Page 58 of My Highland Fling
“No, rest,” he said.“Heating the soup won’t take long—five minutes at most.Then, there’s something important I should tell you.Actually, two things.”He frowned.The barb thing—he should’ve confessed days ago.
By the time he entered the lounge with a tray of soup and bread, she was sound asleep.Not surprising given the last week.If he wasn’t mistaken, she’d lost weight.Ramsay put aside the tray and lifted Gabrielle into his arms.She never roused as he carried her into his bedroom and set her on the bed.He tugged off her shoes and socks and covered her with a warm blanket.Tomorrow was soon enough for weighty conversation.
Anout-of-the-ordinarynoisedraggedGabrielle from the best sleep she’d had in ages.Warmth suffused her, and the aches and pains she’d suffered for days had decreased.She guessed she was healing.Excellent news.The racket, strident and insistent, continued.She opened her eyes to darkness.Puzzled, she floundered for a location until a male groan sounded from behind her.
“Ramsay,” she murmured.
“Shh.Go back to sleep.It’s my alarm.”
“Why is it so loud?”
“Because I’m terrible at getting out of bed.Would you like a cup of tea before I go to work?I promised Emily I’d give her a few hours this morning.”
“I’ll come too.”Her stomach rumbled, and she pressed a hand to her belly.
“I’m not surprised you’re hungry.You went to sleep in front of the fire.”
“You should’ve woken me.”
“No, you needed to sleep.”
Another memory surfaced.“But you wanted to talk to me.”
Ramsay crawled out of bed, and a blast of cold air had her shivering.He stalked across the room, proudly naked, and slapped a hand on the top of an old-fashioned alarm clock.The insistent din ceased.Ramsay pulled on jeans and turned to her.“I was kind of glad to put off our conversation.I’m worried about your reaction.”
Gabrielle stared at him.“Ramsay, I’m here.How bad could it be?”
He gave a clipped nod.“I’ll make tea.If you want to come with me, I’ll make us breakfast at the cafe.”
“Will Emily mind if I go with you?”
“She’ll put you to work.”
Pleasure suffused Gabrielle.“You don’t know how nice that would be—to cast off my princess persona and become normal.”
“Talk to Tomasine if she’s there,” Ramsay said.“She has a royal background, too.”
Gabrielle’s brows rose.“Really?”
Ramsay grinned.“Something about Middlemarch draws royalty.”He checked his watch and scowled.“Hustle, woman.We’ll need to have our tea there since I’m running late.”
Tomasine and Emily were at the café when she and Ramsay arrived.
“Oh, good,” Tomasine said with a bright grin.“Slave labor.Gabrielle, come and help me set the tables.”
Tomasine issued instructions, and Gabrielle set out salt and pepper shakers, condiments, and placemats on the tables while Tomasine rearranged chairs.
“Officially, I was the queen of our clan, but Isabella helped me to flee an abusive situation.She kept my daughter and me safe, and finally, we arrived in Middlemarch.”Tomasine said.“The locals nicknamed me Peeping Tom.”
“Really?”Gabrielle’s eyes widened.
“Yes, it took me time to win over the locals.As Sylvie, my daughter, would say, I crushed hard on Felix, but it was difficult winning his trust.”
“But you did.”
Tomasine chuckled.“Coming to Middlemarch was the best thing Isabella and I did.Oops, we’d better hurry.It’s almost opening time.”She placed the remaining chairs in position and opened the front door.“How do you feel about a cup of tea or coffee?”
“Tea sounds lovely.”
