Page 24 of The Highwayman's Bite

A travelling trunk slid beneath the curtain. Vivian found a dress that may fit her for tomorrow, as well as a man’s night shirt that would be comfortable for sleeping. At first, she wondered how he’d come by the clothing, then realized that he probably stole the trunk from one of the carriages he robbed.

Madame Renarde found a second night shirt with a nod of satisfaction. As she helped Vivian out of her ball gown and unlaced her stays, Vivian couldn’t stop glancing at the bamboo curtain. Even though Rhys couldn’t see her, she could feel his presence behind the barrier as she undressed. A most unnerving sensation.

Even worse, she could see his boots hit the stone floor and hear a rustle of fabric indicating that he too was undressing. Some imp within speculated as to what Rhys would look like without his trousers. Then heat crept to her cheeks as she wondered if he was thinking the same about her lacking skirts. This was far too intimate.

Her discomfort eased as the lanterns were doused and she was tucked under the covers of her narrow cot. Madame Renarde was snoring almost immediately, drowsy from the stress of the night’s events and three glasses of wine. Sleep took longer for Vivian.

It seemed she’d barely slept when Vivian opened her eyes to see Rhys leaning over the top bunk, where Madame Renarde was snoring away. She sat up with a gasp. What was he doing to her friend?

Suddenly, Rhys bent down and met Vivian’s gaze. His eyes glowed amber flame and a trickle of blood trailed from the corner of his mouth. “Go back to sleep, Miss Stratford,” he commanded.

Vivian sank back down on her thin pallet and didn’t awaken until Madame Renarde shook her shoulder, telling her that tea had been made.

Her companion looked calm and unharmed as she helped Vivian dress. When she emerged behind the curtain, Rhys gave her a polite nod as he fried eggs in a pan heated on his clever grate above the fire.

The scene was so amicable, albeit awkward, that Vivian blinked at the memory of what she’d seen from her bed.

It had to have been a dream.

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