Becky bathed Danny and dressed him in a fresh gown and cap, while Hannah wore an ordinary white muslin dinner dress—gently but firmly refusing to wear one of Marianna’s more elegant gowns. She remembered too well Sir John’s reaction to his wife’s nightclothes.
At the appointed hour, Hannah carried Danny into Sir John’s bedchamber. The days were longer now, and the room was bathed in golden, late-afternoon sunlight. Someone had helped Sir John into the wheeled invalid chair, and he sat at a small tea table laid with linen, china, and fresh flowers. He was dressed in an open banyan robe, shirt, and loose cravat. Instead of a waistcoat, his ribs were bound in thick bandages. His hair had been cut, by Mrs. Turrill, she guessed, and brushed back from his face. His beard had been neatly trimmed, which accentuated his cheekbones and masculinity. He looked handsome, and for a moment reminded her of a pirate.
“Good evening, my—” He stopped, bit his lip, then abruptly held out his hands to take Danny.
A blanket-lined basket sat on the floor near her chair, so she might lay the child down to better eat her meal, but Sir John insisted on holding him.
She sat down, wiping damp palms on her table napkin. She surveyed the meal spread before them: veal-and-ham pie, roast chicken, salad, stewed fruit, bread, and biscuits. “Mrs. Turrill has outdone herself,” she said.
He nodded. “Indeed she has.” He held Danny in the crookof one arm while he ate with the other, now and again feeding the boy bits of biscuit or stewed fruit. Clearly, Sir John was already regaining strength with the help of Mrs. Turrill’s excellent cooking.
After several bites, he began, “May I ask how you have been occupying yourself? You have been somewhat scarce these last few days.”
Hannah thought back quickly. “Oh, well, I ... have undertaken to teach the young nurse to read. I found her staring at your copy ofSir Charles Grandison. And when I said she could read it when we were through, she confessed she could not read. So I have begun teaching her.”
“That is good of you.”
She ducked her head. “I am not doing so to boast, nor to impress you.”
“Though perhaps as an excuse to avoid me?”
A dry crust caught in her throat, and she hurriedly took a sip of lemonade. Setting down her glass, she picked up a bread basket near at hand and offered it to him. “Bread roll, Sir John?”
He took the hint and didn’t press her, instead turning his attention to Danny, talking quietly to the child and gently bouncing his knee to keep him content.
With relief, Hannah focused on her meal. The pie was delicious, and she savored every bite. Next she attempted to cut a piece of roast chicken, but found it difficult to employ both knife and fork with her arm in its sling.
Danny nodded off to sleep in Sir John’s arms, and he gently bent low and laid the boy in the basket. Then he reached for her knife. “Here, let me help you with that.”
Hannah flushed. “No, really, I am not a child.”
He placed his warm hand over hers, stilling her efforts, and looked into her eyes. “You are a woman, as I am very much aware. But I am at least partly to blame for your injury, so please allow me this small thing.”
She gave in then and watched as he cut her meat, feeling like a helpless little girl and not liking the sensation.
Finishing, he set down the cutlery and asked, “Does your arm pain you a great deal?”
“No. Hardly at all.”
“And your forehead?” He reached his hand toward her.
She recoiled in surprise and, seeing the flash of hurt cross his eyes, instantly regretted her reaction.
He said, “I only wanted to see it. To assure myself you are healing well.”
“I am. I promise.”
He extended his hand again. This time she sat still as he gently brushed back the hair that Kitty had so carefully arranged to hide the red mark.
“See? It’s nearly healed,” she said.
He frowned. “That will leave a scar.” He regretfully shook his head. “Another injury at my hands.”
“Sir John, it’s nothing.”
He softly traced her brow. “I disagree.”
Hannah’s throat felt suddenly dry, and she found the words stuck there as the crust had been moments before.
