Page 33 of A Courtesan Countess Worth the Scandal
Liam sucked air through his teeth. “I heard you did not send Sir Arnold a letter, offering him the opportunity to buy your silence.”
“If you read the story, I think you can ascertain why,” Nora replied. “There are some in my memoirs who don’t deserve any sort of clemency for what they did. As for the others—it is up to them to decide what their reputation is worth. I have not been greedy. I have not asked for immense sums. I have merely asked for them to decide on a price that is not insulting, so I can gather enough money to provide for my family and for the orphanage for as long as I can. Indefinitely, if I am fortunate.”
Liam frowned at her. “What orphanage?”
“A large portion of what I earn is funneled into an orphanage in London. I began donating there about six years ago, after walking by and seeing these poor children clutching their stomachs due to starvation, and looking so hopeless,” she explained. “It wasn’t the fault of the owner, either, for she tries her best to garner charity. They’ve all been much better since I started helping, and I’d like to carry on for many, many years. But that costs money, and I have to make sure my family is taken care of first.”
Liam stared at her in disbelief. “You really are very surprising, Miss… um… Nora.”
“I like to maintain an air of mystique.” She nodded down to her thigh. “Now, might you wrap that up faster, before I faint?”
Liam straightened up. “Do you feel like you might?”
“I do.” A cold sweat prickled up the back of her neck, and a few black spots had seen fit to start dancing in her eyes.
It seemed to be the spark of inspiration that Liam had needed. Taking the strip of fabric, he pulled it taut and slipped one end underneath Nora’s thigh. He did not even seem to recoil as he accidentally grazed her skin with his fingertips, though it sent something of a shiver through Nora. She could not decide if it was a pleasant or unpleasant kind, or if it was merely the imminent fainting spell.
Wrapping the fabric around a second time, he brought the ends together and fashioned a reasonably tight knot atop her thigh, just above her knee. There, he smoothed the makeshift bandage out, apparently now unfazed by touching her so intimately. He even tucked the knot into the top edge of the bandaging, so his fingertips could not avoid brushing her soft, creamy skin.
“I think that ought to do it,” he said, somewhat breathless.
Nora noticed that his cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were shining in a way she had not seen in a very long time. It was not the shine of lust or carnal desire, but the shine of shyness and curiosity. He looked almost like a young man seeing a bare breast for the first time, by accident, and not quite knowing what to do with himself.
“Do you need any help?” she asked, leaning forward on the apple crate. She did not know why, but she had a sudden urge to embrace him. Not in any indecent manner, but in a tender envelopment. He looked like the sort of fellow who could use a hug.
He stood sharply and dusted off his knees. “No, thank you. My abdomen and my back hurt, but I do not think any bandaging will heal them. They must remedy themselves in their own time.”
With that, he wandered to the door of the outbuilding and looked out. Nora watched him as he lifted his hand into the air and craned his neck upward. She did not know what he had seen that had captured his interest, but she did not have to wait long to find out.
Slowly, he turned, a surprised smile upon his face. “I cannot believe it.”
“What?” she replied.
He burst into a hearty laugh. “It is snowing.”
Chapter Fourteen
The bitter cold swept through the cracks of the outbuilding, the howling wind whistling through every nook and cranny, while flecks of snow drifted in through the gaping holes in the roof. Liam had managed to make a paltry fire from a broken-up apple crate, her matches and some kindling, but it was not nearly enough to keep out the icy temperatures that only seemed to continue plummeting.
Liam shivered violently, his palms raised to the flickering flames. He had given his long coat to Nora, so she could warm herself, and he kept looking at it longingly, wishing he still had it around his shoulders.
“Here. You’ll freeze otherwise, and I’m not having you die here.” She shuffled closer until their sides were pressed together and drew the coat over his shoulder until they were both huddled inside.
He froze in a different sense at the unexpected touch of her body against his. He was still recovering from bandaging her thigh, and his fingertips still tingled from where they had brushed against her skin. He did not know why, but he had not expected her thigh to be so warm and smooth beneath his touch, to the point where he had wanted to rest his palms there and take some of her heat for himself.
Brazenly, she ducked under his arm and rested her head against his chest. “Can you hold me for a moment? I don’t think I’ll ever get warm if you won’t.” She peered up at him with coy eyes. “Did you know that’s the quickest way to heat someone up? You wrap your body around theirs, and it works as well as hot water.”
He was not sure if that was true, but there was something vulnerable in her expression that prevented him from pushing her away. Instead, he put his arm around her and pulled her closer into him. It startled him whenherarms slipped around his waist and clung on like a small, frightened creature, but he swiftly found himself relaxing as the warmth spread between them.
“Where did you learn that?” Liam asked, smiling at her peculiar knowledge.
She nestled further into his chest. “It’s the first thing you learn when you don’t have a home to go to, and you have to sleep on the streets. My Ma and I used to sleep with our arms around each other when I was younger, and we’d have my Sister between us when she was first born. Though we moved into a house shortly after, so she didn’t have to endure too much of it.”
“You must love your family a great deal.” He knew he should not say such things, but he could not help it. She intrigued him.
She nodded. “More than anything. My little Sister is blind, so I take extra care to make sure she never wants for anything.” A soft laugh escaped her lips. “Though, make no mistake, she is feisty. She doesn’t let her blindness affect her or prevent her from doing anything.”
“You said she was why you do what you do. Did you ever want to be anything else, before you had those responsibilities?” His fingertips longed to brush a strand of her hair away from her shoulder, but he could not bring himself to do it.
