Page 58 of Gambling with the Earl
“Kitty, what are you doing in here?”
She rested her head against Guy’s broad shoulders, conscious only of the warmth and solidity he represented.
“You’re soaked through. Come, let me find a rug to dry you.”
He walked her up the rearing slope. Kitty’s flesh burned and her legs trembled. All the strength had left her limbs, leaving her with no choice but to submit to his care.
“Why are you outside of the castle, on a night like this?”
How could she answer? Only with the truth. She parted her lips to say the words but all that came out was a wail of sorrow.
He shushed her with a warm kiss on the top of her head. “Don’t speak. Just sit.”
They had entered the grooms’ store. Guy guided her towards a short three-legged stool, and she sank onto it gratefully. In another moment, he covered her in a rough woollen blanket, rubbing at her arms to bring feeling back to them.
“It’s no good,” he said. “Not with your dress clinging to your skin so.”
There was nothing for it but to let him unbutton her bodice and peel the sodden material from her chilled body. She put up many a weak hand to help him, but her fingers were chilled and useless, and Guy’s movements brisk and efficient. There was none of the fiery chemistry from earlier, only her need to be warm and Guy’s instinct to take care of her.
When she was clad only in her chemise. Guy once again wrapped the coarse blanket around her shoulders and this time she took comfort in the weight of it. She reached up to hold the folds together and for the first time, vocalised her thanks.
“When you’ve had a chance to recover, I will demand an explanation for how you came to put yourself in such jeopardy.” He smiled down at her. “It’s a wonder I was here to find you.”
He had found a rough cloth from somewhere and was now tenderly drying her hair. She closed her eyes as a tingling warmth gradually stole over her body.
“How come you are here yourself?” she asked at last.
“To check on my horse. He’s full of nerves, even without the storm. I didn’t want him to do himself an injury. The stablemaster is unused to horses bred for battle.”
She couldn’t allow anyone else to see her like this. Kitty’s eyes flew open. “Where is he? The stablemaster, I mean.”
“I dismissed him and the stableboys for the night.” Guy shrugged. His handsome face, creased with concern, loomed in and out of focus. “To tell you the truth, I wanted to be alone.”
“I’m sorry,” she cried out. A phrase to cover more than he knew.
His hand settled on her shoulder. How she longed to grasp hold of it. “Drink this,” he said, handing her a silver hip flask.
The burning liquid scalded her throat. She coughed and her eyes watered, but it brought a welcome warmth to the insides of her stomach.
“Thank you,” she mumbled.
He walked over to the half open doorway at the other side of the stables, just as forked lightning tore through the sky. The thunderclap was so loud that Kitty closed her eyes and wrapped her fingers around the edges of the stool, holding on until the fearful rumbling finally ceased. When she opened her eyes, it was to see Guy’s tall, muscular figure shining golden in the lamplight.
“The storm shows no sign of abating,” he said, turning to face her with a furrowed brow. “I think we must stay here for now, else we’ll risk another soaking.”
She had no wish to go back out in the storm, but the stool was wobbling beneath her tired limbs.
Guy picked up a pitchfork and dug it into a stack of hay. The fresh, grassy fragrance washed over her as he spread the hay evenly over the stone cobbles.
“Here,” he said, when he had built up a thick layer. “You can lay down and rest.”
Unease must have shown in her face, for he laughed lightly. “Kitty, after all that has passed between us, you must know that you are safe with me.”
She had no hope of expressing her true emotions. Instead, she bit down on her lip until she tasted blood. “The stableboys,” she said at last. “They can’t find me here.”
“They will not.” He reassured her. “I will wake you at first light. But for now, you must rest.”
He helped her onto the thick, sweet-smelling hay and covered her tenderly with the rug.
