“I would rather not say.”
“Is it because I would not understand or because it is foolish?”
Orlando chuckled. “Both, I suppose.”
She took his hand and led him to a settee. “Tell me and let me decide.”
“I discovered jealousy,” he announced.
Blythe pulled back. “You do know that such a thing existed before your discovery, do you not?” she teased. She couldn’t imagine who or what he had to be jealous of.
“Yes, well, not in myself.”
She could not help but laugh.
“I did not like it very much when you laughed at whatever witticism Shrewsbury may have uttered.”
“This is quite delightful, Orlando.” In fact, she was giddy that he reacted as such, though she hoped that he did not become possessive because that would never do.
“If I remain at your side for a third night, it not only will be noticed but remarked upon and despite my not caring what others may think, that does not mean I want to be gossiped about. I prefer to keep my affairs private.”
“I do understand,” he said. “The thought had also crossed my mind, but I did not spend much time on it because I was facing the fact that I was eaten with jealousy when it had never…”
“Never what?” she asked when he did not continue.
“I have suffered from jealousy before,” he said quietly and shook his head.
“When was this?” she asked though not certain she wanted to hear the answer.
“On the Continent, when I first saw you. No, after I had seen you cooking and hanging laundry and then learned that you were a wife, though I did not know who you were married to. I was jealous of John before I ever saw him.”
Goodness! He had wanted her even before they met. Yet, she had been guilty as well, because she had noticed him. But, as a wife, noticing was all she had been allowed, even if he had found him to be handsome. “I assume this was when you were visiting camp followers during the day while other soldiers went about their duty,” she teased.
“I told you why I was there,” he ground out.
“I know, but I still think you are a rake disguised as a doctor.” She grinned and tugged on his hand.
“I thought we established that I was not.”
“No, we never did, and even if we had, my opinion changed last night.”
Orlando let Blythe lead him to the stairs and she was relieved that he showed no resistance.
“Well, I had not realized you were wicked until last night.”
She turned to face him and since she was a stair above, was able to look him directly in the eye. “Do you have an objection?”
His grey eyes turned stormy. “None whatsoever.”
They barely made it to her chamber and closed the door before she was removing his clothing and he, hers. Between kissing and caressing Blythe had managed to maneuver him to the bed and then dropped to her knees.
He was immediately ready for whatever she had in mind.
“Sit!” she ordered and he quickly complied and waited patiently as she removed one boot and then the other.
“Stand!”
He did so with a chuckle at her ordering him about.
