging her braid over her shoulder and trying not to look flustered. “It – it feels practically recovered today,” she assured him, not daring to look at his face. She approached the pitcher of hot water and sloshed some into the basin. Snatching up a cloth, she dunked it and starting to wash furiously at her face and neck.