Page 45 of The Heart of an Earl

They’d stepped off the ship only hours ago and he’d almost just lost her back to the bloody sea.

It didn’t sit well with him.

Not at all.

{ Chapter 14 }

Jules leaned forward in the hip bath in front of the fire, scrubbing her left leg. Years of salt crusted on her skin vanished with each swipe of the cloth.

There was only one thing more glorious than her skin finally being freed of the coating of her life of the past six years, but that feeling involved Des and he was currently out of the room at the coaching inn they’d stopped at for the night.

A key clinked in the lock, and Jules bent over at the waist, shielding her naked body.

Des’s head poked in.

A quick sweep with his eyes across the room and he found her in the hip bath. An outrageous smile cut across his face. “It looks as though I arrived in time.”

“If you brought food with you, then yes, you did.”

After a quick glance over his shoulder, Des moved into the room as he balanced a tray of two platters filled high and centered with what smelled like roasted grouse. Or what she thought was grouse. The smell hadn’t tickled her nose in years.

He closed the door behind him and went to the table on the far end of the spacious room, setting the tray atop. Port was already at the table—Des had brought it up after they had first arrived at the inn.

He’d told the innkeeper they were married and Jules had no moral objection to the lie. The world where she could hold tight to morals had left her long ago.

Des pulled the platters from the tray, setting them onto the table, and then turned around to her. “I found you something.”

She gave him a sideways look as she dragged the washcloth along her calf. “You did? Des, you’ve already purchased me far too much today.”

His left hand disappeared, digging into an inner pocket of his coat. “I think you’ll appreciate this one.”

He pulled free a thin leather strap with a brass buckle on one end and held it up. A belt, but much too short to fit around a waist.

Her head cocked to the side. “Leather? How…thoughtful?”

He grinned. “It’s to go with the sheath of one of my daggers—for you to strap around your calf. I’d rather you have a blade on you after this morning.”

“That makes the both of us.” A frown set on her face as she nodded. “You don’t think we lost them on the journey here?”

“Switching carriages three times should have ensured we have left theRed Dragoncrew far behind. They don’t know who you are, or where we are traveling to, so we should be safe.” Des turned to set the strap on the table and picked up a green bean from a plate and ate it. He looked to her. “That said, I’d still feel better if you kept a blade on you.”

She had to smile at the worrier in him. “Thank you—I cannot think of a better gift.”

“I do believe you are the only lady I’ve ever met that would be pleased with such a gift.” His look ran down and up her outstretched leg and his forefinger waggled in a circle at her. “Can I help you with that?”

Scrubbing the cloth between her toes, she looked to him. “Are you going to help or are you going to distract?”

He popped another plump green bean into his mouth and strolled over to her with a wicked grin on his face. “Probably both.”

“Devil.” She chuckled, her head shaking. “Before you distract, I would love some help with rinsing the soap out of my hair.”

“Gladly.” Des tugged off his coat and waistcoat, then pulled off his lawn shirt. “So I don’t get wet,” he said with a wink and picked up the pitcher that sat on the floor next to the bath. “Bend over.”

She leaned forward, centering her head over the widest part of the hip bath.

The chill of the water flooded the back of her head, spiking goosebumps along her spine. “That got cold in a hurry.”

“Then let me warm you up.” His hand slipped down along her back, sliding in along her waist and then curling to the inner skin of her upper thigh.

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