I stroked my chin with my hand. “That would depend?”
“On what?”
“On if I can call you Vesta.”
Her face lit up like a shimmering star, and she nodded. “Of course!” The next moment, her face fell.
I tapped the side of my nose. “And I’ll be sure not to do it in front of your master.”
Relief swamped over her. “Thank you so much, Grace.”
“And thank you, Vesta,” I returned.
She shut the door, and I made my way back into the house, though this time I took the door Vesta had used. The entrance led down a dimly lit hall where only every other hanging oil lamp burned.
“The skinflint doesn’t even want to pay for some decent lighting…” I murmured. My clumsy feet stumbled over a bump in the worn carpet. I glared at the offending spot in the spotty carpet and continued down the hall, stomping a little harder now. “He’s going to get somebody killed…”
I trudged up the stairs of the quiet house and slipped into the room. That’s when I was struck by a head of steam that wafted into my face. The hot hair invaded my lungs, prompting me to cough. “What in the world is going on?” I shouted as I furiously waved my hand in front of my face.
I cleared the air enough to see the room in full. Cassian stood behind a large tub from which the steam emerged. A towel was draped over one arm, and he wore an impish smile.
He bowed at the waist when he noticed me looking at him. “Good evening, my lady. I thought you would like a bath before dinner, and so had one drawn up for you.”
My filthy, aching muscles screamed at me to strip and dive in. There was just one problem, and it stood behind the tub. I pointed at him. “Are you going to be standing there the entire time?”
His twinkling eyes were now brighter than stars. “I could, if her ladyship wishes it.”
“Her ladyship does not wish it.”
Liar! That voice in my head was getting really annoying.
Cassian reached down and plucked something from the floor behind the tub. His hand emerged with a scrubber on a long handle. “But I might help you scrub your back.”
“Uh-huh,” I mused as I marched over to him and plucked the scrubber from him. “Among other places, right?”
“Any place that would require my attention.”
I stabbed the scrubber at the door. “Out.”
Cassian sighed, but draped the towel over a nearby chair, crossed one arm over his chest, and bowed low to me. He slipped past and closed the door behind him.
I felt a little guilty about telling him to get out. He had set up this whole affair for me. I strolled over to the basin and brushed my hand over the towel on the chair. Still warm with his touch.
What was I thinking? He’s a king, for heaven’s sake! I’m just a woman who got dropped off into a strange world where everything was either trying to kill me or eat me.
I slapped myself across the cheek and blinked wildly. That snapped me out of my love-sick mood, and I gladly forgot all my worries in the hot tub.
Chapter 20
I came out of the bath a new woman. The tub didn’t make it out quite as well. The water was a grimy brown, and even the towel bore the scars of my former filthiness. I was left with a burning question: what did I need to do with all this stuff?
I dressed myself in my new attire and tiptoed over to the door where I peeked out into the quiet hall. There wasn’t a sign of anyone, but I heard the faint sounds of voices. I eased down the passage and stopped just shy of where the last room ended, and the balcony over the foyer started.
Cassian stood in the entrance with a plump, short woman in front of him. She wore an apron over her plain gray dress, and she held a steaming teapot in one hand. Her graying hair was tied back in a small bun behind and at the top of her head. She had a jolly laugh that made me smile.
“Oh, do you go, Mr. Cassian!” she teased as she swatted his arm.
He winced and rubbed the spot. “You have quite the strength in that arm, Mrs. Arvina.”
