What was it with the Crawford men, wet clothes, and blankets? Mary had experienced a similar incident with Caleb while he’d been staying here, and since Emily and Cassandra had been aware of an attraction brewing between them, they’d made her handle the situation on her own. The reminder gave Emily a newfound respect for Mary’s fortitude since she herself was starting to fear that the only way for her to cool down was to step right into the fire.
“Miss Howard?”
Emily blinked. “Huh?”
“Are you all right?”
She blinked again. Apparently that was what one did when one was thrust into the complete unknown and began suffering from shock.
“Ye-yes,” she stammered like the foolish ninny he’d turned her into. Her brow furrowed and she clenched her jaw. No. He would not divest her of all reason. She would not allow it. So she tightened her hold on the supplies, just to be safe, and crossed to the kitchen table.
“Would you like some help with that?”
“No thank you.” He raised an eyebrow and she realized she sounded terser than she’d intended. Great! The balance between portraying a lightheaded dunderhead and a difficult harridan was proving a chore to master. She exhaled slowly, intent on regaining some semblance of control over all the emotions he’d stirred in her since their kiss.
Finally, she said, “I believe I can manage if you’d be kind enough to pour me a cup of tea once it’s done steeping.”
“Certainly.” He went in search of cups, allowing Emily to relax even further. Yes, she found him impossibly attractive, but in all fairness she did not wish for him to catch cold which was what he risked doing unless he got dry. She could not fault him for removing his clothes. Least of all when he’d done a good job concealing as much of himself as possible. Which now made her miss the sight of his torso, so beautifully sculpted by smooth skin and muscle.
Stop it.
There’s food to prepare.
She grabbed a knife and proceeded to slice thin pieces of ham, arranging them neatly on two plates. Next, she cut some chunks of cheese, divided the biscuits equally between them, and finished off with a dollop of cherry preserves.
“The food is ready,” she told Lord Griffin.
“So is the tea. Shall we sit at the table or in front of the fire?”
Emily’s heart skipped a little with appreciation. There was no denying the hopeful look in his eyes when he mentioned the fire, but he was prepared to forego comfort in favor of protocol if she desired.
“As long as you’re able to balance a plate in your lap, then I am too,” she told him sincerely.
His smile was immediate and so warm that she could practically feel the heat of it all the way down to her toes. “I’m glad to hear it.” He turned the edge of the blanket over and tucked it firmly into place, then arranged their respective chairs and set each of their mugs on the low stone ledge in front of the fireplace.
“You should sit down first so I can hand you your plate,” Emily said.
“Or you could give me the plates so you can sit first.”
She thought of arguing and then decided against it. He was after all just trying to adhere to some semblance of normalcy even though there was nothing normal about their current situation.
“Very well.” She did as he suggested and was quickly seated in front of the welcoming heat from the flames and ready to enjoy her meal.
“This is not where I imagined I’d be today when I readied myself for the Camberly ball on Friday,” he said when they’d both had a chance to eat some of their food.
Emily glanced across at his profile. Each line of his face was highlighted either by light or shadow. As if sensing her perusal, he tilted his head, angling it toward her. “Nor I,” she confessed.
“Oh?”
She laughed in response to his obvious attempt at feigning incredulity. “It was not my intention to kiss anyone…” She averted her gaze, dipped a biscuit into the cherry preserves and took a large bite. The lie made her insides squirm with discomfort. So she swallowed her food and sighed. “That’s not entirely true.”
“How do you mean?”
He sounded both curious and hesitant, as though he wasn’t quite sure that he wished to hear her answer.
And yet she was somehow compelled to confide in him. Perhaps because this was home. If Cassandra had been here, she would have told her everything. But both she and Mary were back in London and that left Emily with Lord Griffin.
“I did mean to encourage Mr. Bale to kiss me after he’d helped me untangle my earring.”
