“We should remove your wet stockings.”
She shook her head. “I appreciate your concern, but I think I will leave them on.”
Stubborn woman!“I understand the situation we are in is improper, but will you think about this for a moment? If you leave your wet clothes on, you will catch a chill that couldeventually turn into pneumonia. Then, pray, how are you going to be my grandmother’s companion if you are deathly ill?”
Slowly, awareness dawned on her face, and she exhaled deeply. “Fine, but you willnothelp.”
He shrugged and moved away as she spread the blanket around her legs. He stepped toward the window, almost grateful that she wouldn’t let him help. Touching her bare leg all the way above her knee just to untie the ribbon holding her stocking was too personal. Even being alone with her would cause a scandal, but they really had no other choice as the storm pelted buckets of water from the gray sky. He would do all he could not to let the rumor spread that they were in the cottage without proper chaperoning.
From the looks of it, the storm wasn’t going to let up for a while. Could he possibly carry on a civil conversation with her? But perhaps being forced to stay together in the cottage was a good thing. Now they might be able to talk about the past and clear the air between them. And if he was fortunate, she would realize he was a different man now.
He peeked over his shoulder to where she still sat in front of the fire. She had removed both stockings and draped them over a wooden chair next to the fire. As she stared at the flames licking the wall of the hearth while smoke drifted upward, she tightened the blanket wrapped around her. She made certain not to give him a glimpse of her arms or legs, just her head and neck.
Gavin moved back to her side and stopped. “Would you like me to help you to the sofa? I’m sure it will be more comfortable. Not only that, but we should also prop your foot up so that the swelling goes down.”
She glanced at him with steely blue eyes. “I don’t need your help, Your Grace.”
She shifted on the ground until she was on her knees, but he could see how she struggled to crawl. The confounded womanwould drive him crazy, he was certain of it. Why was she so obstinate? He had never met a more hardheaded woman in his life.
He clenched his jaw to stop from saying anything and took her in his arms. She gasped and glared at him, but he carried her to the sofa anyway, setting her down close to the edge so that she could prop her foot up on the armrest.
He stood above her, folding his arms across his chest. “Cilla, I must confess how tired I am of your ungrateful attitude. Let me point out that if I hadn’t found you and brought you here, you would still be sitting in the middle of nowhere with a bruised ankle with no shelter from the storm.”
She rolled her eyes and moved her leg to the armrest of the sofa before adjusting the blanket on her again so he couldn’t see the bare limb. “Don’t you think I’m aware of that? Do you know how frustrating that is for me?”
“Frustrating?”
“Yes.” She swung her gaze toward him. “I hate feeling helpless, especially around you.”
“Why?”
“You really do not know?”
Gavin didn’t appreciate it when people looked at him as if he was daft, which was the exact way Priscilla was staring at him. Of course he knew; he had just hoped that after all this time, she would have forgiven him—or at least forgotten about it.
Grumbling, he moved to the nearest cushioned chair and plopped down. “Would it help if I apologize for being a horse’s back end the last time we were together?”
She made a sound that was close to a laugh. “It might help if I knew you sincerely meant your apology. But cads like yourself are never sorry for breaking a woman’s heart or ruining her reputation.”
His breath caught in his throat. “I… Did I…ruinyour reputation? Is that why you haven’t wed?”
“Of course not. We never did anything that could be misconstrued as any sort of an affair. But the point is, I’m sure you have ruined other women’s reputations. And if we hadn’t been interrupted those few times, I’m sure I would have been one of those ladies who were shunned from Society.”
He frowned, knowing she was correct. He had tried to seduce her on several occasions, but when things hadn’t worked out, he gave up and moved on. “Then I sincerely apologize for hurting you. I hadn’t realized that you might have liked me more than I had realized.”
“Well, I was foolish, and the incident taught me not to give away my heart so freely.”
“Will you forgive me, then?”
She shrugged as her attention dropped to the blanket again. She smoothed her hand over the material. “I’ll consider it.”
“That is all I ask for now,” he said truthfully, hoping she might eventually forgive him.
As he studied her, he could see the deep sadness written on her face. His gut twisted. He knew he was the one who had done that. Why hadn’t he realized that the art of seduction might harm someone? All he had cared about was his own pleasure.
He prayed he never turned back into that selfish man. But apparently, he needed to somehow show her that he wasn’t the man he had been eighteen months ago. But the question was, would she ever see him for anything other than a despicable cad?
Silence passed between them, and the only sound was the popping of the wood as it burned. There was no better time than the present to show her how he had changed. At least, he hoped she would see that.
