Picking up a brush, I worked on the wet tangles in her hair. Gently unwinding her curls from around the diamond necklace, I removed its heavy weight from around her neck, hissing when I saw the scratch marks our violent lovemaking had caused on her skin under the necklace. Looking at them closely, I was relieved to see all were superficial.
Once her beautiful hair hung down her back in smooth strands, I carried her to bed.
Elizabeth didn’t say a word the entire time. Keeping her eyes closed, locking herself away from me. I could feel the distance between us with every tortured sigh.
Keeping her within my sight, I returned to the bathroom and stripped off my wet, clinging clothes. Drying off, I tossed the towel on the floor before climbing naked into bed beside her.
As I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back into my embrace, her body tensed. I held my breath, bracing for her to fight… and lose. After a moment’s hesitation, she relaxed against the warmth of my chest.
Pulling the heavy down covers over our shoulders, I held her sleeping form close.
The muffled sounds of laughter as guests left could be heard beneath our bedroom window.
* * *
I keptmy eyes closed as I felt Elizabeth creep out of bed. The call of two nightingales could be heard just outside.
Morning.
The bitter taste of last night’s debauchery was still in my mouth. The memory of Elizabeth falling into the hands of those animals was like a fist squeezing my chest.
Through mostly lowered eyes, I watched her enter my dressing closet and emerge wearing a rolled-up pair of my sweatpants and my university T-shirt. I realized, with an odd start, I had not allowed her any of her own clothes or belongings the entire time she had been here. Her closet full of couture gowns was at my London residence.
Her hair was a mass of unruly curls around her small gamine face. She looked disheveled and vulnerable and I wanted with all my being to just hug her close but stayed silent in our still warm bed.
Opening the door, she crept out.
Leaning over, I picked up the phone by my bedside.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“See that Elizabeth is driven back to London. Make sure the guards are alerted.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
I hung up.
Falling back onto my pillow, I flung an arm over my eyes.
Taking a deep breath… I began to formulate a new plan.