“I’ll be perfectly comfortable,” he assured her. “It’s kind of you to accommodate us on such short notice.”
He was used to close quarters; his parents were the ones he worried about. Four days in the same bedroom would have them at each other’s throats.
Eli let Edmund have the bath first, though his valet helped him strip off his wet things and get into a warm house robe while he waited. A maid brought his frock coat in, averting her eyes from his undressed state. Eli’s attention lingered on the felicitous garment for a long time. He had the absurd urge to bury his face in it and inhale to see if it carried Jane’s scent, but his valet spirited the whole pile of clothes away for cleaning before he could embarrass himself.
When it was his turn for the bathroom, Eli eased himself into the steaming, fresh water and relished the solitude.
His mind immediately returned to that kiss. Good Lord. He could hardly believe it had really happened. What had Jane been thinking?
She’d still been angry with him only an hour before. Something must have made her forgive him. More than forgive him. And if they could start afresh, how much more enjoyable would this trip prove?
He brought to mind the sight of her breasts through her gown, and his cock was hard again in an instant. He took himself in hand and began to stroke, a groan escaping as he did.
God, he needed this. He’d been going mad for the past hour, trying not to think of Jane’s mouth against his, her hips rubbing against him shamelessly. She’d been so brazen. He never would have dared to hope for that. What else would she have done if they’d been alone in a proper bed instead of under open sky?
He imagined her slipping into the bath with him, easing herself onto his cock without any preamble, just as bold as she’d been amongst the ruins. He was so close already.
Eli rose from the water before he climaxed, gasping at the much-needed release.
Once he’d come back to himself, he felt better in every respect. He was clean, warm, clear-headed, and for the first time in two weeks, he felt hopeful. This time was no longer a trial. It was an opportunity. By the end, he would have mended things with Jane, and they would see exactly how far this newfound warmth extended.
Once she was cleaned up and dry again, Jane got ready for dinner. She hadn’t brought her maid, as space was too limited, and Cecily had offered to share hers.
She should be grateful for the generous gesture. She wasmeantto be grateful, certainly. But watching stern-faced Biddy comb her chestnut hair out in the mirror, it was hard not to miss her own maid.
“What will you wear to dinner, miss?” Biddy opened the wardrobe where Jane’s clothes had only just been hung.
“There should be a blue silk evening gown in there. The striped one, with a pleated yoke.”
“Oh.” Something in Biddy’s tone hinted at disapproval as she pulled out the gown in question. It had been the height of fashion when Jane had it made for her debut season, though in retrospect, maybe she shouldn’t have let the modiste talk her into so much lace. It was too late to do anything about it now; she couldn’t afford to have new clothes made when the old ones were still serviceable.
“Don’t you think it suits?”
On another night, Jane might not have let it bother her, but she was questioning everything this evening. Down felt like up, and up felt like down.
“Certainly, it suits, my lady,” Biddy said, a bit too quickly. “Miss,I mean. Beg pardon. I’m so used to saying my lady.” She began the laborious task of getting Jane’s corset and underskirts on, which took a good twenty minutes. It was only once Jane was finally in the gown and it was far too late to change course that Biddy added, “Though it’s such a bright shade.”
“What’s wrong with bright?” Jane asked. Wasn’t bright good?
“Nothin’ t’all, miss. Lady Kerr has one very much like. It looks well on her, almost a perfect match to her eyes.” She closed the last button, removing any chance for Jane to change her mind. “Alike as two sisters, you are. But different, all the same.”
“Yes,” Jane agreed, her voice flat. The differences in character, she was thoroughly grateful for. The differences in appearance, though… Jane sometimes wondered how the same face could make Cecily stunning, and her forgettable. It was probably something to do with her downturned lips. “Is my cousin wearing her blue gown tonight, do you know?”
“Not sure, miss.” Biddy gave a broad shrug. “I’m to dress her soon as you’re done wi’ me. Shall I go ask?”
“No, thank you, Biddy.” She didn’t care what Cecily was wearing. Two ladies could both wear blue gowns in the same evening without anyone minding.
She shouldn’t be fretting over her appearance, in any case. It was an intimate dinner. Only the Lindens and their party, this first night. Nothing had changed. Except that everything had.
Her face heated at the memory of how shameless she’d been. She was half-tempted to pretend that she was unwell, just to avoid facing Eli. How could she have convinced herself it was a harmless risk? She had to look him in the eye again, somehow.
Biddy watched her carefully as she curled her hair into ringlets. “We were awfully worried about you in the rain, miss. Are you feeling quite well now?”
“Very well. Thank you for asking.”
“’Twas kind of Lieutenant Williams to go out to fetch you,” she continued, pausing only to adjust a stray curl. “He was gone so long, we worried you’d both washed away in the Thames! Particularly when Miss Williams come back alone.”
Jane swallowed. She had the uncomfortable suspicion that Biddy could see right through her, but she forced herself to reply. “Hannah had the only blanket. We had no choice but to take shelter in the priory ruins until the worst of the downpour passed.”
