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‘You?’ She seemed genuinely surprised by the question. ‘Of course not. You’ve never looked.’
‘What?’
‘You’ve never looked at me. At my body, I mean.’
‘I’ve looked.’ Some strange impulse compelled him to be honest. ‘I might not have made it so obvious, but I’ve looked, Constance. Only not as a piece of meat, I assure you.’
‘Oh.’ She ran her tongue over her top lip as if she didn’t know how else to respond.
‘But you shouldn’t compare yourself to your cousins. They’re pretty enough, but not every man finds the same qualities attractive. I told you I wasn’t disappointed when I first saw you and if I haven’t told you how beautiful you are since then I apologise. Because you are. Beautiful, that is, and if anyone implies otherwise or frightens you from now on, I want you to tell me. I’ll make sure they can’t open their eyes again for a week.’
Her expression was half-shock, half-amusement. ‘That sounds ruthless.’
‘What kind of a husband would I be if I didn’t defend your honour?’
‘A neglectful one?’
‘Which we’ve already agreed that I’m not. At least not any more.’
‘So we have. In that case, thank you.’ Her brow creased slightly. ‘I think.’
‘Will you be all right sleeping upstairs? I didn’t think that this place would be so busy.’ His gaze swept the room again. Not that there were many other places where they could have broken their journey, but maybe bringing her to a hostelry full of men hadn’t been one of his best ideas either.
‘You’ll be there?’
‘Of course. Do you think I’d abandon you in a place like this?’
‘Then, yes, I’ll be all right.’
‘Good.’ Her confidence warmed him. ‘In that case, we’ll go upstairs as soon as you’ve finished your stew.’
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sp; ‘I’m finished now.’ She set her spoon aside and gulped down the last of her ale. ‘It’s been a long and tiring day.’
He glanced towards the fireplace where one of the minstrels was already strumming on a lute and another looked ready to burst into song. He’d arranged for the far end of the loft to be curtained off so at least they’d have some privacy, but something told him it was going to be a loud and long night. Still, better that than being outside in the cold and wet.
‘Very well, then.’ He pushed himself up off the bench and offered a hand. ‘The sooner we get to bed, the sooner we can get up and going again. With any luck, we’ll reach Wintercott by tomorrow night. Then we can carry on to Lacelby in a couple of days.’
‘A couple of days...’ She slipped her fingers into his without hesitation, her upturned face looking as beautiful as he’d just said and faintly dreamy. ‘I can’t wait.’
Chapter Ten
‘Better?’ Matthew was waiting outside the door as Constance emerged from the hostelry’s backroom, refreshed from a quick wash and change of linen.
‘Much better.’
‘Good. Then let’s go to bed.’ He put one hand on the small of her back, curving his body like a shield around hers as he led her towards the staircase.
Constance picked up a tallow candle from the counter and hunched her shoulders, trying to make herself look as unobtrusive as possible, though to her surprise the other inhabitants of the taproom actually shifted out of the way as they approached, as if they were clearing a path for them. None of them looked at her, she noticed, appearing utterly absorbed in the contents of their tankards instead, almost as if they’d been ordered to do so. She glanced up at her husband suspiciously. What had he said?
Whatever it was, she was relieved to be finally heading for bed, even if the sight of a saggy mattress at the end of the loft filled her with dismay and not just because of the straw poking out at the edges. More alarming was the fact that there appeared to be only one.
‘That’s where we’re sleeping?’ She couldn’t keep the panic out of her voice. ‘Together?’
‘Just sleeping,’ Matthew clarified quickly, tugging the curtain shut behind them. ‘Believe me, Constance, if I intended to seduce you then I’d find somewhere a bit more appealing to do it. Not to mention quiet.’ He rolled his eyes at the sound of a ballad starting below. ‘At this point, however, I’m afraid our choices are here or outside in the rain. The barn’s already full and given the choice...’ He pointed up at the thatched roof. It was barely muffling the sound of a fresh downpour on the other side.
‘Well, when you put it like that...’ She placed the candle into a wall sconce before slipping off her shoes and clambering across to the far side of the bed. ‘And I’m sure we’re tired enough to sleep through anyth—Ah!’ She gave a squeak of surprise as the mattress dipped and she rolled straight into the middle, her chest colliding abruptly with Matthew’s.
