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“They do not hold me back.”
“As a wife would?”
“Aye.”
Certainly to hear him say so aloud was a relief. The last thing she’d set out to find was a husband in truth—a man to contain her. And yet . . .
His fingers continued their ministrations, the gentle tug somehow soothing.
“From fighting for coin?”
His eyes narrowed. “’Tis what I do. Who I am.”
She hadn’t meant for it to sound like a judgement, but he’d obviously taken it as such.
“I have . . . plans.”
The words seemed forced, as if he were sharing a difficult admission. But he’d told her nothing of his plans.
“As do I,” she admitted.
His eyes dropped down, and once again, she felt exposed. She’d never lain like this with a man, side by side in a bed.
“A girdler?”
She raised her chin, unapologetic.
“Aye. ’Tis not unheard of for a woman. My mother and her mother before her made belts, and I’ve always imagined doing so for coin. If I can find a guild . . .”
She stopped, feeling foolish.
Letting her hair drop, Guy moved his hand away, adjusting the pillow beneath him. He seemed more inclined to speak with her than to sleep, and she had to admit she was rather enjoying this time together. But his easy manner and good looks distracted her, and Sabine could not afford to become distracted. She had a suspicion that, if she were not vigilant, this man would remove the barriers she’d put between them before she even realized he’d done so.
“If you find a guild, they will no doubt be impressed with your craft. And ’tis a fine occupation for a lady such as yourself.”
No words could have surprised her more.
“You truly believe so?”
He did not hesitate.
“I do.”
She wasn’t sure what to say.
“After we convince Bande de Valeur to return to France, you will help me find one, a guild, before we part ways?”
“We?”
Sabine feigned innocence. “I thought you understood. I would do my part in this rebellion of yours. In my father’s good name.”
“Do you have no other family to go to?”
Sabine sighed. “I’d have appealed to them if I did. Neither of my parents had siblings, and neither of their parents live. When Burge received my wardship, my father’s lands naturally reverted back to the crown.”
“Naturally.”
“My own title is a courtesy one only, given the circumstances.”
