Page 13 of The Banished Bride
He tossed a coin on the floor. “That should cover it, seeing as they have no doubt charged a King’s ransom for everything else.”
Outside the first light of dawn was just beginning to seep above the grey horizon. “I don’t think Ranley is going to be happy with being rousted at this hour?—”
Again, Alex cut her short. “You may leave that to me. I shall manage to convince him that it’s time to be off,” he replied softly.
She stared at him queerly for a moment, then merely nodded and followed along to the stable without further comment. In a matter of minutes, the driver stumbled out of the tack room, shirttails still hanging down, bits of straw clinging to his matted locks, and began shaking out the traces with more alacrity than he has shown during the entire trip. The horses were also led out and harnessed without delay.
“Come, in you go.” Alex assisted her up, letting his hand linger on her arm for a fraction longer than necessary. He climbed in as well and rapped on the trap for them to be off.
It was chilly inside, a cold made rawer by the threat of rain that glowered down from the scudding clouds. Aurora shivered as she leaned back against the damp leather of the squabs, for the light pelisse over her muslin gown added little warmth.
Alex couldn’t help but note the slight tremor out of the corner of his eye, just as he noted that she bore her discomfort without complaint. He took the bundle that had been under his arm and shook it out. The blanket was hardly luxurious, but its scratchy wool would add some measure of warmth.
“I imagine we paid for it several times over,” he murmured, leaning close to tuck it around her shoulders. “So your conscience, as well as your limbs, may rest easy.”
Her eyes flew up with a start. Surprise rippled their emerald depths, along with a current of some other emotion he couldn’t quite fathom. “T-thank you,” she whispered.
The dark smudges under her eyes and the fine lines of strain pulling at the corners of her lovely mouth were unmistakable at such close distance. A wave of guilt washed over him. She had shown such grit and courage, he had forgotten how young and inexperienced she truly was. The string of silent curses he heaped upon himself was rather lengthy as he brushed an errant wisp from her cheek. “Tired?”
“Mmmm. Just a little.” Her lids were already half closed.
“Get some sleep. It will be at least an hour before we stop.”
Her chin had already fallen forward onto the top of the blanket. In repose, the profile softened from that of warrior queen to one more resembling a simple young country miss, untested in the sort of battle he had dragged her into. Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Alex pulled her closer, so that her cheek came to rest on his chest.
He couldn’t resist taking a lock of her hair between his thumb and forefinger, marveling at how even the dim light picked out highlights ranging from rosy blond to deep cinnamon. Thecolors reminded him of curry. A dish not to everyone’s taste, but for those who could stand up to its heat, its spice, its subtle complexities, it made all others seem rather bland.
“Mmmpph.” She snuggled even closer, the soft zephyr of her breathing blowing warm through the folds of his shirt and feathering against his bare skin. Another gurgled sigh and she curled her legs up against his thigh.
She may need his heat, but if she kept touching him like that he was soon going to have to stop the carriage! A good dousing in the heavy rain that had begun pelting down upon the roof might just serve to dampen the rather ungentlemanly thoughts that were startling to flare up in his head.
But it was truly a singular sensation, he thought, not knowing whether to gnash his teeth in frustration or chuckle in bemusement. He had never before reacted to a woman in quite this way. Oh, to be sure, he ached to undress her, to explore every tantalizing curve until not one of her marvelous secrets was left unbared to him.
Yet his urges went beyond mere pleasure. He found himself wanting to keep her enfolded in his arms, safe from the perils of the stormy world outside. His jaw tightened at recalling the cloaked intruder’s casual crudeness. The thought of anyone else touching her lit a different sort of spark in his innards—the desire to commit murder with his bare hands.
Heaving a harried sigh, Alex slowly shook his head. Where the devil was such romantic nonsense coming from?
Any tender sentiments had long ago been beaten out of him. That was for sure. After all, he had discovered quite early that it was pointless to look for love or support from any of those around him. So he had learned to be harder than his father’s fists, more resilient than a birch rod and tougher than a leather strap. Instead of knuckling under, like his older brothers, he had been stubbornly determined to survive on his own terms.
He had done it, but at a cost. For while he expected nothing from anyone, in turn he had nothing to give. Perhaps that cold detachment was what made him such an effective soldier.
And such a rotten husband.
But that was a subject he had, over the years, taken great pains never to dwell on.
Feelings made one vulnerable. And being vulnerable was the one thing he feared, above all else. The thought of exposing life and limb to any threat, even death, caused not a blink of an eye. The thought of exposing his heart …
With another shake of his head, Alex leaned back and closed his eyes, determined to marshal his wayward musings back into orderly ranks. He had started this whole mission badly, having made a number of silly mistakes that even the rawest recruit would have avoided. Lord, perhaps the general was right and he was getting too old, his edge too dull, if he found himself lowering his defenses for a managing country miss who had tumbled into his life by mere happenstance.
It was time to regroup. Time to reinforce the barricades around what was left of his tattered soul. That he would never surrender.
“Mmmph.”Aurora shifted slightly. The pillow seemed to have a life of its own, for it moved, too. When she tried to knead out the lumps out, it spoke as well.
“Easy, sweeting, I’ve taken enough punishment these last few days without you adding to the various bruises.”
She blinked her eyes open, only to find her cheek was up against the crook of his shoulder, her hands splayed in intimate abandon across his chest. “Oh!” Her body would have shot upright had his arms allowed such freedom.
“Nay, sleep a bit longer. I’m sure you could use the rest.”
