“It doesn’t matter that much. I am happy to have good friends like them. They can call me whatever they like.” Adeline raised her hand to cover a yawn.
“Sleepy?”
“Mmm, it was my bedtime when you came in through the window, you know.”
He chuckled and let the conversation drop. Adeline’s eyes began to droop as the carriage continued to roll. Each rut and hole in the road would jolt her head as it rested against the squabs. Her eyes would blink open momentarily and then slowly drift closed again. The dark eyelashes created a sharp contrast to her creamy complexion. They hit a huge bump, and Adeline’s whole body jerked.
He changed benches to sit next to her. Giving in to his desire to hold her, he gathered her against him and guided her head to rest on his chest.
A sleepy mumble of protest came from her as she nestled her cheek against him.
He ran a hand over her hair and pressed his lips to the top of her head. “Shh. Sleep. I have you.”
Chapter Seventeen
Adeline blinked asshe woke, staring up at wood beams that ran the length of the ceiling above her. She sat up with a start. Where was she? As the blanket covering her fell to her lap, she looked down to find that she was fully clothed in her traveling outfit. The room she lay in was modest but clean, the walls whitewashed. The counterpane that covered her was a cheerful blue toile print. Across the room, a small table and a pair of ladderback chairs sat in front of a fireplace. The fire had been banked, and Adeline shivered at the chill in the room. She pushed a section of hair out of her face and grimaced as her fingers hit several pins half in, half out of the tangled mess.
Good grief. She vaguely remembered sleepily stepping out of the carriage and then being scooped up by Kingsbury. He had been so warm she had immediately snuggled back against his shoulder. She glanced around the room. Had they shared a room? No, there was no indent in the pillow next to her.
Climbing out of the bed, she spotted her trunk at the foot. After using the necessary, she opened her trunk and contemplated what she should wear. She quickly changed to a comfortable lilac day dress that her plum jacket from yesterday could be layered over for warmth. Next, she tackled her hair. After pulling out all the pins from her bun, Adeline began to comb through the tangles. Blast her curly locks.
A knock at the door made her jump. She took a deep breath before calling out, “Come in.”
Kingsbury’s head popped around the door. “Oh good, you’re awake.” The door opened wide, and he came in holding a large paper bag. “I bought us some fresh rolls for breakfast.”
The yeasty smell wafting from the bag was divine. Her stomach rumbled loudly. “Thank you.” She scrambled to her feet, comb in hand. “Um, I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I don’t recall coming into the inn at all. Thanks for um, putting me to bed.”
He shut the door behind him. “You are a remarkably sound sleeper. While I took off your shoes, I asked you if you wanted to change into nightclothes, but you just rolled over and kept sleeping. So, I pulled the covers over you and left you be.”
Adeline knew her face must be flaming. How mortifying to have him take care of her like a small child. She concentrated on combing out her hair. “Again, I am so sorry. It’s true that I am a heavy sleeper. My mother always said it was a blessing that I could sleep anywhere, no matter the noise.”
When she dared to glance up at him, she found him staring at her with that intent focus that always made her heart flip over in her chest. This time though, he turned away quickly and crossed to the table. “You have a lot of hair.” He unpacked rolls from the bag. “I don’t know that I have ever seen hair that long.”
She began to section her hair to make several braids. “Yes, it grows so fast and it has a mind of its own sometimes. I try my best to tame it.” She quickly created a braid starting at her left temple and working down the left side, then duplicated the effort on the right side.
He turned to face her, his gaze once again roaming over her hair. “I know it’s not practical, but it’s beautiful untamed. Now that I have seen it thus, I will probably be seeing your long, wild curls in my dreams.”
Her fingers froze for a moment. “Kingsbury, your compliments always surprise me.”
“I told you to call me Malcolm.” He crossed to stand in front of her. “Do you need help?”
“Do you know how to braid hair?”
He nodded. “I used to braid my younger sister’s hair for her. She would always cry when the nanny would do it. She said Nanny was too rough.”
Adeline was mesmerized by his proximity. She remembered hazy impressions of being tucked against him from the night before. His warmth and solidity made her feel so safe and more at ease than she had felt in weeks. Now he gazed down at her with a look of longing as though there was nothing else he wanted more than to braid her hair. She nodded. “It is hard to reach the back myself.”
Malcolm moved behind her. She bit back a sigh as he combed his fingers through the back section. Then he slowly plaited her hair.
“What’s next?”
She looked back over her shoulder at him. “Then I wind it all into a bun. It’s the easiest way to secure it without the help of my maid. Can you get the pile of pins for me?” she asked, pointing to the side table by the bed.
She wound the braid at the back into a bun and secured it with the pins Malcolm held out on the palm of his hand. Then she wound each of the smaller side braids around the big one and pinned them into pace. “There, how does that look?” She turned around to show him.
“Entirely tamed. I am amazed.”
When she turned back, she found him so close she had to tip her chin to look up at him. “It’s not fancy, but it is serviceable.”
