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She greeted him with a smile. “I didn’t expect you so soon.”.
“Actually, I’m not here for the night yet,” he said. “I wanted to see if you needed me to bring you some water for your bath.”
“Oh, would you, Cameron? That would be heavenly.”
“Of course. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Cameron brought the water, lit a fire, and heated it. “Tell me about when your brother had scarlet fever.”
“I wasn’t born yet,” Rose said. “In fact, Mummy was pregnant with me at the time, and Lily was just a babe, so the two of them were sent home to my grandparents.”
“Surely they’ve told you the story.”
“Yes, of course. Although there isn’t much to tell, Cameron. He was quite sick for about a week, but the fever broke and he recovered. In fact, he thrived. He was a strong and able child, just like Kat. You’ve seen him, haven’t you?”
“Yes, at the wedding ball.”
“He’s taller than average, about your size. No residual effect from the illness at all.” She moved behind him and massaged his shoulders. “I know how hard it is when a loved one is ill. When Lily fell over a month ago, and we didn’t know if she would make it, I was distraught.”
“Kat has always been special to me,” he said. “My father died a few weeks after she was born, and I was twenty, so I’ve basically been her father. I’m not sure I could love a child from my own loins any more than I love her.”
“I understand,” Rose said, “and I love her too. She’s so full of life.” She sat down on Cameron’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. “She’s going to come through this. I just know it.”
Cameron kissed her chin. “I hope so, sweet.”
Rose laced her fingers through Cameron’s silky black hair. “Did your mother have trouble bearing children?”
“Why do you ask?”
“There’s such a difference in all your ages,” Rose said. “My mother lost two babes after she had Thomas. She had pretty much resigned herself to only having one child, and then Lily and I came along, less than a year apart.”
“I recall one lost between Tricia and Kat,” Cameron replied. “There may have been some between me and Tricia. I don’t know.”
“You’re what, twenty-eight?”
“Twenty-seven.”
“How old is Tricia?”
“Fifteen.”
“She’s a beauty,” Rose said. “She’s a female version of you, the same way Lily and Thomas are. You’re going to have to watch the boys around her.”
“I already do, believe me. How old are you, Rose?”
“Twenty.”
He caressed her cheek. “A fair maiden of twenty.” He stole a kiss. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
Rose smiled, her heart pounding. “You’re a flatterer, Mr. Price.”
“But you are. You’re light where I’m dark. Soft where I’m…not soft.” He squeezed her breast. “It’s extremely…bewitching. You’re an angel. No one is as beautiful as you are.”
“I look just like my mother, except that my eyes are a darker blue. Lily and Thomas look like our father.”
“Your mother is a very pretty woman, but you…” He ran his fingers up and down her arms, making her tremble. “You are absolutely captivating.” He reached behind her neck and pulled her head toward him, capturing her lips with his. When he released her, he said, “I almost feel like I can deal with all of this, having you here.”
“You can deal with it,” Rose said. “Kat will recover, and I will do whatever I can for her and for you.”
