David took the wineglass from her and shook his head. “Too uncomfortable. Your back would hurt in the morning.” But there was a hint of wickedness in his voice, as if he were teasing her.
She lifted her hair off the back of her neck, closing her eyes for a moment. “You’re avoiding me again, aren’t you?”
“In this instance, yes.” He glanced around the small bedchamber. “Admit it—this is not exactly the best location for a tryst.”
She had to agree on that point. “Then how shall we pass the time?”
“Counting fleas?”
She grimaced at the idea and went over to see if the bed was that terrible. Although she’d been seated in a coach for most of the day, her body ached with exhaustion. The idea of falling into a dreamless sleep was a welcome one.
But when she reached out to touch the coverlet, the mattress squirmed.
Amelia let out a shriek and backed away. “It moved!” She didn’t know what was beneath that coverlet, but she knew that bedding wasnotsupposed to do that. If there was a mouse or a rat in the bedding—
She seized a stool and smashed it against the coverlet.
“Most women would be screaming and standing on the table by now,” the earl pointed out.
Amelia glared at him. “Aren’t you supposed to be helping me? While I don’t relish killing a mouse, neither do I want to sleep with him.”
“Thisisrather entertaining,” he said, leaning back with a gleam in his eye. “I think you should strike it again.”
When she hit the coverlet again, there was a groaning sound, and the center of the mattress sank down.
“I think you killed the bed.” The amusement on his face irritated her. Wasn’t he supposed to be her savior, protecting her from whatever creeping animals were living in the mattress?
“I don’t think either of us should sleep here,” she pronounced. “It’s not clean, and there’s likely a dead rodent inside the straw mattress.” In fact, she wished they could leave the inn entirely. Nothing about this place made her comfortable. “I’d rather sleep in the coach,” she told him. “At least there are no lice or animals inside.”
He shrugged. “Or we could ask for a different room.”
She rubbed her arms, uncertain of what to do. But the earl ordered, “Come with me, and we’ll see if I can find something else.”
Amelia took his arm, still uneasy about their accommodations. But this time, the earl spoke sharply with the innkeeper and made it clear he was displeased by the room. She stepped back, leaving them to argue about it, and in the meantime, she saw that her husband was growing even angrier with the man.
In disgust, he gave the innkeeper a guinea and took her hand. “We’re leaving. I’d rather drive the rest of the night than stay here.”
Amelia wasn’t certain he should have paid the man at all, but she decided not to argue. While their servants gathered up their belongings, the earl led her back outside. They waited within the coach for the driver to hitch up the horses, and he said, “I’m sorry for that. I didn’t think it would be this bad.”
She sent him a wary smile. “At least we had our supper. And we didn’t become the rodent’s supper.”
The earl didn’t smile in return. Instead, his face was taut with tension as he sat across from her. The interior of the coachreminded her of the endless hours of discomfort they had already endured.
“Would you like to lie down?” she suggested. “Perhaps get some sleep?”
He shook his head. “You are welcome to sleep, if you want. I’ll wait until our journey has started again.”
Amelia eyed him for a moment, and said at last, “When I was younger, I used to rest my head in my mother’s lap when I slept on a long journey.”
He said nothing, but moved to the side in wordless invitation. Amelia sat beside him and laid her head down upon the earl’s lap. His hand rested in her hair, and he stroked her temple lightly. It felt good to feel the warmth of his fingers against her skin.
The horses pulled forward, and as the coach continued, the rhythm of the horses was soothing.
And somehow it didn’t matter that she had no bed to rest upon. Castledon was here to keep her safe and to watch over her.
Amelia turned over to look up at David. “Will you kiss me good night?” she asked.
He didn’t answer her at first, and she reached up to his cravat. “Nothing more than a kiss, I promise you.”
