Page 70 of Bride of Fire
“What the devil?”
Casting a quick glance toward the bairn, she hushed Morgan with a frown and a finger to her lips. Then she explained in a whisper, “The hot water will ease your achin’ muscles and bruised bones.”
He whispered back, “And the…what are those? Leaves?”
“Woodruff. ’Twill make ye smell sweet.”
He scowled. He wasn’t sure he wanted to smell sweet. And all those candles seemed like a waste of beeswax.
But once he undressed and slipped into the warm and fragrant water, he closed his eyes and felt his tensions begin to melt away.
Bethac gathered up his discarded clothes.
“I’ll be back anon with fresh trews and hose and a clean leine.” She clucked her tongue as she held up his filthy cotun. “I’ll see if I can find a servant lad to beat the dust from this.”
“What about the bairn?” He was uneasy about being left in charge of a creature about which he knew nothing.
“Oh, he’s sleepin’.” She gave him a twinkly smile before she left. “Take your time, and enjoy your bath, m’laird.”
Hedidenjoy it. The water was soothing. The flickering candles calmed him. And there was something about the scent of the woodruff…
Jenefer.
His eyes flashed open.
It was Jenefer’s scent. Sweet. Spicy. Musky.
He inhaled the fragrant steam, and when he closed his eyes again, he saw her. Her cascading tawny hair. Her glittering emerald eyes. Her soft, rosy, delicious lips.
Beneath the water, he stirred to life. Since he was alone, he didn’t bother to hide his arousal.
Instead, he sank further into the water, resting his neck on the padded edge of the tub, and dreamed of an impossible future.
A future where he could begin again. Forget about the love he’d lost. Move past the memory of his beloved, departed wife.
Chapter 35
Jenefer spread out the napkin she’d pilfered from supper on the bedchamber table. Then she fished a cooled piece of charcoal from the hearth. By holding the cloth taut and carefully dragging the sharp edge of the charcoal along the surface, she could draw black lines on the white linen.
“What are you doing?” Feiyan asked.
“Making plans.”
“Plans for what?” Feiyan leaned over her shoulder. “An escape tunnel?”
“Improvements.”
She began rendering the curtain wall, moving it out a considerable distance from where it was now.
“Improvements to what?”
“To Creagor.”
“You haven’t even won the keep yet,” Feiyan pointed out.
“I have a plan for that as well.” Jenefer gave her a cryptic smile.
Feiyan arched a sardonic brow. “Does it involve eating them out of house and home? Because that’s the only plan you seem to be employing at the moment.”
