Not only was his heart pounding wildly out of control, but his hands were trembling.
Trembling.
Him, of all people. He’d been through hell. And this slip of a spinster had him trembling?
“It is almost midday now,” he said, hardly hearing himself because his traitorous heart was still pounding through his ears. “Where’s Martha?”
“She went downstairs to fetch needle and thread. My gown had a small tear in it from my fall, so I wanted it fixed before I put it on.”
“Why?” His eyeballs were still throbbing. “You are not going anywhere today, and likely not tomorrow, either.”
“But I must leave the moment the snow stops falling,” she insisted while grunting and huffing because she was trying to slip his robe on and it was three times her size and unmanageable.
“Why are you in such a rush to leave? Because I kissed you? Is this what your sudden desperation is about?”
She let out a breath. “Yes.”
He felt awful about oversetting her with that kiss.
Truly, he had not thought it through as he should have done. Giving her a thrill, and proving to himself that he had it in him to give her that thrill, was not harmless.
Ailisfeltthe raw heat of it, the passion. Ailisfelteverything. This was part of her charm, was it not?
“Shall I stop kissing you and simply give you the donation, Ailis?”
He felt the crackle of air between them as she pondered the question. Clearly, she wanted her ten kisses. Just as clearly, she was afraid of what might happen if they were as hot as kiss number three.
He stepped outside into the hall and closed the door between them, because he was going to sweep her into his arms and do more than merely kiss her again.
And that would be disastrous.
“I do not need your answer today, Ailis. Give it some thought. Nor can I leave you just now, because I asked Mrs. Fitch to bring us up some hot cocoa to share.”
He heard her soft footsteps as she scurried to the door. “I love hot cocoa.”
“I thought you might,” he said, smiling in relief. Yes, bribe her with hot cocoa in order to make amends for the kiss both of them were still feeling. Not that gaining her forgiveness would really be that simple, but it was enough for now.
He heard more of her soft grunts as she tried to don his robe and obviously struggled because every slight movement had to be causing her pain.
“Temple, have you managed to cover yourself yet?”
“No. The robe keeps sliding off my shoulder.”
“Shall I help you put it—”
“No! I’ll wait for Martha to return. She won’t be a moment. Just wait outside the door and do not dare come in.”
He hadn’t taken orders from anyone since he was in the army, and even then he was the one usually in charge. But he did not mind this snip of a thing telling him what to do, so he folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall while awaiting Martha’s return.
Mrs. Fitch was the first to come up, bearing the pot of cocoa and other embellishments on a silver tray. “Your Grace?”
He took the tray from her hands. “Miss Temple requires assistance dressing. Help her into my robe and those garish red stockings. I dare not go in until she is presentable.”
He said this for Ailis’s sake, not to prove to anyone that he was a gentleman.
His thoughts were not gentlemanly in the least.
He’d gotten a dose of Ailis scantily clad, and his heart was still pounding. An intolerable heat was still thrumming through his veins.
