Baird inclined his head gratefully. “If that’s fine with ye, Davina… then aye. We’ll make dae.”
She stood awkwardly in the center of the small room, with the hem of the clean chemise brushing her calves. The innkeeper’s wife had insisted they change into dry things while their soaked clothes were hung near the kitchen fire. The chemise was soft and warm, but wearing it in front of Baird, while he wore one as well, made her heart flutter in a very inconvenient way.
He glanced at the tiny bed again, with his hands on his hips, and cleared his throat.
“So,” he said, a faint smirk at the corner of his mouth, “how are we going tae dae this?”
Davina bit her lip, stepping closer to examine the mattress, as if looking long enough might somehow make it larger.
“Well,” she said at last, attempting logic, “ye could go tae that side,” she pointed to the far edge, “and I shall stay on this side. If we both commit tae staying put, we should manage.”
Baird nodded solemnly, though his eyes glimmered with amusement. “Aye. That might work.”
They approached the bed together, moving with exaggerated care, as though one wrong step might set it collapsing. Davina climbed onto her side first, settling gingerly near the edge. Baird followed suit, lying stiffly on his side with his back to her.
For exactly three seconds, all was silent.
Then she shifted, trying to find a comfortable spot and her elbow connected squarely with his ribs.
“Och!” He jerked, twisting toward her. “Watch out!”
“Oh! I’m sorry!” Davina squeaked, feeling mortified. She flailed to move away but only succeeded in tugging a handful of his hair with her fingers.
Baird winced. “Now ye’re scalping me?”
“I didnae mean… here, lie still… oh heavens, stop moving!”
“Iamsitting still!”
They stared at each other in the dim lamplight, both tangled in blankets and dignity in shambles.
Davina pressed a hand to her face in horror. “This is impossible.”
Baird rubbed the back of his head where she’d pulled his hair. “It’s nae impossible, just dangerous.”
She glared at him without heat. “Ye’re nae helping.”
“I’m trying tae survive,” he said solemnly.
Davina stifled a laugh, which only made the whole predicament worse. The bed dipped alarmingly beneath them, pitching her closer to him. She felt her shoulder brushing his chest.
Then Baird cleared his throat and shifted back, carefully this time. “Let’s try again, aye? Slowly.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “Slowly.”
They resettled, cautious as deer on ice. She inched toward her side, he toward his. But the bed was determined to thwart every effort. When she tried to tuck the blanket under her arm, it pulled across his legs. When he adjusted his pillow, hers escaped from beneath her head and fell to the floor.
Davina groaned softly. “I didnae realize sharing a bed could be so…complicated.”
“Oh, it’s usually much simpler,” he said under his breath then froze, clearly realizing what he’d just implied.
She turned bright red, then buried her face in her pillow. “We’re hopeless.”
But she heard him laugh quietly. “Aye,” he murmured. “But at least we’re hopeless in equal measure… taegether.”
For a moment, neither of them moved. They simply lay there on that tiny, traitorous bed, breathing carefully, staring at the ceiling as though it might offer divine intervention. But finally,Baird exhaled a long, resigned breath, and rolled slightly toward her.
“This isnae working,” he said softly.
