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She found herself irritated that he seemed more worried about her family’s possible wrath than he was about her condition. Her annoyance was irrational, since it mattered not one whit what Kendrick thought of her.
He certainly was keeping a good hold on her, though. Donella was clasped so firmly to his chest that it was nerve-wracking, embarrassing, and . . . surprisingly nice. It had been a very long time since anyone had held her so closely, especially not a strong, handsome man.
That she was enjoying it so much was wildly inappropriate.
“Stop being ridiculous and put me down,” she ordered.
“Only when I can see well enough to do so without making things worse. I’d hate to drop you into the woodbox or end up poking your backside with something pointy.”
“Mr.Kendrick,” she began in freezing tones.
“Ah, there’s a bed in the corner.”
“Not the bed,” she yelped.
She felt rather than saw him wince. “Christ, lass, you don’t need to shriek in my ear.”
Now it was her turn to wince. “I’m sorry. But please don’t take the Lord’s name in vain.”
“I’ll try to remember that for next time.”
He carefully lowered her into a chair a moment later. She didn’t know why she was being so squeamish, but she couldn’t bear the notion of Kendrick easing her down onto the bed. It just seemed too . . . intimate.
Her eyes began to adjust as a small degree of light filtered through the open door. He’d placed her in a rush chair next to a sturdy but rough-hewn table. Kendrick was now at the back of the room, stacking squares of peat onto the grate of a large hearth. He rummaged in a basket off to the side, retrieved a tinderbox, and soon had a tidy fire burning.
“That’s better.” A sardonic smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “Are you still in a pucker, or is it safe to approach?”
“I am not in a pucker,” she said firmly, trying to reassert her dignity.
He came to fetch the lamp from the table. “Lass, you screeched so loudly you practically made me deaf.”
“Don’t be—”
When he lifted an eyebrow, she sighed. “I suppose I did, didn’t I? Sorry.”
“You apologize too much,” he said as he took the lamp over to the hearth.
“You make it sound like some sort of nasty habit.”
She wearily pulled off her cap. It itched and was quite odiferous, and she sincerely hoped she’d not have to wear it again. The previous owner was well rid of it.
Kendrick lit the lamp and brought it back. “That’s better, eh?”
His smile was warm and kind, and it wrapped around her like a soft blanket. Logan Kendrick might be too big and too blunt, but he was also surprisingly gentle when he wanted to be. Donella generally didn’t like people taking care of her, but she might make an exception with him.
“Let me just shut the door,” he said. “Then we’ll get that boot off and take a look at your poor foot.”
Donella was quite sure her foot looked gruesome. Still, the notion of exposing any part of her body made her shy—unaccountably so, given all they’d been through together these last few days.
She’d lived a life of modest seclusion for so long, her only companions other women. In the convent, the sisters had never seen each other in a state of undress. Although living was communal, privacy was strictly maintained, and overly personal relationships discouraged. The strictures that had guided her life for the past three years were now being tossed out the window with disorienting speed.
It was such a little thing, stripping off one’s boots and socks. But not for her.
“I’m sure it’s fine,” she said.
“I’m sure it’s not. You can barely walk.”
When Kendrick found some candles and lit them off the lamp, it brought the shadowed room into focus. The crofter’s cottage was typical, with an open space divided by furniture into various uses. A bed with a simple wooden frame and straw mattress was tucked under the eaves, and a washstand stood close at hand, along with a sturdy rocking chair. In the center of the room, where she sat, was an oak table flanked by matching benches. The opposite wall held an open cupboard with mismatched dishes and crockery. Next to the cupboard, a narrow opening led into what appeared to be a small pantry.
