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“You only need to say the word,” he challenged boldly. Hannah’s grin widened.
“Wonderful!” Anne said with a clap of her hands. “Then it’s settled. Stephen will come by to carry you around and I’ll show you how to make a few meals.”
“Oh, Mother,” Julia cut in. “We both know that is going to be more trouble than it’s worth. We should wait until Hannah is able to walk a little first. I’m sure Stephen doesn’t want to be bothered.”
“On the contrary, Julia,” Stephen said. “I’d love nothing more.”
Lily laughed softly, the musical sound drawing everyone’s attention to her. “I never expected you to speak in jest so often, Stephen. It’s very refreshing.”
“I’ll say,” Hannah murmured.
Stephen felt as if he was drifting on a cloud. He couldn’t hold back the happy smile at her words. As odd as it was, he felt completely at ease around this family. For once in his life, he didn’t have to carry himself like a man whose life was weighed in gold, with duty and poise. He could simply be himself—or Stephen Norton—and that was enough for them.
A stab of guilt cut through the happiness when he looked at Hannah again. She wholly believed the lie. Unlike Robert and Anne, she truly believed he was just a simple landlord by the name of Stephen Norton.
What will she say when she finds out the truth? Do I ever plan to tell her the truth?
Right now, the thought was both tempting and aversive. He wanted too many things when it came to Hannah. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to learn who she was, to know every detail that made Hannah Brown the woman sitting before him. He wanted to tell her who he was, but he also wanted to hold on to the comfort he felt in her presence, one he feared would disappear once the truth came out.
She is bound to treat me differently if she finds out I’m a duke.
Stephen didn’t want to lose that glint in her eye.
“In that case,” Hannah spoke up. “I should do something else around here to help if I can’t help with the cooking.”
“Like what?” Robert asked. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about medicine?”
At Hannah’s confused looked, Anne shook her head. “He hates mixing herbs,” she explained. “He doesn’t like how it makes his fingers smell. He’s only trying to look for a way to pass the work over to you.”
“Guilty as charged,” Robert said with a broad grin.
Hannah chuckled. “Unfortunately, Robert, I’m as useless when it comes on to such things as I am in the kitchen. But I do know how to use a needle.”
“Oh!” Julia perked up. “Does that mean you want to join the competition?”
Stephen swept his eyes across the girls in confusion. “What competition?”
Lily was the one who spoke next. “Mother wanted to make Hannah a blanket and Julia thought she could make a better one. So, the both of them decided to see who could do it better.” She sighed. “Somehow, they managed to rope me into it as well.”
“That sounds rather interesting,” Stephen mused aloud, his eyes once again settling on Hannah. He couldn’t take his eyes off her for long, no matter how hard he tried. He wondered if she noticed.
If she did, she was doing a splendid job of ignoring it. She cocked her head in thought, looking at Julia instead. “All right, maybe I’m not good enough to compete with you three. After seeing the dresses Anne made, I’m very intimidated.”
“As you should be!” Anne chortled. Everyone at the table laughed, including Stephen.
Hannah’s laugh however, faded. “I only wish I could do something to thank you all for what you’re doing for me.”
Robert reached forward and patted her hand, his eyes gentle. “All you have to do right now, Hannah, is focus on getting better. You can think about all that after you can walk again.”
She nodded, but Stephen could see that she wasn’t completely convinced.
The rest of the supper passed in comfortable camaraderie, with never a dull moment. There was always a topic of conversation and the Stanton family never once allowed Hannah or Stephen to be left out of what was being said. Stephen lost track of how many times he saw Hannah laugh but by the time it was over, he could see that she was very tired.
He held out his hands to her and she looked wearily up at him. “I might fall asleep in your arms,” she said.
“That’s quite fine,” he told her with a smile. “I know how to be gentle and quiet.”
Her returning smile slipped off in her tiredness and she allowed him to lift her up. She instantly rested her head on his shoulder, letting out a soft breath.
Stephen began to carry her upstairs, leaving the Stanton family behind. As silence settled over them, he was acutely aware of her deep, even breathing and of the brush of her hair against his neck. He brought her into the room and gently laid her onto the bed. She was already asleep.
Taking care not to upset her injured ankle, he settled the sheet over her, unable to stop himself from tucking her in. The silver moonlight shone on her brown hair which fanned out beneath her, the rise and fall of her chest filled the room with her soft snores. The rise and fall of her chest made his breathing grow a little shallow. Her slim figure, perfectly outlined by her dress, had images filling his head of having her alone in bed, revealing her naked skin bit by bit.
Stephen found it difficult to leave. And when he finally managed it, he found it even more difficult to get the sight of her sleeping out of his head.
