Page 24 of Seducing the Knave

“Bath?” The word instantly replaced her tension with a deep and unexpected longing.

His chuckle was low and quiet. “By the look on yer face, I reckon ye’d like a soak.”

She did her best not to appear too desperate. “Since you mention it...”

She’d been wearing the same clothing for two full days and a long night tramping through the countryside. If she hoped to arrive at Lady Gilchrist’s door tomorrow with at least a modicum of propriety and pride intact, a bath might be the only thing to keep her from instantly being turned away by the Gilchrist butler as a beggar.

Max opened the door to a lad who couldn’t have been more than thirteen carrying two very large buckets of water. Without a word, the boy crossed the room to the copper tub set in the corner behind the changing screen.

Having convinced herself that a bath was absolutely necessary, Elle glanced back to Max only to find him watching her intently. Then he flashed a grin and gave a nod. “It’s all yers, princess. I’ll make meself scarce.”

She was more than a bit surprised by his offer, but she wasn’t going to question it. “Thank you.”

Before leaving the room, he added with a dark hint of warning, “But don’t dally. I’m eager fer bed.”

Ignoring the thread of alarm his words triggered in her blood, Elle did her best to wait patiently as the boy came and went with several more buckets full of heated water until nearly ten minutes later the large tub was full and a small cake of soap had been left with a washing cloth.

Once alone, she locked the door and undressed swiftly, making sure to spread her gown on the bed in hopes of avoiding any further wrinkling. Then she moved the last of her stashed jewelry from her bodice to the hidden pocket in her gown. Not for the first time, she wished she’d been able to take a few pound notes or coins when she’d escaped. But cash like that was kept by the steward since she rarely had need of it at home.

As she finished undressing, she left her underthings in a pile near the tub. She figured she might as well try to launder them as best she could after she finished bathing.

The water was heavenly and Elle would have loved to close her eyes and relax in the soothing soak, but Max’s parting words rang heavily in her mind. She wouldn’t put it beyond him to return far earlier than reasonable and blame it on her for taking too long.

After finishing her bath in what had to be record time, she wrapped a blanket from the bed around her body as she quickly washed her underclothing. Dragging the two chairs closer to the fire, she draped her chemise and petticoats over one then sat in the other with her back to the fire and combed her fingers through her wet hair. It took some effort to work through the waist-length curls, but once she did, she let her hair fall over the back of the chair to the floor. Then she tucked her feet up and wrapped the blanket a bit more securely around her as she rested her head back and closed her eyes.

Considering how quickly she’d gotten through her tasks, she hoped to have plenty of time to allow her light underclothes to dry before putting them on again.

If Max returned before then, he’d just have to wait in the hall.

The sound of a key turning in the lock jolted her swiftly from her brief reverie. She bolted to her feet, tugging the blanket tight around her body just as Max entered the bedroom with a swagger and a grin.

“’Ello, luv.”

“You had a key,” she accused sharply.

He arched a brow. “I did.”

“You didn’t even knock.”

“Why would I knock on me own door?”

His flippant attitude was only making her more heated and indignant. “I might still have been in the bath.”

His quick gaze took in the sight of her clothing strewn about before returning to slide down her tense form. The thin blanket she had tightly clasped around her shoulders might have covered her from neck to toe, but it did nothing to make her feel concealed from his stare. She could practically feel his heated attention gliding over her bare skin as though he could see right through the makeshift covering.

“Get out,” she demanded, her voice high and tight.

He ignored her and turned toward the bathing tub. “No.”

When he pulled the screen back and dipped his fingertips into the cooling water, she sucked in a swift breath. “What are you doing?”

He glanced over his shoulder at her. “I’ve a mind to make use of this before it cools any more than it has already.”

“You can’t do that.”

But he’d already started releasing the buttons of his waistcoat.

“I suppose ye think it more appropriate to have the tub emptied and refilled, adding to the list of chores that young lad is expected to perform on a night when the inn is packed full of guests.”

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