He could feel the warmth of her breath on his face. It made him aware of how his own must smell and he put his free hand in front of his face in an embarrassed attempt to disguise it.
Blast it. I should have thought that I would not be the best company after a night of drinking. She will think me a reprobate.
Her grip tightened on his hand and he felt her lips brush his cheek.
“I’m sorry. I should not have done that,” she said after a moment of silence.
“We’ve already done it and more besides,” Alexander said wryly.
“We have, but I do not wish you to think me a…that I make a habit of it,” Violet replied. “I am attracted to you. That much is clear to both of us, I think.”
“And I, you. But, I didnae want to have your name dragged through the mud, lass,” Alexander replied, earnestly.
“So, why turn up here drunk?” Violet demanded.
They had reached the door to the house and she rounded on him, fists on hips. He looked at her for a long moment, head tilted to one side, then laughed.
She’s a feisty one. Feart of nothin.’ Real fire in her belly.
“Are you laughing at me?” Violet said dangerously. “Perhaps I should shut this door in your face and scream bloody murder to wake the house?”
Alexander put up his hands. “I’m sorry Lady Violet. It is the drink. It has always been the demon I have fought the hardest.”
“Which begs the question, why risk your own reputation further by continuing to drink after you left your friends? I was given to understand that your reputation and standing in London was critical to the success of your Bill,” Violet said.
Alexander’s face darkened. She was right and he knew it. It was weakness on his part. The same weakness that brought him to Violet’s London home. The weakness that meant he could not rid himself of her beauty. Or the scent of her. Or the taste of her. There was a lamp lit inside the kitchen, just within the door. It cast a dim glow across Violet’s features. Alexander saw that her face was set, still unutterably beautiful but resolved. It occurred to him that she might decide to withdraw her help, giving up on him as a lost cause.
After all, why should she help me if I am not willing to help myself?
“Weakness. And a desire to escape this trap,” he said honestly.
Violet stepped aside, still with a fixed, firm expression on her face. Alexander entered the house and she pointed to a chair beside a large kitchen table.
“I will prepare coffee and something to eat. I believe it is good for sobering up.”
“Aye, that sounds just the thing. Thank you,” Alexander said.
He chose a seat that meant he could watch Violet as she began to move about the kitchen. It quickly became clear that she did not know her way around it or have more than a vague idea of how to achieve the two tasks she had set for herself. Alexander stood.
“Would you allow me?” he asked softly, fighting to keep himself upright and steady.
“I can manage,” Violet replied.
“Aye, I can see that. But, I’d like my coffee before the rest of the household is awake and wanting theirs,” Alexander replied with a grin.
He reached for a tin and sniffed at the contents. Violet had already looked inside and put it aside.
“This is coffee. It goes into a pot and sits on the top of the stove. Here.”
Alexander found the coffee pot and put some of the ground coffee into its base. He had already seen a pump in the yard outside, just beside the door.
“I know how to get water, thank you,” Violet said, taking a leather bucket from a hook on the wall and stepping outside to fill it.
Alexander lit the stove with a taper from the lamp.
“I am not used to doing these things for myself,” Violet said.
“And I’m not used to being waited on hand and foot,” Alexander replied. “Together we make a good team, do you not think?”
