“The glasses were here so I have to be sure to put them back. Mabel gave me the chicken and cheese, and the bread is from the woman who bakes for the officers when we can get her the supplies.”
“Do you get the supplies often?”
“Nay. Too many of the men who drive the wagon from where they get it loaded are killed and then the wagon is stolen with all the supplies. Someone was letting the Rebs ken when and where the wagon was. I think we stopped that, but we also send men out to guard the wagon on its way here. It is a dangerous assignment.”
“I can imagine it is for the Rebs have to be as hungry as you and your men.”
“More so. Their supplies are harder to get.”
For a while they ate and talked idly about the war. Mostly they discussed the differences between the armies. She felt sad for all the widows being made and all the parents who would never see their sons again. It all seemed such a waste to her and it was nearly destroying life in the hills.
She sipped at her wine and decided it was tasty then drank it all down. As she set the glass down she noticed Matthew grinning at her. He refilled her glass but only partway.
“What are you finding so amusing?” she asked as she put some chicken on her bread and took a bite.
“Have ye ever had any wine?”
“I do not believe so. Had a bit of whiskey once and went to sleep for a few hours.” She smiled faintly at the memory. “Da kept his whiskey locked up after that.”
Matthew rubbed his hand over his mouth as he fought not to laugh. “Then I think ye should be careful with the wine. Always best to go slow, take time to learn what and how much ye can drink and still remain sensible.”
“Oh.” She cautiously sipped the wine. “It does not taste as mighty as the whiskey did.”
“Nay, but enough of it can be.”
“That seems a shame.” She had another bite of her food. “How did you find out about it all?”
“By getting mightily drunk on several occasions. Nay verra proud moments for me. My brothers take great pleasure in reminding me of each and every one.”
Abigail laughed then suddenly thought of her brother and her amusement fled. “My brother was just reaching that age when the Rebs came and took him.”
He reached across the table and stroked her clenched hands. “I hope, for your sake, he returns from this war and finds ye.”
“So do I. It is difficult at times to accept that I have lost my whole family.”
“I am sorry for that, lass,” he said quietly. “I was lucky to settle here with all my brothers, but my parents were killed before we reached a place to settle. My elder brother, Iain, is the one I praise for that success. I believe he carries a few scars on his heart though. We have a stockade around our house.” He smiled faintly at her look of surprise. “We get travelers wanting to spend a night or two inside the walls because they think it is a fort.”
He shared the last of the bread and cheese with her. Matthew finished off his wine as she told him a few stories about her brother and he told her a few about his. When she began to quietly sip her wine, he collected up what he needed to return to its place in the house and cleared off the table. Then he moved to her side, took her by the hand, and led her to a large settee draped in cloths to keep off the dust.
As she sat down, a little surprised by the lack of a cloud of dust rising up, Abigail watched Matthew. They had had a pleasant meal and she was curious about what he planned to do now. She thought it strange that she was feeling nervous now, after an enjoyable dinner. When he sat down next to her, she took another sip of wine and then turned away to set the glass on a table next to the settee. When she turned back he was right there at her side and her heart made that odd little skip again that continued to surprise her.
Matthew could think of nothing to say so he just tugged her into his arms and kissed her. She returned his kiss with an eagerness that had him hardening nearly to the point of pain. He was going to have her tonight if she allowed it. If not, he knew it would happen soon. No one could return a kiss with the eagerness she returned his unless their blood was stirred as much as his was.
Abigail was getting drunk on his kisses. She did not complain when he inched her body down until he could lie on top of her because she liked the feel of his hard body on top of her, particularly the part he settled so eagerly between her legs. She knew she ought to be shocked, and a tiny part of her mind was, but most of her was delighting in the proof of how much he hungered for her.
When he began to kiss her neck, pausing to occasionally stroke it with his tongue, she became aware of the fact that he was undoing the buttons on her bodice. A little clarity came to her thoughts and Abbie considered the fact that she should stop him. Then he brushed a kiss over the top of one breast while massaging the other. Such a wide range of feelings were stirred inside of her, she was unable to say a word and certainly not the wordstop.
“Lieutenant? Miss Jenson?”
Abbie struggled to sit up and an already standing Matthew pulled her up by one hand. She hurried to do up her gown and was just combing her fingers through her hair when Mabel came to the doorway. She knew the woman could guess what she had been doing but forced herself not to blush as she tied her hair with the ribbon that had fallen out at some point.
“What is it, Mabel?” she asked, pleased with the calm evident in her voice.
“We can’t find Noah.”
“What? Where could he go?”
Mabel started twisting her hands together. “We do not know, which is why I was sent to find you. I knew you were here because the lieutenant had mentioned it when he collected up the things I had put aside for him. I am sorry I had to interrupt your time together.”
