Which meant her rump rose up to his face. Bare, shapely legs and delicate, narrow feet. Narrow waist and flaring hips. Nicely rounded bottom. Eric prided himself on not being impulsive, but there were several almost overwhelming impulses at this moment.
The first was to ungird that skirt and lift it so he could see just how nicely rounded that bottom was. The second was to insist that she mustn’t do this labor; he would hire a woman to come and do it for her instead. The third was to reach out and caress that womanly form all but being offered to him. The fourth was to do much more than caress.
She straightened, as if she knew what he contemplated. “You are early,” she said while she gave another sweep to the muddy footprints. “You said afternoon.”
“I rose early and did not know how long it would take, so we started out.” That was true, but not all the truth. He could have whiled away an hour or so after breakfast before coming. Only he had not wanted to.
“We?”
“The coachman.”
“Did you bring your valet too? A few footmen?” She smiled impishly.
“No valet or footmen.”
“What? Whoever will do for you?”
She enjoyed teasing him. He enjoyed looking at her, standing there, leaning against the mop handle, oblivious to how she still flaunted those legs. The fabric had been hitched highest on the left side, which faced him, making the bottom of her thigh visible.
“I assumed you would, of course,” he said. Impulsively.
Her face fell in shock before she laughed. However, he had made her self-conscious because suddenly she did remember her naked legs. She fussed with her skirt, untying it until it fell down in a wrinkled flow.
“Actually, I am capable of doing for myself and normally prefer that when I travel,” he said. “It is a nuisance to have servants in tow, and the ones for hire at inns are rarely useful.”
“How odd and unusual.” She walked to a shelf, opened a wooden box and removed some bread. She placed it on the table, then brought down a cheese basket and put it there too. “How did you even learn? I would think there were those doing for you from the day you were born, and you wouldn’t know how to dress yourself, let alone shave and do whatever else gentlemen must do.”
“I will tell you, but you must never tell anyone else.”
She slid into the chair across the table and cut some bread and cheese. She took some, then pushed the food toward him. “I promise.”
“When I was first at university, a friend and I slipped out and went someplace we were forbidden to go. Our plans were dashed when we both fell asleep. Morning came and there we were. No valets. No one to do for us. So we figured out how to do for ourselves, slipped back in and no one was the wiser. But for one cut on my jaw, I was as put together as if my valet had done his duties.” He shrugged, and helped himself to some bread. “Granted, it took me a lot longer. So much longer that the slipping back in part was almost thwarted.”
She bit some cheese, her fine white teeth emerging from her lips for the nip. He tried mightily not to imagine that little bite landing elsewhere. Several elsewheres.
“That is an interesting story. I think you and your friend visited a brothel.”
“Why would you think that?”
“You needed to dress in the morning. Also, if you had slept in your garments, you could never have turned yourself out well. You would have been too rumpled. So you slept naked, or almost naked.”
Damn, she was clever. “I refuse to confirm your outrageous conclusions.”
“I also think the friend was Langford.”
“Now you are just guessing.”
“Amanda said you have been friends for years and years, and that he was always wild and bad.”
“No more than most men. He is, however, indiscreet in the extreme, so the whole world knows just how bad he has been.”
She lifted the bucket, stepped outside and threw out the water. When she returned she set it and the mop into a long cupboard. Then she crossed her arms and frowned at the ceiling.
His gaze followed hers and saw the hole between two beams. “Ah. It rained last night. You have been mopping up the result.”
“The roof is leaking for certain, and it is coming right through to down here. It has been happening for a long time. See how the wooden floor here is stained and warped? I have refused to go see how bad it is in the upper chambers. To witness the evidence of my neglect would be too disheartening.”
“I will do it.” He stood and strode out, found the stairs and mounted them.
