Chapter 3
Chapter Three
“One room, Sir,” the innkeeper sighed, his voice hardly audible over the din in the adjoining pub. “And only one bed is available, I am afraid. A rare occurrence, I assure ye. I am sorry we cannae meet yer request tonight, Sir.”
The Duke’s gaze flickered to Elspeth, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. It unnerved her.
“No matter,” he declared, pulling a few coins from his purse and placing them on the counter with a loud clink. “My wife and I will be fine to share.”
Wife?! As if we could ever stand to be with each other.
Her eyes widened at the notion. Still, she had to admit that he was being smart. A man traveling with a woman who was not his wife would surely draw unwanted attention. And that was surely not something she could stand.
She could only sigh then.
“Can I fetch any refreshments for ye? Some bread, perhaps?”
“We supped at a small tavern down the road at the beginning of the village—we will be fine. However, hot water to bathe with would be most welcome,” the Duke said, dropping more coins on the counter.
“I will see it is done, Sir,” the innkeeper assured as he motioned for a young boy to gather their meager luggage for a night’s stay and take them to their room.
Elspeth followed closely behind her husband as they were guided upstairs to a tiny door at the end of a narrow hall.
“Well, this is it,” the young boy said with a tip of his hat, before scurrying off down the hall like a little mouse.
Elspeth’s eyes widened, then narrowed into slits as they entered the cramped room.
It had only been three days since they left Inverhall, but she was already close to losing her mind.
She had her suspicions about the lodgings when they rolled to a halt outside the unassuming inn.
She could not even recall which village they had arrived in; everything had blurred together into one exquisite mess.
And what a mess… How has so much happened in so short a period of time?
Elspeth could hardly wrap her head around everything that had transpired within the last several days. From the Duke storming into her house like he owned it—which he did—to dragging her with him to London. She could hardly keep her head straight.
She decided it was best to focus on the present.
While the room is small… aye, it is clean. At least that is a comfort. The journey has been long and arduous, and this will have to do.
But as her eyes darted around, she noted how it was dominated by a single, large bed. She had hoped for a small settee, a chair, anything she could prevail upon the Duke to sleep on.
Her eyes drifted to the far corner, where a copper bathtub stood.
Almost immediately, a maid bustled in, carrying buckets of steaming water.
The Duke nodded, a silent command, and tipped the girl generously as she poured the hot water into the tub before discreetly retreating.
“Surely you would like to bathe first, Lady Inverhall?” the Duke asked, gesturing to the steaming tub. “We’ve been traveling for three long days, after all.”
Elspeth’s gaze darted from the tub to the Duke, then back again. Her cheeks flushed a delicate pink. The idea of undressing in such close quarters, with him present, was unsettling.
She hesitated, her fingers plucking at the fabric of her travel dress.
He isnae wrong, but I cannae let him see me in such a manner…
“Come now.” He arched an eyebrow. “Surely a woman who was married is not quite so shy?”
“I dinnae trust ye,” she shot back as she turned her back to him. “If ye would like me to bathe, ye can go downstairs to the pub and give me some privacy.”
“This is not a pristine inn with the sort of company I’d leave you alone with, My Lady. Even in a locked room. If you would like to bathe, you will need me to remain. Besides, I am your husband, for all intents and purposes.”
“Ye are an insufferable cad.”
She heard him step closer. “Do not pretend, My Lady. You will not seduce me with that innocent act.”
“I am nae pretendin’,” she insisted, her blush deepening.
The Duke sighed, a theatrical sound of exasperation. “Suit yourself, lady wife.” He began unbuttoning his waistcoat, his movements deliberate and teasing. “I, for one, prefer not to sleep covered in the day’s grime. Unlike some, who enjoy the scent of mud and horse on their skin.”
He cast a pointed glance at her, clearly referencing their first meeting.
Will this man nae stop pokin’ at me in such a manner!
He was infuriating, and yet his shoulders were as broad as a barn. And those eyes were as blue as a loch.
If only he knew the true arrangement between her and her late husband. How they never consummated their marriage due to his love of liquor. She was grateful he had never forced himself on her, but now…
She hated how out of her depth she felt.
Her cheeks burned as she considered her own naivety. Yet she could not help but sneak a peek at his muscular chest over her shoulder before she tore her gaze away.
She looked at the tiny window, covered in a burlap curtain. Then, her eyes flitted back to the door, a thin piece of wood in desperate need of repair.
“The water is warm.” She heard him swirl his hand in the water to test it. “I am still willing to give you the first soak. What do you say? Are you ready to be a civilized woman, Lady Inverhall?”
“I am a civilized woman,” she muttered, but not loud enough for him to hear, keeping her eyes fixed on the plain wall.
She looked at the peeling paint, imagining that the intricate patterns left by aging were people, plants, and other things. She began to make up stories, thinking to herself that maybe if she focused hard enough, she could merge with the wall and become a shape within it.
It was her way of coping since she was a little girl, wandering the Highland hills to collect herbs and flowers. She was never alone because she had the power of imagination.
Perhaps it wouldnae be so bad to be a nameless shape on a chipped wall.
Finally, Elspeth grabbed a wooden chair, pulled it around, and sat down facing the cursed patterns. Her back was stiff with travel fatigue, embarrassment, and a desperate attempt to keep control. She would not give him the satisfaction of her attention.
The Duke, clearly amused by her discomfort, whistled as he finished washing.
After what felt like hours to Elspeth, she heard the Duke rise from the water, toweling off vigorously and making far too much noise for such a simple task.
She heard him pull on his trousers and pictured the fabric stretching taut over his powerful thighs.
She again listened to the sound of him dressing, picturing a tailored shirt morphing over his broad shoulders and rippling biceps.
Finally, the bed creaked, and Elspeth understood he was dressed and lying down. She listened to him sigh, sinking into the mattress with a groan of pleasure.
Wait… He is in the bed?
“Rest now, My Lady,” he commanded, his voice muffled, as though he’d covered his face with a pillow. “You will need it to resume our travels. We have the latter half of our journey ahead of us.”
“I will sleep on the floor,” she whispered, still facing the wall.
He snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. That is a silly idea.”
Aye, the nerve of this man! To demand that I share a bed with his oversized arse, yet nae even offer the courtesy of takin’ the floor himself.
Elspeth’s anger flared. She rose from the chair in a flash and snatched a pillow from the far side of the bed. Then, without hesitation, she ripped the blanket clean off his half-asleep form.
He was very much shirtless.
She froze for a heartbeat. Moonlight spilled through the window, catching the lines of his chest—broad, sculpted, far too defined for any man who had the audacity to behave like him.
The muscles of his arms flexed as he made a sluggish attempt to reclaim the blanket, his reach slow and uncoordinated with sleep.
She gulped despite herself. His skin was warm-hued and taut over powerfully built shoulders; his torso, long and lean, moved with unintentional grace even now.
Of course, he would look like that.
A low grunt left his lips as his hand missed its mark. She turned sharply and laid the blanket on the floor with a stubborn flick, then dropped onto the hardwood with a defiant thump. The pillow hit the floor beside her.
She did not look back at the bed. She would not. Her face was already far too warm.
“What in the blazes are you doing?” he demanded, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “You truly cannot be serious about this.”
“I am sleepin’ on the floor, since ye willnae offer to do so yerself,” she snapped, burying her face in the pillow. “Because I am nae sharing a bed with ye. And ye are too big!”
“That is the only blanket we have.”
“Then perhaps ye shouldnae have chosen to sleep half-naked. Put on some proper clothes!”
With a frustrated growl, the Duke sprang from the bed. He reached down and grabbed her arm, firmly but gently pulling her up to her feet and forcing her to face him.
“Stop acting like a fool and go to bed, Lady Inverhall. You need sleep. It is a basic human need, even you cannot refute that, much as I think you survive on arguments more than oxygen.”
“I willnae share a bed with a man who treats me like property,” she hissed, her green eyes blazing. “Ye are no gentleman, much as ye like to parade yer fancy titles around.”
They stood inches apart, facing each other head-on. The air in the tiny room was impossibly thick with their defiance. Elspeth watched as his gaze dropped to her lips, lingering for a moment, before he pulled back, a muscle twitching in his jaw as he rubbed his beard.
She yanked her arm out of his grip, looking at him as if she were ready to attack.
“I will not touch you,” he bit out, his voice rough.
“I dinnae believe ye,” she whispered, unconsciously more afraid of what would happen if he did not.
“Do you truly think that low of me, My Lady?” he asked, his brow furrowed.