Page 9 of Boxing With My Duke
“I had to move closer when you started asking me questions,” he said in a voice that sounded far enough away.
Pleased, she relaxed and finished. Reaching behind her, she tugged a few leaves and cleaned herself.
“Don’t forget to use nonpoisonous leaves,” he yelled.
She froze and held the lantern up to examine the leaves. She had already used some of them and did not know if they were poisonous or nonpoisonous. “There are poisonous ones out here?”
“Unless we’ve found the only woods in the area without them.”
She couldn’t linger much longer, or she feared the odor would cling to her. She tore a bit of her shift, rinsed it in the stream, and hastily washed herself and her hands. Thank God for the water.
Grabbing a clean leaf from the pile, she decided to show it to Carlton. She read books about love, not leaves. How was she supposed to know what was what? “I’ll bring one leaf back with me and show you,” she yelled.
“Just make sure it’s one you haven’t used,” he replied, his voice threaded with humor.
Oh! Isn’t that just like a man to tease at a time like this?
She held her lantern up and trudged back to the road. Holding the leaf up to examine it. Panic suddenly gripped her. Had she used leaves from a nightshade plant? It was the one plant her mother had always warned about. Suddenly she felt a burning sensation on her bottom, and she broke into a run, carrying the lantern and trying to shake the folds of her skirt back into place.
She heard the whimper again and glanced over her shoulder, trying to see into the dense darkness. She stumbled and would have fallen if Carlton hadn’t stepped in front of her and caught her just in time.
“You’re all right,” he said, his deep voice reassuring. “Show me the leaf.”
Catherine didn’t miss his twitching lips as she handed the leaf to him.
“It’s lamb’s ear. You’re safe. Did you never think to use the lantern?”
Her bottom stopped burning and her face heated. “My stomach was upset.”
“I see,” he said, looking away. “Fortunately, you’ll be fine.” He tossed the leaf, turned, and strode away.
“You're laughing at me.” She struggled to keep up; his legs were so very long.
He kept walking.
“Wait. Don’t you need the lantern?”
“No. I handled my business while waiting for you. All done,” he said, stopping to let her catch up.
His face stretched into a wide grin—making her breath catch and, at the same time, frustrating her with his smugness. Instead, she shrugged. “I’m certain a man must have invented the dress. Honestly, sometimes I think it would be far simpler to wear breeches.”
“You would look incredible in breeches.” He waggled his brows. “Yet, I think…” He cleared his throat. “Without the male appendage, the process would be the same—just less fabric.”
Catherine burst into laughter. She couldn’t help herself. She’d never known a man like Carlton.
He didn’t know what was more appealing, Lady Catherine Campbell’s throaty laugh or the thought of her wearing breeches. Either way, a jolt of heat coursed through him. Her soft curves displayed in a pair of snug breeches would have forced him to sit outside with the driver. As it was, he needed time to regain his self-control before they returned to the carriage. The lantern would provide some cover, at least.
“The inn isn’t far, and I’m certain you would prefer a hot meal to cold cheese.”
“Oh but, we can’t leave now. An animal is wounded out there somewhere. I’m almost certain it’s a dog.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t a female fox giving a mating call?”
At the shocked look on her face, he shook his head. “You’ve led a sheltered life, young lady.”
She reached for his hand and took a step closer. The warmth of her touch and her luminous blue eyes nearly took his breath away.
“Please, Carlton,” she said, her voice breaking. “We can’t leave it to suffer. We must do something.”
