Chapter 14
The water was still hot when Sunny climbed into the copper tub.
It had been plenty large enough for Mantheria, but it was a little small for his bigger body.
Dipping his head back into the water, Sunny washed his hair and then scrubbed his skin.
He needed to get out and dry before the water became cold.
Stepping out of the tub, he glanced over at the bed.
Mantheria’s eyes were closed, and the blanket that covered her chest was rising up and down steadily.
She was asleep, which was for the best. Mantheria was not ready for his courtship, let alone his kisses.
And if Odysseus could wait twenty years for the woman he loved, so could Sunny.
He dried himself off quickly and then wrapped the towel around his waist as he opened the bandboxes.
The extra clothes were slightly damp, though not soaked through like the ones they had worn.
Sunny hung the rest of their clothes and the wet towels up before slipping into bed in only his underclothes.
He preferred to sleep this way, but on this trip, he’d worn Glastonbury’s old nightshirt for modesty.
However, it was damp, and as long as he woke up in the morning before Mantheria, she need never know he’d slept in his smalls.
Pulling the coverlet up to his chin, Sunny tried to close his eyes but couldn’t. He was too mesmerized by Mantheria’s face and how her wet curls clung to her cheeks.
At least he’d finally kissed her again after all these years—if only on the forehead.
* * *
Mantheria woke up with a gasp. Blinking and her heart fluttering wildly, she tried to recognize her surroundings.
Her body temperature rose. She was most definitely not in the mistress’s room of Avalon Palace, nor her stylish London town house.
This room was small and dark. And the bed was most uncomfortable.
She heard a low moan. Mantheria wasn’t alone in her bed.
Frowning, she scratched the side of her cheek to make sure that this wasn’t a dream.
She felt her sharp nails scraping against her skin.
This was no nightmare. Her hands moved to her hair, running through it.
She discovered that it was still damp. A shiver ran through her body, and she grasped the coverlet and brought it to her chin.
There was another groan. Someone was in bed with her—a man.
Her mind racing, Mantheria glanced at the person sleeping beside her. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she recognized the shadow of a crooked nose. It was Sunny!
As she bit her lips, the last few days came back to her mind, and she remembered that she was wearing a borrowed nightgown and that they were staying in the backroom of a small inn found in the village of Timsbury.
Judging from the lack of light, it must have been sometime in the early morning before the sun had risen.
Exhaling, Mantheria was able to calm her racing heart and jittery nerves.
This was Sunny by her side. Her friend, who had stood by her through thick and thin over the last dozen years.
He had never criticized or judged her. Nor had he attempted any liberties with her body like so many men had tried since her separation from her late husband eight years previous.
She never knew if it was because she wasn’t living with her husband or if it was because her mother had been common before her marriage.
Still, Mantheria had to be careful to always walk in company.
Why would any lady wish to be pawed like a Haymarket prostitute?
Mantheria knew that if she’d told her family—her parents, her brothers, and her sisters—about the pinches and the groping, they would have wanted to fight for her honor.
But her reputation would be besmirched, and she was so tired of fighting!
Another shiver rolled through her body. She was even more tired of being alone.
She sincerely prayed that wherever Andrew was, he was not scared, cold, or alone.
Except Mantheria wasn’t alone; Sunny had come with her.
She knew that he would eventually marry and provide an heir for his title, and when it happened, it would break her cold, little heart, but until then, she could take comfort in their friendship.
Last night, he had undressed and bathed her without one lascivious touch or unpleasant grab.
Then he’d bundled her into her nightgown and to bed, tucking her in like a little child.
Her heart warmed, although the rest of her shuddered from the cold.
Instinctively, she moved closer to Sunny and discovered that his body was quite warm and giving off a great deal of lovely heat.
Closing her eyes, Mantheria rubbed her cold nose against his bare shoulder and fell back asleep.
* * *
Sunny was not certain if he was awake or asleep. Her head was resting against his chest, and her arm was around his middle. He breathed in the sweet smell of her hair and then reveled in the softness of her skin.
This was no dream.
He took a deep breath, and she stirred a little.
Sunny held as still as possible, as he experienced fluttering sensations in his chest and stomach.
Mantheria was in his arms—he didn’t want her to wake up and for this moment to end.
Sunny closed his eyes to intensify these lovely sensations.
He had fantasized about holding her so many times, but never before had he felt such a euphoric satisfaction and completeness.
Mantheria had finally let him be close to her.
The sun was shining through the gaps in the curtain window.
Time was not on his side. Nor had it ever been.
They had missed Andrew at several places by minutes or hours.
And as much as Sunny wanted to snuggle with Mantheria in this warm bed, her son might be out in the cold at this very moment.
He felt a new responsibility for the boy and could almost picture himself as a stepfather.
He could not lie abed with his beloved any longer.
Yawning, Sunny thought that at least the sunshine meant that it had stopped raining. That was something.
“Mantheria, sweetheart,” he whispered in the low voice of a lover. “We should dress and see if there is any news about Andrew. Hopefully he is safe at Timsbury Manor, but if he is not, we should resume our search immediately.”
She sat up abruptly, and he missed her warmth and sweet, curvaceous body next to his. The freezing air that met his chest was perhaps a good thing and cooled down the rest of his overheated frame.
Mantheria sprang out of the bed in her borrowed nightgown that barely reached past her knees, showing her lovely calves and ankles. “You’re right, Sunny. How did I sleep so long? Hopefully Nick has already ridden to Timsbury Manor.”
Without a glance back at him, Mantheria went toward the fire where their clothes were hanging and hopefully dry.
He averted his eyes while she changed, and then with great reluctance, he pulled off the coverlet and moved to the fire to put on his gear.
Sunny quickly put on his wrinkled buckskins and shirt.
Mantheria didn’t look much better. Her expensive dress had certainly seen better days.
Then she picked up her half-smashed hat and tossed it into the fire.
A laugh escaped his throat as he buttoned up his coat.
Mantheria shrugged. “It was unredeemable.”
Sunny picked up his stiff but dry stockings off the drying line and took them over to the bed with his boots to put on.
The stockings were easy enough to slip on, but he couldn’t quite get his muddy boots past his heel.
He yanked and pulled and managed to get the first one on.
But the second one wouldn’t budge. He cursed under his breath and tugged harder, only to topple over the side of the bed and onto the floor with a loud thud.
Sunny’s back and backside throbbed, and he was tempted to cover his face with his hands.
But he was glad that he didn’t, for Mantheria finally looked at him—on the floor—and she laughed loudly.
He gave her a silly grin. Then she covered her mocking lips with her hand and giggled some more.
It was at his expense, but Sunny did not mind.
He loved to hear her laugh, and he wanted nothing more than to make her happy.
She came over to help him up, not that he needed it, but Sunny was not about to waste an opportunity to feel her delicate hand in his.
He got to his feet and sat back down on the end of the bed, prepared to start again.
Only this time, Mantheria grabbed his muddy boot and angled it over his ankle so that it could pull up to his knees.
It was a small act of service, but it unmanned him.
Or the way she had parted her lips as she’d assisted him.
Sunny watched as she poured water from the pitcher into a basin and washed her face, and then plaited her long blonde hair.
He could feel his hair rise on his arms and had a feeling of lightheadedness.
Perhaps he’d hit his head when he’d fallen off the bed.
Still, he craved to be touched by her again.
Even if it was simply tugging on his boot.
When she was finished, she glanced back at him, sitting on the bed. “My face is clean now. So Elizabeth would say that I have been good.”
Leaning forward, he hoped that she believed that. Elizabeth had loved Mantheria, and he was certain that the last thing the little girl had wanted was to make her twin sister feel bad with her last words. “I am certain she would.”
Smiling brightly, Mantheria held out her hand, which was not quite as clean as before, thanks to his boot. “Do you need help again, Your Grace?”