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Two of them.
One bed.
Which he was not going to think about because she had thoughtfully made up a pallet for him on the floor. Of course, his mind couldn’t help but fantasize about what might have been under other circumstances. Especially now that he’d had the beautiful debutante over his lap and realized she’d become aroused by the spanking.
This was going to be a torturous night.
More than just the traitor was now hanging over their heads. There was also the possibility of marriage.
He would not give up his bachelorhood unless he absolutely had to. Thankfully, he was not the heir, and marriage was not one of his duties. He only had to marry if and when he wanted to or if an unfortunate situation arose, such as the one he now found himself in.
Was it so unfortunate, though?
She was beautiful. He was attracted to her.Andshe took being spanked very well. There were worse things to base a marriage on, as the members of thetondemonstrated on a regular basis.
Why are you even thinking about marrying her? You should be thinking about ways to escape it!
Right.
“Well, I suppose it must be time to sleep.” Miss Davies glanced at the bed, at him, then down at her lap, where her hands were fretfully smoothing her skirts.
“Yes. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get an early start in the morning.” Early enough to return to London without anyone seeing? That was the most likely way out of having to marry the woman.
He supposed he could abandon her and let her either stay in the cottage on her own or return to London by herself, but her reputation would be ruined, regardless, and he was too much of a gentleman to have that on his conscience. His honor would not allow it.
No, the most likely outcome of this entire excursion was marriage.
Certainly not what he’d expected when he’d started the day.
Taking off his waistcoat, he kept his back to Miss Davies. He could hear the rustle of fabric and wondered if she intended to sleep in her traveling dress. Should he offer to help her undress?
No.
Let her be. If she asked for his assistance, that would be one thing, but she seemed remarkably self-reliant.
Lying on the pallet, lumpy and did not do much to cover up the hardwood floor, Nathan sighed. There was an answering sigh from the bed, then the candle went out.
“Good night, then,” he said, figuring it was only polite. There was a moment of silence before she responded.
“Good night.”
ChapterEight
Lily
The cottage’s bed was not comfortable, and neither was wearing her dress to bed. Lily was also not used to sleeping in a room with someone else. Every move Captain Jones made—every soft snore, every time he rolled over—she jerked to awareness. Finally, pure exhaustion had her falling into a deep slumber, but she did not feel particularly well-rested when she woke.
By the light coming in through the thin curtains, it was early morning. Lily jerked awake, sitting straight up in bed. At the foot of the bed, Captain Jones was standing in nothing but his shirt and pants. Lily blushed.
“Sorry,” she squeaked, lying back down and turning her head away.
“Give me a moment.” His voice was deeper, rougher than usual. Because it was the morning. “I’m decent.”
Apparently, decent meant he’d put on his waistcoat. Both of them were decidedly rumpled. While Captain Jones went to fetch the horse, Lily brushed out the fabric of her skirts as best she could, but it was truly a lost cause. Sighing, she walked out to the front of the cottage, closing the door behind her and waiting for him to come around with the horse. She had to admire the stallion he was leading. A beautiful bay with a shining amber coat, he was sleek and well-muscled, his good breeding showing in every line of his body.
“He’s beautiful,” Lily breathed, watching as the stallion came to an obedient halt at Captain Jones’ command. The two of them made quite a sight, despite the captain’s unkempt appearance, though she had to admit, she did not find the dark scruff along his jawbone to be unattractive, even if it was not fashionable. “Will he be all right carrying both of us?”
“For the ride back to London, he should be. I will give him a handsome reward at the end of it.”
