“More of a sister,” he answered. It was the only thing that he could think of that might put her at ease.
Mrs. Clay gaped at him. She certainly had not expected that response.
“I will sleep on a cot elsewhere and you can share the tent with Isabella.”
Her blue eyes widened in alarm. “Who is Isabella? Your wife?”
“My sister.” Orlando chuckled.
“Sister?”
“Orlando, I just heard the strangest rumor. I am certain that it cannot be tru...” Isabella trailed off as she fully entered the tent and saw Mrs. Clay. “Or, perhaps it is.”
“Mrs. Clay, this is my sister, Isabella.”
His guest looked from Isabella to Orlando and back to Isabella.
“Most men bring wives.”
“Yes, well, I do not have one of those and my sister can be quite stubborn,” Orlando returned with a smile.
“And you are?” Isabella asked.
“Blythe. Formerly Mrs. John Clay, but I would prefer to no longer use that name.”
Except, she was still very much married to that blackguard.
Chapter Three
Perhaps this situation will not be so difficult after all. Except, everyone knew that she was here and likely assumed…But not with a sister sharing the tent.
This tent was larger than she had shared with her husband and a smaller version of the tents used by officers, whereas she had slept in a cone tent, supported by one pole at the center. At times cramped but it offered privacy.
Blythe glanced at the rope that ran along the center top of the tent and the curtain pushed against the back wall. When it was pulled forward, a person could enter the tent and go to one side without seeing the other. It was clearly so that brother and sister could have privacy, but if others knew about the separator, then having the sister as a chaperone would mean nothing and allowed Orlando to still…
Except, that was not his intention, if Blythe chose to believe him.
She did believe him, but anyone who knew that she was now living here would assume that she was his lover, or mistress, or new wife.
Her stomach tightened at what would be believed of her.
“Is it true then?” Isabella asked.
“My husband auctioned me off and your brother was the highest bidder.”
Isabella tilted her chin while disbelief showed clearly in her grey eyes. “My brother has never done something so, well, rash.”
Dr. Valentine did not respond to his sister’s taunting. In fact, he ignored her. “The two of you will share this tent and I will sleep elsewhere,” he suggested.
“Where?” Isabella asked.
“There are empty cots in the medical tent. I will make use of one of those.”
“You will not get any sleep, not with complaints and moaning and groaning from injuries.”
“I will sleep outside, near the fire. Soldiers do so all the time. Not everyone has a cot or tent to rest their head.”
Oh, she hated that Dr. Valentine was going to be inconvenienced because of her. It did not matter that he had made the choice to purchase her, she was still the cause of the upheaval. “If anyone is going to sleep on the ground it shall be me.”
