Chapter Five
The Fox and Raven Inn was situated in a little valley, near a grove of oak trees right along the main road north.
A tiny, babbling stream could be heard running somewhere in the distance when Rhys and Louisa exited the carriage sometime after midnight.
The late start to their journey had kept them on the road later than anticipated, and Louisa was happy to be out of the jostling carriage.
Rhys escorted her across the unseasonably cold courtyard and into the warm, thatched-roof inn.
Though it was late, there were still a number of people drinking and merrymaking.
Louisa was barely able to keep her eyes open as she followed Rhys across the dining room and up the stairs.
A short hallway held four doors, two on each side.
They were escorted into the last door on the right.
Louisa was in such a state of exhaustion, she merely mumbled as she went straight to the bed and dropped her body down immediately.
“Are you that tired?” Rhys asked from behind her.
She grunted, but then, remembering he couldn’t hear her, she sat up and looked at him.
“I’m not usually up this late.”
“You could have slept in the carriage.”
“It was moving too much. I need peace and quiet to sleep.”
He bobbed his head up and down, as if he understood her completely.
“You wouldn’t have done very well in battle.”
“I don’t doubt it,” she said, followed by a yawn that she was quick to cover with her mouth. “I’m sorry for my lack of manners, I just can barely keep my eyes open—”
“There’s no need for you to remain awake,” he said, coming towards her. “Close your eyes and sleep.”
Grateful for him, she nodded and closed her eyes as she fell back against the straw-filled mattress. The creaks and knocks from Rhys moving around the room lulled her into such a heavy sleep that it was hours before she opened her eyes and only then did so because of the bright morning sun.
Frowning, she turned her head out of the sunlight, then rotated her body so that she might find some peace from the viciously bright light.
But when she did so, her nose brushed against something solid.
Much too solid for a pillow or quilt. Her eyes fluttered open and she was faced with the nude shoulder of a man.
Louisa’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. There was a half-naked man next to her and her—
Oh dear, that’s right. She was married.
She remained perfectly still, while Louisa’s gaze drifted from Rhys’s scar-covered shoulder, down his well-developed arm. Lifting her head a fraction, she saw a muscular chest, bare as the day was new. He was lying on top of the quilt, his lower half still covered in buckskin pants.
Suddenly, Rhys’s body shifted, and Louisa dropped her head and shut her eyes tightly. She was sure he was awake, as his breathing had shifted and for a terrible moment, she knew he was looking at her.
Holding her breath, she tried to appear relaxed, but it was impossible.
“Good morning,” his rough, sleep-heavy voice murmured.
She opened one eye and saw him staring at her. Her heart was racing.
“Good morning,” she repeated.
The smallest smirk appeared on his face.
“I hope I haven’t startled you. Sleeping in bed and all.”
“Oh, no. Not at all.”
A long pause followed.
“We are married.”
Louisa swallowed.
“Yes, we are.”
He shifted again and to her embarrassment, Louisa flinched. He stopped moving, his head cocked as he looked down at her.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I’m not going to force myself on you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Louisa’s cheeks burned. She was mortified.
“I-I didn’t think you would.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but then, appearing to think better of it, he sighed and lifted his body out of bed. He was moving about the room, dressing himself as he did.
“We should be on our way. Fenwick Park is still a half day’s journey north.”
“Yes,” Louisa said as she sat up, confused by their interaction.
Rhys was quick to set the room right and after slapping some water on his face and dressing, he left to get breakfast. Louisa was quick to scramble off the bed and brush her hair, plait it, and pin it back up, as well as clean her face before he returned.
A humble meal of sausage and poached eggs over toast was hurriedly devoured and soon they were exiting the inn and returning to the uncomfortable carriage. To her surprise though, Rhys had brought a cat with him.
She gave him an inquisitive stare.
“What on earth are you doing with that?”
“The innkeeper said he was going to drown him because he’s missing an eye,” Rhys said, scratching the tiny creature behind his pointed, orange ears. “I thought he might like being a mouser rather than ending up as fish food.”
“Oh.”
“Besides. You like animals, don’t you?”
“I… I never really thought about it actually,” Louisa said.
“Oh. Are you referring to my uncle’s dogs?
” Rhys nodded. “Well, I’d hardly consider them animals.
” She blinked and then shook her head. “I mean, of course they’re animals.
It’s just that they’ve been around for so long, and my uncle always treated them like family members instead of pets.
I never thought to treat them any differently.
” Rhys watched her for a moment, before she felt her skin begin to warm. “What? Did I say something ridiculous?”
“Not at all,” he said, his tone somewhat deeper than it had been moments ago. “I find it quite charming actually.”
“What’s charming?”
“Your knack with animals.”
“Oh no. I don’t have a knack for animals. Just Castor and Pollux,” she said and as if to make her out to be a liar, Rhys’s one-eyed cat crawled out of his lap, jumped across the carriage only to turn twice, and settled into a ball next to her hip.
The carriage rode at a reasonable speed for the next hour or so, and a silence followed them well into the country.
Though he hadn’t continued their conversation about animals, it was obvious that Rhys was watching Louisa, waiting for her to speak, but she wasn’t sure exactly what to say.
They were still strangers to one another, and yet he was proving to be as honorable a man as a war hero might be.
Still, she was confused about last night. Although she wasn’t the worldliest woman, she wasn’t so naive as to think that falling asleep on one’s wedding night was normal. She knew something was supposed to happen, but she just wasn’t sure what.
In fact, the more she thought about it, the more contrite she became. Why hadn’t anything happened between them last night? Weren’t married people supposed to, well…
Her face was burning with embarrassment.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, causing her to look at him.
“Nothing.”
He made an unbelieving face.
“Something’s the matter.” She shook her head, refusing to speak. He sighed. “Very well.” Shutting his eyes he leaned his head back. “I hope you don’t mind, but I think I’ll shut my eyes. Bit of a restless night’s sleep.”
She nodded, though he couldn’t see her.
She wanted to know why he had a sleepless night and why he hadn’t tried to, well, do what married men were expected to.
Perhaps he was too tired. Or too much of a gentleman.
But the more her mind wondered, the wilder her imagination became.
Had he been injured during his time in battle?
Was he even able to lie with her as husbands and wives were meant to do, and if he was, what had stopped him from doing so last night?
Eventually, she couldn’t help herself and, after biting her bottom lip, she spoke.
“Erm, Rhys?” she whispered.
He did not open his eyes. Then, she remembered. He couldn’t hear her.
Leaning forward, she lifted her hand and, extending her index finger, she tapped his knee. His eyes opened, fully focused on her. She gulped.
“Yes?”
She opened her mouth, but hesitated. He did not speak, nor did he appear annoyed at having been woken up. Instead, he just waited, patiently, until she gathered her nerves.
“Last night,” she started slowly. “You, well… You didn’t, um…”
A single brow lifted.
“I didn’t what?”
Louisa was sure she was the color of a tomato.
“It’s just that… Well, we’re married. I thought you might, um…”
“I’m not sure I understand what you’re trying to say,” he said, though there appeared to be a hint of mischief in his eyes. Was he teasing her?
“I think you do,” she said after a long moment.
“Oh. I see. You expected me to, what? Ravish you in the middle of the night? Defile you in your dreams, perhaps?”
“No, not exactly—”
“Louisa, yesterday was rather eventful, wouldn’t you say?”
“Yes.”
“And when we arrived at the inn, you could barely keep your eyes open.” She nodded. “Married we may be, but I’m not a sex-starved lunatic.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“No, but you certainly have an idea about husbands and wives.” The cat began to purr quietly next to her and she unwittingly began to pet it. “We’ll consummate our marriage, be sure of that.”
“When?” she blurted out.
He closed his eyes again.
“Whenever you wish.”
Louisa frowned as she stopped petting the small animal next to her.
Whenever she wished? What sort of game was he playing at exactly?
Women, particularly well-born newlyweds, had extraordinarily little understanding of bedroom activities.
Husbands were supposed to initiate these sorts of things. They had the experience, didn’t they?
For the rest of the carriage ride, Louisa watched Rhys sleep as she imagined what sort of things he might have experience with. Kissing, to be sure—she knew enough about men and women that kissing was the first thing that led to, well, other things.
Over the next four hours, she imagined up all sorts of fancy foreign women he must have met during his time at war. Louisa had heard about certain women who would make camp near the battle fields to provide services for soldiers. Had he dealt with any of them?