It was a wonder her knees were still functioning. Amelia held the earl’s hand as he led her inside the small room within the inn. After he’d pleasured her in the coach, once again he’d locked away every emotion. It was as if he hadn’t touched her at all.
She didn’t understand the iron control he seemed to possess. It was as if he were a man of stone, one who isolated himself from the moments they shared.
It should have infuriated her. Instead, Amelia took it as a challenge. He might try to separate himself from her, but she wasn’t going to stand back in the shadows. Even if it meant she had to become Eve, tempting him with her body, she would set aside her nerves and bring him the same pleasure he’d given her. She wantedhimto lose command of his senses, even if it meant surrendering to his needs.
Inside their room, there was only a single bed, and the interior was not particularly clean. For a moment, Amelia wondered if he intended to get a separate room from hers.
When his footman brought in the earl’s belongings, she let out the breath she’d been holding. Then he was intending to stay. She was thankful for it and promised herself that this night she would set aside her inhibitions. But when she saw the sheets, she questioned if they’d been changed since the last guests. There were stains on the coverlet, and the linen appeared almost yellow.
“Is this…the best they could do?” Though she wanted a romantic night with her husband, this room left a great deal to be desired.
David removed his hat and shrugged. “I suppose so. I did ask them to send up water for washing.”
She nodded, suddenly realizing that her earlier wish, to have a bath, was an entirely different matter with a husband present in the room.
When she sat down upon the bed, she heard the terrible creak of the rope bed frame. “I’m not certain this bed will hold both of us.” It appeared as if it would snap beneath her own weight.
“We may end up sleeping on the floor,” he said. “It’s not exactly the best of accommodations.”
“And there may be lice in the mattress.” She shuddered, imagining tiny insects crawling upon her. “I think I’d rather take the floor than risk this bed.”
He seemed to agree with her. “Shall I ask for another room?”
“No. If this is the best they had, I can’t imagine what a lesser room would be.”
There came a knock at the door, and a servant brought in a light supper and a basin of water. The earl directed the man to put their meal down on the table and the basin on the dressing table. Amelia decided to clean the dust from her face and hands before eating and was grateful that the water appeared clean. She had put her bonnet back on when they’d arrived at the inn, but now removed it once more.
After the servant had gone, the earl came forward to wash his own hands. Amelia handed him a linen cloth to dry them, and he stood over her while she dipped her palms in the water and lifted them to her face.
The cool water was welcome, and she closed her eyes, never minding that some of it slid beneath her gown. David passed her the cloth, and she wiped her face and hands.
He remained behind her, and she was conscious of his body heat. Slowly, she pulled the pins from her hair, letting it spill overher shoulders. A moment later, the earl touched her shoulder, pulling his hand through the strands.
“Come and eat with me,” he bade her. Amelia started to follow, but the earl stood where he was for a moment. In his blue eyes, she saw a glimpse of longing, and her body softened with anticipation. She wanted to spend this night in his arms, even if it was on the floor. If it meant giving him the same physical release that he’d granted her, it would be worth it.
The food was bland and the meat a mysterious gray color, but Amelia was so hungry, she hardly cared. Her nerves heightened with every moment, for tonight she would sleep beside her husband.
She drank her wine entirely too fast, and her brain felt fuzzy as a result. But she needed the courage, for what was to come. After the last time, she’d been a little sore, but she wanted to please him. A hundred questions tangled in her mind as she pondered how he would like to be touched.
“I believe that may have been the worst food I’ve ever eaten,” David remarked, pushing it aside with a grimace.
Amelia couldn’t quite form a response, for she was trying to decide what to do now. Should she ask for her maid to come and undress her? Or should she let him do that?
“You’re looking pale,” he remarked. “Are you well enough?”
“Do you think we could get this over with?” she asked. “The more I think about it, the more nervous I am.”
“Get what over with?” he inquired. “Dinner, you mean? I agree. It was awful.”
She swallowed hard, pouring herself a second cup of wine. “No, the part where we”—she glanced back at the narrow bed—“you know.”
“The part where we sleep in a bed where the sheets haven’t been cleaned and the bed is likely infested with vermin?”
He was making fun of her, and she decided that bluntness was best. “No, the part where we make love a second time.”
His eyes narrowed at her, and from the doubtful expression on his face, it was clear he didn’t want to. “Not in that bed,” he said. “We’d be covered in flea bites, and I doubt you’d enjoy it.”
Her cheeks burned with mortification, but she tried again. “On the floor then?”
