The girl nodded. “Lady Helen insists that he soak his leg at least once a day.” Janet felt a pang of guilt for her jealousy, but that jealousy was instantly revived when the girl added, “I’m to help him with whatever he needs while Lady Helen attends to little William.”
Janet had met her adorable nephew a few days ago. The child was a handful, having just started to crawl. “Is something wrong?”
“The wee laddie bumped his head on the bedpost, but Lady Helen says he’ll be fine. Not even a bruise.”
Janet nodded, not hiding her relief. “I will take the bucket in to the laird. We are to be married.” At least she hoped they were. “But if you wouldn’t mind, there is something I would like you to do first.”
When Ewen answered the knock at the door, it was the servant girl who replied. “Your water, my lord.” But it was Janet who entered the room. She closed the door behind her and walked toward the man sprawled naked in the tub with his back toward her. She was just annoyed enough to look at him without shame, taking in every inch of hard, bronzed skin.
“Shall I wash your back, my lord?” she said in a soft, singsong voice completely unlike her own.
“If you wish,” he said indifferently.
The blighter! He should bloody well wash himself!It was with quite a bit of satisfaction that Janet dumped the entire bucket of water on his head.Coldwater, she’d taken the time to notice.
“What the hell!” He jumped out of the tub and turned on her in shock and anger. Seeing who it was, the anger slipped away. He frowned. “What in Hades are you doing here, Janet?”
She pursed her mouth, crossed her arms, and perused that incredible body slowly, slightly mollified when a rather large part of him started to thicken and rise under her steady gaze.
He swore, grabbed a drying cloth that was lying on the bed, and wrapped it around his waist.
But if he thought to cover himself, he’d miscalculated. The damp linen clung to every muscle and molded every inch of the thick club. My, it was pleasantly warm and sultry in here.
“Stop looking at me like that, damn it.”
Her eyes met his. “Would you rather I called the serving girl back?”
It took him a moment, but something finally clicked. He smiled. Broadly. He looked so handsome it made her chest squeeze. “You’re jealous.”
She didn’t deny it. “You can wash yourself from now on.”
He grinned, crossing his arms—probably to distract her. It worked. She sucked in her breath at the impressive display of bulging muscle. Good gracious, she had new appreciation for warfare! “What if I need help?”
“I will help you,” she said through gritted teeth, knowing she was being ridiculous.
“I think I should like to see that. Biddable and subservient in one day. I will make a proper wife out of you yet.”
Her eyes went to his. The jealousy, the jesting, the muscle admiration, all slipped away. Only one thing mattered. Nothing had ever mattered more. “The king agreed?”
“Aye,” he said huskily. In his gaze she could see all the emotion swelling in her heart. “But he did have one condition.”
Janet was suddenly wary. “What kind of condition?”
“I must have your agreement.”
Tears swelled in her eyes when he dropped to his knee at her feet. He took her hand and looked into her eyes. “I’m sorry for lying to you. I should have told you the truth. I’m sorry for not holding you in my arms after we made love and telling you how much I loved you. I’m sorry for not having enough courage to fight for us, for not doing whatever it took to make you my wife. I thought I’d lost everything, but none of it mattered without you. I know I can’t change things or make it up to you, but I promise I will try for the rest of my life if you will agree to be my wife.”
Janet stood there in stunned silence. Their roles, it seemed, had been reversed. The man who always said the wrong thing had expressed himself beautifully, and the woman who always knew what to say couldn’t seem to find her tongue.
He began to get a little worried, looking up at her uncertainly. “Janet?”
There was one thing she had to know. “What if I wish to continue my work?”
He paused. “You would still do so even after what happened?”
“What if I did?”
“I would try to talk you out of it. The priest may be dead, but there are others who will eventually put it together like he did.”
