Page 40 of The Marquis, the Minx, and the Mistletoe
Inside the manor, the servants were jostling to create makeshift cots for those displaced from the cottages outside, which Sheldon had felt stood too close to the stables to be trusted to withstand the remainder of the night. The sounds of the horses under the floorboards was agitating the dogs, which upset the cat, which of course put everyone more on edge than they had already been.
Miss Everstead was undertaking whichever tasks were tossed her way without complaint, bustling around in that orange skirt that he had so recently rucked up around her thighs. Every now and then she would manage to catch his eye with a secret smile and an apologetic shrug amidst the din of voices and the battering of wind outside.
He thought that if they managed to make it back upstairs tonight, it was less likely that he would introduce her to new pleasures by the instant, for the heavy press of exhaustion was spreading rapidly throughout Somerton.
He wished that even this they could share without worry, for he would very much like to pull her into the hollow of his chest again and fall to sleep with his nose in her hair and her body in his arms. It was not a good feeling, having the universe itself conspire against him. If it weren't storming, he wondered if he'd realize just how much he wanted to be with her, beyond just the satisfaction of sex. He was jealous of every word she exchanged with the staff, keenly aware that he had lost his sole hold over the pleasure of her company when the stables had begun to fall apart.
By the time things were settled enough, with animals separated and everyone warm, the sun was already attempting to fight its way through the black clouds in the sky. Sheldon had to settle for walking Miss Everstead to the top of the stairs before they went their separate ways. He pressed a lingering kiss into the palm of her hand, not caring how dirty or chapped it was from their necessary labor, and held her gaze with a look full of promise.
If the sun could find its way back into the sky after a night like this one, he reasoned, then nothing on earth could stop him from finding his way back into her bed.
Chapter 19
Tia was not certain how long she slept. She had crashed into the bed, tugging tangled blankets up around her dirty homespun clothing, and fallen asleep so quickly that she had not even released her grip on the iron star she had under her pillow.
The first thing she noticed upon waking was the sensation of its metal-wrought beams of light that were dug into the flesh between her fingers, as though she'd been squeezing the damned thing all through the night. The second thing she noticed was that Gloriana Somers was sitting on the foot of the bed, absently jostling Tia's ankle until she woke. The third thing was that when she moved, every possible part of her body ached.
Glory looked up from her task of bothering Tia's leg with a look of relief. "Oh, finally. I thought I would have to start slapping your cheeks."
"Why would you have to do that!" Tia groaned, throwing an arm up over her eyes to blot out the prim and tidy appearance of her friend in the sunlight. "I need to sleep!"
"You have slept," Glory replied smartly, rapping Tia's elbow with her fingers. "It is past noon now, and if you don't get up, it will take you ages to have a normal sleep schedule again."
Tia made a noise of protest, but did allow herself to be hauled up into a seated position, bleary-eyed and surrounded by wayward hair.
"Goodness," Glory exclaimed. "You slept in your clothes!"
"It was a very long night, Gloriana," Tia said, rubbing her eyes. "Was it not the same for you?"
"It wasn't terrible, just a bit inconvenient. The beds in the township inn are a bit on the stiff side, but apart from the noise, it was fine. Of course, I have Alex to keep me warm. The troublesome part was waiting for a clear path to return to Somerton once the sun had come up, and of course all the caterwauling from the men when we got here and saw the state of the stables."
Tia found herself giving a single, exhausted titter of amusement. "The horses are in the root cellar."
"Yes, Lord Moorvale apprised us of the happenings here yesterday." She pushed herself from the bed and crossed to the window, fussing with the latch and throwing it open to allow in a shockingly intense beam of sunlight. She peered down from the vantage of the room with a little frown, her platinum hair glowing as the sunlight bounced off it. "It looks even more dramatic from up here."
Tia's stomach rumbled, her bones crunching and creaking as she craned herself in one direction and then the other, attempting to rally herself into rising. She wondered if the washing water was still on the cart in the corner of the room. Perhaps a splash of cold water would be just the thing. "Lord Moorvale was already up and about when you returned?" she asked, averting her eyes as she coaxed herself into releasing the iron star in her grip, one finger at a time.
"No. Gideon and Alex went to rouse him once we got here and he raised a fuss about it, just like you are. Come to think of it, he appeared to have slept in his clothes too. What a miserable thing!"
Tia stretched her fingers apart, drawing in several deep breaths as she placed the turquoise and gold painted star on her night stand.My favorite haunt, had read Heloise's clue. If Tia hadn't passed through the ground floor of Somerton a hundred times yesterday, she might never have realized that Heloise was always present in one particular part of the house: where her portrait hung in the foyer. It was a thought that had occurred to her over and over, as though her mind did not want her to forget, until finally she had taken a moment to stand on a pile of books and feel her way around the bottom of the frame, revealing the hidden star.
She thought that once she no longer felt like cursing every part of her body for pain, she would feel rather smug. She had been the first one to find a star. What were the odds of that? She could not wait to tell Sheldon, to see his reaction. Would he be proud of her?
She focused on her feet, pressing them into the plush carpet on the floor, and pushed herself on shaky legs to stand. "Where has the cart gone?" she asked with distress, seeing nothing but empty space where she had left clean water and at least a little bit of food.
"I had it taken away, of course," Glory said with a curl of her lip. "What would you want with stale crumbs and freezing water anyway? Look, I've already had a bath drawn for you and you slept through the whole thing." She gestured to the fireplace, where indeed a brass tub was arranged and steaming, like something conjured by pure magic.
"Oh, bless you, Glory," Tia whispered.
"Yes, I accept your blessing." Glory sniffed. "I have pastry and tea for you as well, though you should have a proper meal as soon as you feel able. I want to hear every detail of what happened last night."
Tia scoffed, shedding her clothes as quickly as she could with her hands stiff and her arms aching. She did not even test the water, choosing instead to plunge directly into its embrace and accept the scald as medicinal. "You want to hear about what it was like to do housework, do you?" she muttered sarcastically to her friend.
"Of course not," Glory replied, offended. "I want to hear about your evening with Lord Moorvale."
Tia went very still in the water, her fingers caught on a snarl halfway down the length of her hair. Without turning to face her friend, she said as lightly as she could, "I can't think what you mean. It was hardly conditions for social intimacy."
"I confess, it was not the ideal way to leave the two of you alone." Glory sat on the bed with a wan smile, nodding to the distinctly masculine coat that still hung on the rack next to the door. "Though it seems you made do anyhow."
