Page 17 of Moonstone Angel
He grunted. “I haven’t slept deeply in years. I can’t seem to manage more than a few hours a night. Every little sound puts me on edge. It is what comes of too many years spent on a battlefield.”
“Then you’ll be up with the morning sunrise. It is also a spectacular sight. Well, I had better change into my bedclothes. Don’t come upstairs until I return, all right?”
“I won’t move a muscle. I can be a gentleman when I want to be. Have you ever slept on the beach, Cara?”
She nodded. “Once or twice with my father when I was a little girl. This is a perfect night for it. Are you considering doing this? Keep close to the stairs that lead down to it if you do. The tide comes in quite suddenly and will swallow up most of the beach and anything that happens to be on it. You had better spread your blanket by those stairs and nowhere near the water’s edge, or you’ll wake to find yourself buried under a wave.”
“I’ll keep to my bedchamber tonight and explore the beach in the morning. I think I’ll take a morning swim, too. Or would you advise against it?”
“I think it is a wonderful idea. Just don’t swim out too far, and test the pull of the tide when you first wade in. If it’s too strong, do not be a fool and think you can win out. Remember those riptides. However, the weather has been quite mild these past few days, and our strip of beach is fairly sheltered.”
She left his side to scamper upstairs and ready herself for bed.
The thought of her undressing in the room next to his put his head in a spin again. Would she need help unlacing her gown?
He could offer assistance.
Of course, he’d have his hands all over her body at the first opportunity. Even when restrained by her corset, he could tell her breasts were round and ample. He—
He needed to stop thinking of her.
He’d told her that he could be a gentleman when he wanted to be. Sadly, it seemed she brought out the sinner in him.
She returned while he was still fantasizing about her body…it was really not well done of him. Her hair was down and plaited in a loose braid that fell over one shoulder to rest upon one of her nicely rounded breasts.
Her robe was buttoned to her neck.
His hands itched to touch her, so he clasped them to the railing.
“Stay out here as long as you like, Your Grace. Just latch the door when you come back inside. I’ll try to wait up for you to take care of it myself, but I may fall asleep before then.”
“I’ll take care of it, Cara.”
“Well, goodnight then.”
“Sweet dreams.”
“And to you, Your Grace.”
She left him and settled on the parlor sofa, curling up like a kitten.
He watched her through the open window.
Truly an odd girl.
Dangerous, too.
He could fall in love with a girl like her.
Chapter Four
Cara was notcertain what to expect of the duke but had to admit she was pleasantly surprised by him. Almost three weeks had passed since his arrival, and they’d fallen into an idyllic routine. He did not sleep much, and she often heard him quietly moving about his bedchamber late into the night and again early in the morning, but the lack of sleep did not put him in ill-temper.
Quite the opposite, he seemed to smile more and was surprisingly undemanding.
He had gotten into the habit of stealing out of the house at sunrise each morning to take a swim. He always tried his best not to wake her, but the house was old and wooden boards creaked.
She would sneak out after him, not to ogle him as he undressed and dove into the water, but to make certain he did not get into trouble and drown.
