Page 37 of A Courtesan Countess Worth the Scandal
“Then let us finish our breakfast swiftly, so we may find a village.” He continued to rub her back, and she did not stop him, though she usually hated any touch that came from a man. “We will have you see a physician, if one can be found, and then you can decide if you wish to continue to Northcrop.”
She nodded and tried to swallow a chunk of cheese. “Thank you, Liam.” The words lodged in her throat with the cheese. “Truly, I thank you for saving my life and my dignity last night.”
“Then I must thank you, too, for I would not be alive if it were not for you, either,” he said, his tone soft.
Her heart thudded rapidly as he drew her closer to him, his hand smoothing across her back before curving around her upper arm. There, perched together on the crate, he fed her and held her as though she were worth something… as though she were worth taking care of. And it took every ounce of willpower she possessed not to burst into tears and crumble to pieces at this one and only experience of true kindness.
Chapter Sixteen
After gathering up their meager belongings and stowing away the supplies Nora had left in her remarkably resourceful satchel, the two wounded individuals left the outbuilding and set off across the snow-blanketed fields.
As they walked, Liam tilted his head up to the sky and scrutinized the thick, pregnant clouds that showed no signs of ceasing their snowfall. Even now, he could not believe that Nora had been right about smelling such a thing in the air. Although, as he discreetly sniffed, he realized there was a different aroma in the air—fresh and crisp and somewhat metallic.
“Are you certain you do not need to be carried?” He turned his attention to Nora, who appeared to be limping slightly. “I can do so sporadically, if you prefer?”
Nora shook her head. “It will hurt more if I don’t use it.”
“Where do you learn all of these ingenious things? Was that also something you discovered from your Mother?” He felt a touch guilty that he was wearing his coat, while she had only a moth-eaten blanket about her shoulders. She had insisted, but it still did not sit well with him.
She cracked a smile. “That is one I learned from a now-retired courtesan, who used to treat me when I had been injured and did not want to be seen by a physician. Unfortunately, they are all men.” She paused, tilting her head in a thoughtful manner. “Would it not make a great deal of sense if there were female physicians who could tend to the complaints of other women? I am certain we ladies would feel more comfortable.”
“That is actually a rather sensible notion,” Liam answered, his mouth agape. He had never considered that before, and yet it made a great deal of logical sense. His shock increased when he realized what she might have meant when she had spoken of being injured, and the pain being worse if she did not use her injured… anatomy.
Apparently sensing his thoughts, Nora cackled. “I mean limbs and suchlike, of course.” Her laughter faded, and her eyes took on a haunted expression. “There are some things that are too painful to use when they have been damaged.”
At that look upon her face, Liam found himself battling with the urge to put his arm around her again. There was something about her very being that ignited his protective streak, and that had only become more prominent after learning more about her past, and what had led her to this point.
I must not act like a savior again. I am not one, and she does not need saving. She has written a book to prove that she is quite capable of saving herself.
Still, he could not prevent himself from taking hold of Nora’s arm and pulling her gently to a stop. “You cannot hobble and clutch this blanket at the same time,” he urged. “Allow me to remedy it.”
Without hesitation, he reached up and removed his cravat. Using the holes that the moths had already made in the blanket, he threaded the silky, maroon fabric through, before fashioning a knot at the rise of her bosom. His hands accidentally grazed her ample breasts as he formed the makeshift fastening, and his throat constricted at the fleeting touch, but he would not allow his embarrassment or any sort of dormant desire to prevent him from holding to his task of keeping her warm.
He did, however, inhale a small gasp of air when her hand came to rest on his, pushing his palm flat against her heart and, indeed, the smooth, cold skin of her chest.
“What are you doing?” he choked out.
She held his gaze, her expression cloudy. “I was curious.”
“About what?” He did not try to take his hand away, lest it seem rude.
With a sigh, she released him. “I wanted to see if there was enough warmth in your palm to thaw it, as you thawed the rest of me through the bitterly cold night.”
“Thaw what, exactly?” He hurriedly folded his hands behind his back, so she could not repeat the gesture.
She turned. “My heart.”
Before he could respond, she began walking again, heading for the road they had wandered away from last night. He, on the other hand, could not move for a moment or two, due to the utter shock that held him rigid. What had she meant by that? Was she talking purely of heat and anatomy, or was she speaking of something more… figurative?
Deciding it was best not to dwell on it for too long, in case he started treading into dangerous territory, he strode after Nora. And yet, behind his back, his hand tingled, sending a peculiar warmth through his fingers, up his arm, and into his chest. There, it settled in his heart, making him wonder, just for a moment, if it was capable of melting even the smallest shard of the thick ice that encased his own.
* * *
Half an hour later, Liam spotted a bridge in the near distance and, beyond it, the first sign of civilization they had seen since the highwaymen had attacked. It did not look like a particularly large village, but he hoped they would be able to find some kind of transportation, if Nora still wanted to continue.
I hope she does… revealing those animals to the world might be the most honorable thing ever done.
They had not spoken much since Nora had pressed his hand to her chest, and she seemed to be in something of a daze as she walked along at his side. He chose to blame her injury, rather than consider that she was thinking of anything more unsettling.
