Page 35 of When a Duke Loves a Woman
Fearful her face might be just as red as his, Gillie took a step forward. She wasn’t looking forward to this conversation but it needed to be had. “Hannah, I overheard you two in the cellar.”
Hannah’s eyes flattened as she reached back to untie her apron. “And now you’ll be letting me go.”
“No, no.” She touched her cook’s arm to stay her actions. “I just want to make sure you were down there willingly, that what was happening was what you wanted.”
“Ah, you’re a sweet lass. Of course it was what I wanted. I know you don’t fancy menfolk and have no experience with them intimately, but what Roger can do with his tongue...” Leaning in, she whispered conspiratorially, “He can make a woman forget her name.”
Why would a woman want that?
Hannah looked over her shoulder. “You can come back in, Rog. Everything’s all right.” She winked at Gillie. “He gets embarrassed talking about intimate things.”
Roger appeared, sherry bottle in hand, and gave it to Hannah. “There you are, darlin’.”
“Ta, Rog.”
“I didn’t know our soup has sherry in it,” Gillie said, although she never had taken an interest in preparing food.
“It doesn’t. But we had to tell Robin something. The lad is far too curious,” Hannah said.
“Robin says you go hunting for sherry every night.”
“Why do you think I’mJollyRoger?” her barman asked, apparently quite pleased with himself, puffing his chest out like some rooster.
“Has this been going on for a while then?”
They both shrugged noncommittally. “Not so very long really,” Hannah finally offered.
“Maybe you should find someplace else to do the hunting,” Gillie suggested.
“Right,” Roger said. “Will do.”
“It won’t be as much fun as sneaking in a bit of loving here and there,” Hannah said.
His expression of warmth and adoration caused Gillie’s chest to tighten. “I’ll make it fun for you, darlin’.”
Hannah reached up and patted his cheek affectionately. “I know you will, love. Now you’d best get back to work before Gillie has a change of heart and dismisses you for all your naughty behavior.”
With a wink at her, he started walking toward the door that led to the taproom.
“Wait,” Gillie called out.
He swung around, a question in his eyes.
“I was looking for you to let you know I’ll be leaving for a while.”
“With your gent?” Hannah asked.
“He’s not my gent,” she said, wondering how often she was going to have to tell them that before they believed it. “But, yes, the duke and I need to go somewhere.”
“He’s a duke? Stick a blade in your boot,” Roger said.
She’d forgotten that only Finn had heard Thorne introduce himself.
“Are you going someplace dangerous?” Hannah asked, her voice laced with worry.
“I think he wants me to use it on the duke,” Gillie told her. “He will be a perfect gentleman.”
Roger appeared skeptical.
