Page 31 of Ravished

"I see." Harriet stared at Gideon's boots and licked her suddenly dry lips.

"I would like an explanation, if you don't mind, Miss Pomeroy." Gideon stood up and went to work on the fastenings of his trousers.

Harriet's eyes widened in shock as she saw that he was going to remove the remainder of his wet garments. It was the only thing he could do under the circumstances, she told herself. He could not possibly sleep in his damp clothing. He would take a dreadful chill. Nevertheless, she had never seen an undressed man in her life. She turned her back and started speaking quickly to cover up her nervousness.

"I could not sleep," Harriet said. "When I went to the window I saw that there were men on the beach and I realized the thieves had returned. I knew that Mr. Dobbs would signal you and the plan would be put into action. At first I was very excited. I wanted to see what was happening. Then I grew alarmed."

"Worried about your bloody damn fossils?"

"I was worried about you," she whispered, acutely aware of the sound of Gideon stripping off his soaked trousers.

"Me?" There was a short silence from Gideon. "Why in blazes were you worried about me?"

"Well, it is just that you have not had much experience catching thieves, my lord." Harriet twisted her hands together under her cloak. "I mean, it is not as if it was your normal occupation. I knew the thieves would most likely be armed and probably quite dangerous and, well…" Her voice trailed off helplessly. She could hardly confess that her concern was of a far more personal nature. She was only just realizing that herself.

"I see." Gideon's voice was cold.

"I meant no offense, my lord. I was simply concerned for your safety."

"What about your own safety, Miss Pomeroy?"

She braced herself against the sarcasm. "I did not think I would be in any danger there at the top of the cliffs."

"I can barely hear you, Miss Pomeroy."

Harriet cleared her throat. "I said I did not think I would be in any danger there at the top of the cliffs."

"Well, you were wrong, were you not? And now you are in more danger than you could possibly have imagined."

Harriet spun around at that soft threat. She saw with relief that Gideon had put on his greatcoat. It fell to his bare calves. He was busying himself with one of the sacks on the floor. "What are you doing, sir?"

"Preparing us a bed for the night. Unless you wish to sleep standing upright?" Gideon opened the large sack, turned it upside down, and carelessly dumped a fortune in gems and silverplate onto the floor of the cave.

"I doubt that I shall sleep at all tonight," Harriet muttered. She watched as Gideon emptied another of the canvas sacks. "My lord, I realize that you are annoyed with me and I am sorry for it, but you must see that what has happened is entirely an accident."

"Fate, Miss Pomeroy. I think we can probably label it fate. What has occurred this evening has all the ominous, portentous, suitably awesome weight of an act of sheer, bloody fate. Are you the philosophical type?"

"I had not thought much about philosophy. I have read some of the classics, of course, but I have always been far more interested in fossils."

Gideon slanted her a strange glance. "Prepare yourself, Miss Pomeroy. A whole new field is about to open itself before your very eyes."

Harriet scowled. "You are in a rather strange mood tonight, are you not, my lord?"

"You may attribute my mood to the fact that, unlike yourself, I have a healthy respect for the power of fate." Gideon emptied the last of the sacks. He opened each one up and arranged the final pile into a mattress of sorts.

Behind him the lamplight gleamed on the heap of valuables that lay on the stone floor. Gold candlesticks, ruby rings, and embossed snuffboxes glittered and sparkled in a brilliant, gleaming fire that provided no hint of warmth.

Harriet eyed the canvas sacks. "You intend to sleep there, my lord?"

"I intend for both of us to sleep here." Gideon straightened the sacks to his satisfaction. "The canvas will protect us from some of the chill in the stone and we shall have your cloak and my coat for blankets. We will survive the night."

"Yes, of course."He intended her to sleep next to him. A disconcerting thrill followed by an equally unsettling shaft of fear went down Harriet's spine. She glanced around the chamber, searching for some alternative. "A very sensible arrangement, I suppose."

Gideon looked at her damp boots. "You had best take those off."

She followed his gaze. "Yes. Yes, of course."

Harriet sat down near the jumble of rocks that contained the outline of the fossil tooth she had discovered on her previous visit to the cavern. She eyed the fossil wistfully and then bent down to slowly unlace her boots.

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