CHAPTER5
EVERYTHING THAT’S CHANGED REMAINS THE SAME
Ahalf hour later
Katherine regarded her reflection in her dressing table mirror and winced. The green dinner gown she wore was not a good color against her skin, nor was the severe hairstyle her lady’s maid had done earlier that morning. What must Thomas have thought as they sat and conversed in the front salon?
“Is that man goin’ to be all right?” Johnson asked as she removed the pins from her mistress’ hair. “I heard he was nearly frozen to death.”
“That man is His Grace, the Duke of Pendleton, and yes, it appears he will be fine,” Katherine replied. “There’s a possibility his feet suffered frostbite, though. We’ll know more in the morning.”
Johnson inhaled softly. “Is it true his coach burned up?”
Katherine furrowed her brows as she undid the clasp of an emerald necklace and collected the gold and gemstone jewelry into one hand. The piece was part of a parure Whyte had gifted her on the day of their tenth wedding anniversary. The matching bracelet was still on her wrist.
“Unfortunately, it is.” Although she was annoyed word had already spread regarding their guest’s situation, she couldn’t chastise her servants. Given the weather, they hadn’t been to town for several days. A lack of gossip coupled with the impending holiday—there was nothing they could do for the hanging of the greens until Christmas Eve—had them edgier than usual.
“His driver, Fredericks, apparently suffered some sort of heart ailment and fell from the coach. The horses were spooked and ran. Poor man ended up in the snow somewhere,” she explained. “I’ve instructed Jackson to have Mr. Thompson head out in the morning to search,” she added, referring to the groom who acted as her driver when she was in residence at Whyte Hall Park. “Barker is going along to help. Apparently, the coach ended up in a ravine.”
“A ravine?” the lady’s maid repeated. “But the nearest ditch is miles from here,” she murmured.
“At least five, I think,” Katherine agreed. “That’s how far His Grace had to walk to reach the house. It’s no wonder he was so frozen when he arrived.”
From the servant’s reflection in the mirror, Katherine knew Johnson was as impressed as she was horrified by what had happened. “I expect our guest will sleep later than usual, and given the hour—goodness, is it already past one?—I expect I will want to as well,” she said. “Don’t bother to come up until I ring for you.”
“Very good, ma’am.” Johnson brushed out Katherine’s long, brunette hair. “Since it’s such a cold night, I’ve pulled out your thickest night rail and a pair of stockings.”
Managing to keep her expression from showing distaste—her warmest night rail was also her ugliest—Katherine merely nodded. “Very good. Do go to bed. I can finish up here,” she said.
Johnson dipped a curtsy. “Your Grace.” She hurried out the door, making sure the latch clicked when it closed.
Refolding the night rail Johnson had left on the end of the bed, Katherine put it away and found a different one in her bureau. Although it wasn’t as fancy as a French gown might have been, it did feature a lower cut bodice and delicate lace trim around the neckline and the end of the long sleeves.
For a moment, she almost had herself talked out of joining Thomas. The twenty-five years that had passed since their last time sharing a bed hadn’t been kind. Although her once pert breasts were fuller, they had also succumbed to gravity. Her hips were wider due to birthing two baby boys, and lines radiated from the corners of her eyes.
At least her hair was still dark. Only a few stray grays interrupted the rich chocolate brown that fell well past her shoulders.
She had a thought to remove the silk stockings she had worn all day and decided against it. They provided a modicum of warmth and hid the bare skin of her calves and knees.
Blowing out two of the candle lamps, she helped herself to the third and made her way through the dressing room to the door of the master bedchamber. She knocked twice before turning the handle and daring a peek into the room. From the higher temperature, she knew a servant had set a blazing fire in the fireplace.
“I was beginning to think you had changed your mind,” Thomas remarked. He was on the bed, the blankets and linens covering him pulled up nearly to his neck, and his eyes were closed.
“I didn’t,” Katherine replied, setting the candle lamp on the nightstand. She went about turning down the other lamps in the room, the dark blue and green furnishings appearing almost black in the resulting gloom. “But I did have to allow my lady’s maid to undo my hair and undress me.”
He opened one eye. “I could have done that.”
Chuckling, she stood next to the bed. “Do you have a preference for which side you’d like me to take?”
“On top of me, of course.”
“Bounder.”
Although his eyes were closed, he said, “You know when you stand in front of the fire like that, I can see right through whatever it is you’re wearing.”
“Oh, dear,” she replied, making quick work of lifting the blankets and sliding in between the bed linens. “Then it’s best you keep your eyes closed.”
He grunted. “Why? You’re still gorgeous.” Before she had a chance to settle in completely, he had a bare arm behind her shoulders. He pulled her so she was half atop him. Her head landed in the small of his shoulder, one arm lay draped over his bare chest, and a leg ended up resting between his. “And I always adored holding you like this,” he added on a sigh.
Katherine gave a start, realizing she had settled against him the same way she had all those years ago, as if a quarter of a century hadn’t passed. “I always adored the way you held me.” She inhaled deeply, the familiar scents of citrus, spice, and musk filling her nostrils. “You even smell the same.”
“That’s because I still buy my cologne at Floris,” he muttered.
“I cannot believe you’re not sound asleep,” she whispered, now well aware he wore nothing in the way of a nightshirt or drawers. Although his manhood wasn’t completely erect, she could feel its length pressed against her hip.
“I cannot believe I’m about to embarrass myself by falling asleep,” he countered. He turned his head to kiss the top of hers. “I promise I shall do better when I awaken.”
She grinned. “I promise to let you.”
A moment later, and they were both sound asleep.
