AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Rest,” she said. “I’ll try. Can you tell me how?” The bossy, indignant tone with which she had addressed him earlier had vanished, replaced now with sincerity and perhaps a little humility.
He lifted his head from the bed, taking inventory of the wood left next to the fireplace.
“Take the kindling—the small pieces of wood. Set them under the grate. Put two logs on the grate at an angle to start. Then light the kindling with a taper. It should be dry enough to catch.”
As she worked, he guided her with the only thing he could offer—his words of encouragement. Every few moments, she would glance over her shoulder to gauge his reaction, and he nodded his approval.
Soon the comforting smell of woodsmoke and crackle of flames licking the wood filled the room.
With her task complete, she collapsed into the single chair in the room. Her eyelids drooped, and her head bobbed against her chest. She had to be exhausted as well.
When they’d climbed the stairs, he noticed there was but one bedroom in the tiny cottage, and he was currently occupying the only bed.
“Emma,” he called, knowing full well what he was about to propose would be considered indecent. Yet he couldn’t allow her to sleep in a chair.
“Come join me.”
* * *
Priscilla’s eyesshot open as if someone slapped her across the face. Surely she had misheard him. He would not suggest something so improper. “I beg your pardon?”
When he patted the side of the bed next to him, her heart lurched, pounding so hard against her rib cage she thought it might burst from her chest.
“You can’t be comfortable in that chair. Share the bed with me.”
“But . . . But . . .” The idea terrified her, and although they were the only people present, she lowered her voice to whisper the scandalous words. “What if I get with child?”
What began as a laugh turned into a fit of coughing, and he wiped at his eyes. “We’re both still clothed. I promise nothing will happen. I’m too ill to even consider it.”
She rose from the chair and inched closer to the bed. “Are you certain I won’t get with child? Mama said if I lie with a man, I would get with child.” Her mother had explained little before Priscilla’s nightmarish failed wedding to the duke, simply saying it would be necessary for Priscilla to lie with him. Her cheeks burned at the thought.
“Simply lying next to a man won’t get you pregnant. It takes a bit more than that.”
“Oh.” Perhaps that’s what her mother meant when she said the duke would explain things. She chewed her lip, debating if she should proceed—both with additional questions and her approach toward the bed.
Could she? Perhaps the precise question was—should she? Obviously, shecould.The bed appeared considerably more comfortable than the lumpy chair upon which she had sat. Her neck had already begun to cramp. And hewasill. Certainly he wouldn’t attempt anything indecent in his condition?
Or it could be an elaborate ruse, specifically designed to lure her into the bed next to him so he could force himself upon her.
The lure of the soft mattress won the battle regarding the second question, and before she knew it, she stood, gazing down at the patchwork quilt spreading across the bed. At first, she only sat on the edge, testing the softness beneath her. Lovely. After removing her half-boots, she stretched out flat on top of the counterpane, lying straight as a pin. Her arms remained glued to her sides for fear she might accidentally brush his body in case touching while lying next to a man would be the determining factor.
She cast a quick glance at him.
Although his eyes remained closed, his lips quirked at one corner. “Relax, Emma.”
She jumped, the suddenness of his words having the opposite effect than their intention. “How can I relax when you’re grinning like that?”
“I’m not grinning.” His smile widened.
“You are. Do you find this funny?”
“Immensely.”
“Oh, you!” She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
Men.
As she lay atop the brightly colored counterpane, she wished she could bury herself beneath its warmth. The fire had barely begun to burn, and the room was still unbearably chilly. Heat emanated from Timothy’s body, and she scooted a tiny bit closer.
