Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

“ L ucy , wake up,” Rowan said.

Lucy blinked and saw him crouching beside her. She could have sworn she’d felt his hand on her cheek, a gentle caress. Perhaps she’d imagined it.

“ Am I in trouble,” she asked, sitting up. The blanket fell to her waist. She noticed his eyes trail down and wondered why he was staring at her like that. For heaven’s sake, she was wearing his shirt. A very comfortable and warm shirt that smelled just like him. She breathed deeply and cleared her throat, and tried again. Her voice sounded rough and ragged from sleep. She looked up at Rowan and saw that same intensity in his eyes that she had seen before. Before they kissed. Before everything changed. Before she realized she’d fallen in love with him.

She looked around, her hair whipping around her shoulders.

“ What are you looking for,” Rowan said, his voice raspy.

“ My spectacles.”

“ Here ,” he said gruffly, reaching into his pocket. “ I found them on the floor and didn’t want them to break.”

Gently , he placed them on her face.

“ What’s wrong,” she whispered. Something had changed between them again. Even though they’d argued last night, she still had felt safe in their little cocoon of pillows and warm blankets, Ashe , and a cozy fire, and memories of his kisses still lingering on her lips. And the snow softly falling.

“ Nothing is wrong,” Rowan said quietly. “ Latham , Nelson , and Slice are here.”

“ Oh . That means we go back today.”

“ Yes , we go back.”

She looked up as the three men entered the parlor.

“ I told you to stay out of it,” Rowan said over his shoulders. “ I’ll handle this.”

“ Handle what?” Lucy asked, feeling a growing alarm creeping up her spine.

No one said a word.

“ Is something amiss? Another storm? Please don’t say there’s another storm. I quite need a bath after these last two days…” She stopped and stared at the three men standing, looking at her in silence. They looked like three big bad wolves coming to take her to the underworld.

“ Everyone is waiting for your return,” Latham said in a low voice. “ My wife, Katie , and Paula are worried sick about you.”

“ We had a feeling you were safe with Garrison — Scarborough , but we couldn’t search for you until this morning. The storm…” Slice said.

“ Yes …the storm,” she added softly.

“ But it’s time to go back, Lucy ,” Nelson said.

“ Lucy , you must get dressed…in your clothing,” Rowan said. “ I have something to ask you before we go. I can’t do it with you…like that.”

She looked from the faces of the three men, then back to Rowan . They all looked terribly upset. And she hadn’t missed the way Rowan told her to get dressed in her clothing .

Then everything became clear.

Great ! Just great. She breathed out a shivery sigh. Of course. Another scandal. Another reason for people to gossip about her. Not her friends of course, but word would eventually get out. Servants talk, even if they mean no harm in doing so… She should be used to this, but one never gets used to being ridiculed. Her eyes welled with unshed tears of frustration. “ There is a simple explanation for this,” she began in a voice thick with tears. “ You see, I was helping Ashe here. He is the fox, and he appeared to be injured, sick, or both. Anyway , Row — Lord Scarborough and I , when the snow began to fall, it fell so heavy and fast, we thought only to get to the nearest shelter, and this was the closest place. We were already too far from the manor house, which looked to be uphill…” Even to her, it seemed she was spinning excuses. But it was the truth!

“ We already know the truth,” Latham said gently. “ But you must understand how this looks to the outside world.”

Rowan said nothing, and worse, he looked angry. His arms were crossed over his chest. None of this boded well, as far as she could tell. She would have to leave London . Or England . She could go to America . She had no choice. There was nothing for it.

“ Leave us,” Rowan said.

Slice , Nelson , and Latham looked at each other.

“ We really need to leave soon,” Slice said.

“ I know, but you didn’t give me enough time to do what I needed to do,” Rowan growled. “ So , get the hell out so I can do it.”

Latham , Slice , and Nelson nodded, turned, and left.

“ I’m sorry, Lucy ,” Rowan said. “ I didn’t hear them arrive.”

“ I’m sorry, too.”

“ What are you sorry about?”

“ For putting you in this…” She waved her hand down the front of the shirt she had on. Rowan’s shirt. “…this position.”

“ You didn’t do anything wrong, Lucy .” Rowan rubbed the back of his neck and began to pace. “ It was all my fault. My God , you’re an innocent. I should have known the consequences.”

“ It’s quite all right; I am a widow, after all.”

“ God , Lucy , you’re a widow in name only. Things have changed. I can’t allow you to go back and face the ton . They’ll eat you alive.”

“ It’s fine. I will manage.”

“ No , Lucy . Look , I’m sorry that we argued last night. I was more tired than I imagined. I should have anticipated this. I should have slept in another room…” He paused. “ I folded your clothing yesterday and laid it on the table in the corner.”

She looked and noticed it. “ Thank you.”

“ I’ll leave so you can get dressed. But we have to talk. We need to talk before we head back.”

She nodded. “ Do you think you could ask Latham if we can bring Ashe ? I intend to take him home with me. I know we had discussed letting him out here, but it’s cold, and he might find himself back in the same situation as I rescued him from.”

He stared at her. “ Lucy , did you not hear anything that I’ve said?”

“ Yes ! I heard everything. I’m not a child. But I can still be worried about Ashe , can’t I ?”

“ Lucy …you’re worried about a wild fox when you should be worried about yourself. Your reputation.”

“ My reputation?” She laughed, a mirthless laugh. “ My reputation for what, exactly? Being the subject of ton gossip? Please , I’m used to that by now.”

“ You’re pretending that none of this bothers you, but I know that it does.”

“ Please , Rowan , I need to get dressed. I can’t think in these clothes.” She was trying so hard not to cry. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly as though Rowan’s big warm shirt that smelled exactly of bergamot and orange and him could somehow protect her. Nothing could protect her. Her life was going to change. Again . And there was nothing she could do to stop it. “ Will you please ask Latham about Ashe ?”

Rowan blew out a breath. “ I’ll let him know. I think there’s a cage in the?—”

“ He won’t need one. He seems quite domesticated already. But I’ll work something out with Frankie when we get to the manor.”

“ Lucy , you’re assuming everyone will go along with this,” he said.

“ Are you talking about Ashe or everything else?”

“ Everything Lucy . I’m talking about everything,” he said.

“ Please , Rowan , I - I need some privacy. I need to get dressed. I need some time to myself before we talk. I’ll leave the clothing in a folded stack.” She hated to part with his clothes. The breeches fit her perfectly, and the shirt was the most comfortable piece of clothing she could ever recall wearing. But they were his, not hers. She would have loved to have kept them to remember him. To remember the time they’d shared and his kisses.

“ All right. I’ll see you in a little while.”

Rowan turned and left. And Lucy finally gave in to her tears.