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He shook his head like a father with two disobedient children, wiped off his cloak, and hung it over the chair by the table in the corner. “I leave you both for a moment and here you are trying to kill yourself all over again.”
“It’s not as bad as all that, Thomas. I’m getting better.”
Eliza tried lifting her legs back onto the bed to show her improvement, but she winced as a shooting pain gouged into her stomach. Thomas rushed to her side. He put one arm around her shoulder, the other under her knees, and lifted her back to her usual position.
His face was much too close, the musky scent of his clothes much too inviting. His warm breath on her ear made her own breathing difficult.
Eliza’s gaze moved to Thomas’s face as he propped the pillows behind her. He stilled when their gazes locked, only inches apart. His eyes transformed into sparkling sapphires and for a moment the world around her dissolved.
“You just took another year off my life, Eliza.”
His rich masculine voice sent a ripple of pleasure flowing down her skin and the compassion in his eyes made her heart stop beating. Why did he have to be so kind? Didn’t he know what it did to her?
He looked away too soon, shaking his head. “Don’t try anything like that again.” His reprimanding tone returned full-force.
The longing look she’d savored from his gaze just seconds ago disappeared. She chewed on her lip. It was all for the better, she supposed. Eliza intertwined her fingers in her lap as he got up. He motioned for Kitty who came and helped pull the quilt over her.
Kitty winked as she tucked the blanket around Eliza’s legs and waist. Eliza pursed her lips and shot daggers through her widened eyes. Kitty smiled bigger and gathered the pail, towels, and dirty garments, then left the room.
Eliza bit her lip once more and pretended not to notice Thomas still standing by the bed, staring right at her.
Thomas clenched his jaw. How could they have attempted something so incredibly foolish? He wanted to give Eliza the scolding she deserved, to tell her he hadn’t saved her life just to have her start acting rash and putting herself at risk again.
But he couldn’t speak. All thoughts escaped him but the scent of the rose-perfumed soap that had circled him when he’d been only inches from her freshly washed hair and the thought of how feminine she felt in his arms. Her silken locks, all smooth and still wet from its wash, rested around her shoulders in a tight braid. The clean clothes she wore—his clothes—draped over her flawless curves. Her skin had more pink to it now, and if he wasn’t mistaken, that pink color was deepening.
Was she blushing? Her chin was tucked and she focused a great deal of attention on her fingernails. He held back a smile, remembering Nathaniel’s words. Did she really have feelings for him? Shaking his head again, Thomas tried to remember what it was he had been so frustrated about.
Eliza shot him a quick glance before once again studying her fingers. “How did things go in town? Did you get everything you needed from Dr. Smith?” Her satiny voice floated in the air and caressed his weakening walls of resistance.
Thomas took his usual seat by her side and tried to focus on her question. Why did she have to be so innocent, so alluring?
“Nathaniel’s been a God-send. We can’t risk being seen at the market, someone might be able to identify us. Especially after the plight with the sailors. I got some more food supplies. And something else. I’ll be right back.”
The nerves in his stomach swirled like leaves in the wind. He went downstairs to fetch the fair-sized bundle he’d dropped downstairs and bounded back up the steps like a giddy schoolboy. There shouldn’t be any reason for his nervousness. It wasn’t as if it was an inappropriate gift. Not really. Just a token of his gratitude for her patience and forgiveness.
He placed the package on her lap and watched as she fingered the twine with apparent apprehension.
“You needn’t get me anything, Thomas.”
“Oh, it’s nothing really.” Thomas answered, sitting back down to ease the nerves in his legs. “It’s actually for both you and Kitty.”
Eliza’s dark eyes darted between him and the package a few more times before she opened it. Slow and deliberate, she untied the small bow and pushed back the wrapping. Thomas kept his gaze on hers and stamped at the rising anticipation in his chest. What would she think of it? Would she like it?
Her lips parted and she sucked in a tiny breath. Thomas felt light as a thread of silk. That was just the reaction he’d been hoping for.
Her delicate fingers caressed the lavender colored day-dress.
Thomas yearned to see the expression in her eyes, but she didn’t look at him. She continued examining the gift, lifting it higher and smoothing out the wrinkles in the skirt.
Finally, she moved her face toward him. The gratitude in her eyes along with the small smile that pushed at her lips revealed her feelings. Thomas couldn’t retain the wide grin that spread across his face and deep into his heart. The nervous leaves in his stomach blew away with her pleasing reaction.
“You like it?”
She laughed, breathless. “Oh, yes. It’s lovely, thank you.” She looked away and lowered her voice. “But you know it’s far too intimate. How can I accept such a gift?”
He figured she would say as much. “Very easily, Eliza. The only dress you had was ruined. So, as I see it, you have no choice. You have to accept it.”
Eliza peered at him from the corner of her eye and appeared to be pressing away another winsome smile.
