Page 48 of A Matter of Time
All three opted to stay upstairs. Richard thought it was only right to let Edna spend some uninterrupted time with her family, and on top of that, they had ridden quite a distance today without rest.
“There’s a warm bath downstairs, if you’re interested. We have a hot spring underground and it makes for a lovely, relaxing bath. If ye’ve a mind to use it, I can show ye where it is.”
“I’d like that,” Angelina said. “My muscles are pretty sore from two days of riding. I’ll see you two later.” She gave the men a small wave and followed Lena downstairs.
“Wouldyou care to join her?” Nick asked, with a glint of humor in his eyes.
“Not at the moment,” Richard said. Despite how well things had gone so far, he was still worrying about what he should tell Angelina and when.
The men entered their quarters and Richard sat in a chair beside the fire. Nick sat across from him. “I’m happy to see there are two beds,” Nick chuckled.
Richard didn’t respond, he was deep in thought and not paying any attention to his friend.
“Richard are ye with me?” Nick said, hitting Richard on the knee.
Richard jumped and rubbed his hand across his jaw. “I’m sorry, I was just thinking.”
“About what? Only something verra good, or verra bad, would keep ye from being fascinated by what I’ve just said.”
“Bad.” Richard didn’t offer anything else. He didn’t think he had to. Nick knew him well enough to know most of Richard’s misdeeds. It’s why Nick had ridden away from him all those years before. He hadn’t liked the person Richard had become.
“Does it have something to do with our Angelina?”
“Yes.” Richard sighed heavily, leaning back in the chair. “I’m afraid to tell her about my past. She’ll be very disappointed and I think she’ll want nothing to do with me. I don’t know what to do. It’s only a matter of time before she finds out the whole truth.” Richard closed his eyes, as if doing so would block out the reality that was now threatening to ruin the one good thing he’d had in his life. “Every time I meet someone who knows about my past, I’ll be worried that they’ll let something slip and she’ll hate me.”
“I ken yer fear, but ye must tell her before she hears it from someone else.” The fire crackled in the hearth and the two friends sat in silence as Richard mulled this advice over.
“I haven’t had a moment alone with her, and I cannot tell her in front of everyone else.” His eyes roamed the room, taking in the furnishings, the small wooden swords, and two rocking horses taking up positions beneath the windows. “I believe they’ve given us the twins’ room,” he remarked.
“Yer just noticing? Ye must be in a bad way, my friend. If ye wish to be alone with Angelina, now might be the perfect time. Why dinnae ye see if ye can find her? I’m going to take this time for a well-deserved nap.” Nick rose and went over to one of the beds, and he flopped down, placing a pillow beneath his head. “Dinnae wake me until the evening meal is being served.”
After a few moments, the slow, even sound of Nick’s breathing told Richard that he had indeed fallen asleep. Unfortunately for Richard, the war going on inside his head did not cease. Should he go to Angelina? Should he wait? Fear, not an emotion that was familiar to him, lay heavy upon his shoulders. Trying to be a good man and do all the right things, was leaving him both worried and overwhelmed. Eventually, he made the decision to seek out Angelina and bear his soul, no matter what the outcome may be.
The warm watersoothed Angelina’s sore muscles from the minute she sank into the large bath, enjoying the sensation of the water all the way up to her chin. This room was unlike anything she’d seen before and certainly, unlike anything she’d expected to see in medieval Scotland. Lena had explained it had been created at her request and to her specifications. To Angelina, it resembled a spa, carved into the rock walls beneath the castle. A large rectangular pool of heated water filled the room with steam, and stone shelves for sitting had been carved into the interior. The atmosphere was serene and meant for relaxing.
A noise alerted her to the fact that she was not alone and she spun to see who was there. “Hello?” Her voice echoed off the stone walls. “Is someone there?” Suddenly, her warm, soothing bath no longer seemed relaxing. She waited, holding her breath, but heard nothing else. Angelina swam across to the other side of the pool, so she could see if anyone was about to enter. The move helped to calm her frazzled nerves and before long, when no one appeared, she was able to get back into her peaceful mindset.
Naturally, her thoughts turned to Richard. A humble hero. It was so like him, to downplay his part in whatever it was that happened when he’d assisted the MacKenzie clan. She’d have to ask him about it. Angelina closed her eyes and imagined his smoldering gaze on her, his lips kissing hers – at first soft and then with passionate ferocity – his hands stroking her skin. Why hadn’t she thought to ask him to join her? That kind of thing was probably frowned upon here, which made it seem so much more enticing.
Glancing down at her hands, Angelina realized she was rapidly turning into a prune and should probably get out. She was just pulling herself up out of the water when she heard the distinct sound of a male voice and a female response. Moments later, a serving girl came in with a drying cloth in her hands.
“The gentleman asked me to bring this to ye, m’lady.” The girl handed the cloth to Angelina. “Would ye like me to help ye?”
Angelina smiled at the obviously shy girl, whose eyes hadn’t left her feet since she entered the bath. “What gentleman?”
The girl, continuing to examine the floor, shrugged her shoulders in response. “I dinnae ken. Not someone I know.”
That was certainly believable – if this girl couldn’t look Angelina in the eye, she surely wouldn’t have looked directly at whoever had asked her to give Angelina the cloth. “Thank you.” Angelina began to dry herself, turning her back, embarrassed to be seen nude by the girl who remained standing nearby. “What’s your name?”
“Elspeth, ma’am.” She dropped into a low curtsy.
“You can go, Elspeth. I can get dressed on my own.” Angelina watched as Elspeth backed out of the room and took off down the passageway towards the stairs.
She couldn’t help but giggle to herself. There were so many things she was going to have to get used to in the sixteenth century. For instance, the cloth she’d been given to dry herself, which was surprisingly absorbent. She finished drying herself off and was dressed in no time.Now to find out who was watching me,she thought.
Richard bolted for the stairs, as soon as he saw Angelina emerging from the bath. He had come down here with the intentions of speaking to her about his past, but had not thought the idea through particularly well. Once his eyes had locked onto her naked body, his own body reacted in the most natural of ways. He had groaned aloud and startled her, so he had remained hidden just outside the doorway until she relaxed again. Despite knowing it was wrong to do so, he had continued to peek at her from around the doorway until she’d decided to emerge from the bath. Spinning on his heels to leave before she discovered him, he’d practically run down the small servant girl headed toward the bath. “The lady needs a drying cloth,” he’d spat out, praying she wouldn’t notice the obvious bulge which had formed in his now far-too-tight breeches . He hurried on his way and now that he was upstairs, safe in his room, he paced back and forth, cursing himself for his foolish behavior. He was Sir Richard Jefford – or at least, he used to be, before his trip to San Francisco. Now he was thoughtful, caring, kind and seemingly, without any bad qualities he could name. Unless, of course, he considered spying on a naked woman, which he had done without thought for anything but his own carnal lust. Mayhap he wasn’t as noble as he’d thought. What he had really wanted was to join her in the bath. To take her in his arms and make her his, but he couldn’t. He wouldn’t, not until she knew everything she needed to about him and thenshedefinitely wouldn’t. This dilemma was tearing him apart. Was there any way he could spirit Angelina from here to his home, without running across anyone who knew him? He shook his head ruefully. What a ridiculous thought. What would he do once he got there? He couldn’t keep her locked up in his castle forever. No. He had to tell her, but he feared he couldn’t work up the courage.
A knock at the door brought him back to the present. “Yes?” he called. He glanced across at Nick, but his friend didn’t move. He had always been a very sound sleeper.
