Chapter 6
After the cold, gray darkness of outdoors, the light and heat and noise of the taproom was almost more than Penny could bear. Gritting her teeth, she stumbled after the innkeeper, her joints aching fiercely. Each step was agony, but she kept going. There was a seat by the fire if she kept going.
A boy sitting in the chair closest to the fireplace leapt up at the innkeeper’s shout, and Penny collapsed into it.
The seat was hard, the cushion stained, but at least her aching joints no longer had to support her.
She began to shiver, the tremors rocking her whole body.
Snow and ice stuck to her cloak melted under the fire’s heat and dripped to the floor.
“Tea, m’dear?” a voice shouted in her ear, and she carefully turned her head to see a blowsy older woman smiling at her—the innkeeper’s wife, most likely.
“Yes. Please,” Penny croaked out.
“Put a splash of brandy in it,” a man’s voice said.
Hugo. He had removed his hat and was shaking moisture from his dark hair, much to the displeasure of the nearby customers.
His stance as firm as if he stood on the deck of his ship, he coolly regarded each man in the taproom in turn until they looked away to whisper among themselves.
He was only of average height and slight of build, but he commanded the room effortlessly.
“We don’t got brandy here, m’lord.” The innkeeper’s wife bobbed a curtsey. “Only whiskey.”
“Whiskey, then,” Hugo said, and moved to kneel in front of Penny. “Are you all right?”
Her chattering teeth were beginning to get back under her control, and she croaked out, “No.”
Unexpectedly, he grinned and she gaped for a moment. Had he ever smiled at her like that before?
Wheeling, he caught the innkeeper by the arm as the man bustled past. “My wife and I require a room.”
Wife? Penny tried to form a protest, but another round of shivering overtook her.
“You can require all you like, m’lord, but we ain’t got any. We’re full up.”
Hugo reached into an inner pocket of his coat and took out his purse, jingling it in his hand. The innkeeper’s eyes bulged a little as Hugo opened it and removed a sovereign, twirling it carelessly between his long, sensitive fingers. “Are you certain?”
The innkeeper gulped and swallowed, clearly torn between greed and hospitality. “Well… p’haps we have one room left. M’lord.”
Hugo tossed the coin to him. “Take us to it.”
His hand came under Penny’s elbow and she stumbled to her feet. She did not want to have to lean on him, but it seemed her legs would not quite support her as she shuffled along, her aching joints screaming with every step. Grimly, she allowed him to half-carry her up the stairs.
It would be far more comfortable to lay down and die in a bed than in the crowded taproom.
The innkeeper walked them up three flights of stairs before unlocking and opening a door, and Hugo nearly regretted his decision.
It was possibly the smallest room he’d ever seen on land.
Not much larger than the cabin he’d shared as a junior lieutenant, the room was dominated by a bed that was just big enough for two, the head pressed against one wall with the foot no more than two feet from the opposite wall.
The doors of the clothes-press off to the side must surely brush against the mattress when they were opened.
The other wall held the fireplace, with only the hearth and a firescreen separating the bed from it.
A fire already roared behind the screen, indicating that whoever had been evicted from the room had left very recently indeed.
Hugo had planned to politely sleep on the floor, but he could not see any available space in which to do so. Except perhaps under the bed itself.
Penny tilted her head to look up at him from beneath the brim of her bonnet, her eyes huge and panicked. He gave her a false smile and patted her hand where it now clung to his arm.
“We shall be just fine, my dear. As cozy as we would be on my ship.”
At this, the innkeeper brightened. “Ah, so you’re a sailor, milord? An admiral?”
Hugo winced, but kept the smile on his face. “Someday, perhaps. For now, I am still a post-captain.”
“Ah, well.” The innkeeper clapped him on the shoulder. “A little patience, eh?”
Still smiling, Hugo steered the man out of the room, gently pushed Penny further inside, and closed the door, wincing as it scraped a little against the foot of the bed. He turned the key in the lock and faced Penny.
She was looking around the tiny room, clearly aghast. “I knew I should have said you were my brother.”
“And have me sleep out in the stables while you stay alone in an inn full of strange men? No. Not ever.” With a few brisk motions, he unbuttoned his snow-dampened greatcoat and tossed it onto the bed, followed by his hat.
He glanced over at Penny, still clad in her bonnet and cloak, radiating resentment as she tugged at the ribbon tied beneath her chin with clumsy fingers.
“What’s the matter?”
“I can’t get my bonnet undone.”
She fumbled with the fastening of her cloak, her hands shaking, and he stripped off his gloves.
"Here. Allow me."
"All right." She tilted her chin back to give him a better view. The ribbons of the bonnet had tangled and knotted in the wind before becoming caught on the hooks of her cloak, creating quite a mess.
"Sit down. This may take a few minutes."
After a moment's hesitation, she seated herself on a stool in front of the fire, huddling in her cloak. She tilted her head back and he knelt in front of her, frowning slightly as he contemplated the knot.
"Would it be easier to cut it?"
"Not at all." He gently tugged at one loop. "If there's one thing sailors know, it's how to deal with a stubborn knot."
She sighed but sat patiently still with an occasional shiver, and he suppressed a smile. He knew how difficult it was for Penny to sit in one place, to be quiet and demure and act as a gentle young lady.
But after her long illness, it was for her own good. No one knew why or how a rheumatic fever caused damage to the heart, but she ought not to exert herself so.
He could not take that chance with her life. Not with Penny.
"Are you almost done?"
"Almost."
His bare hands hovered over the soft skin of her throat as he worked, warmth trickling up in the chilly room. He would only need to curl his fingers a tiny bit to caress her, to stroke his fingers against her and feel her response to him...
No.
His fingers flinched away from her, and he cursed softly as the knot tightened once again. He must control himself if he was to survive being in this close proximity to Penny.
She tilted her head down to look at him, hazel-green eyes full of innocent curiosity. He would only need to tilt his own head up by a few inches to brush his lips against hers.
"Is there anything I can do?"
Her gaze was mesmerizing, but he tore his away with an effort of will.
"No," he said, and nudged her chin back up to refocus on the knot until it came free at last.
After removing her bonnet, Hugo stripped off her damp gloves. He took her bare hands in his and frowned. They were still clammy and a little grey, and small shivers continued to rock her frame. He touched the cuff of her gown and found it was damp and cold despite her seat next to the fire.
“We need to get you out of these wet clothes and into bed before you fall ill.”
Her half-lidded eyes snapped open. “We can’t do that!”
“We must.” He pushed the unfastened cloak off her shoulders and helped her to her feet. She seemed even more unsteady than he had expected, and he caught her around the waist as she swayed.
“I shall be fine,” she protested. “The cold makes my joints swell and ache, but I shall be fine as soon as I am warm again.” Even as she spoke, another series of shivers wracked her body, making her teeth chatter.
“Right.” Briskly, he turned her and began working the small hooks at the back of her dress despite her weak protests. Once it was loose, she turned her head to glare at him, clutching the dress to her chest, and he sighed.
“Penelope Montgomery,” he said. “I give you my word of honor as a gentleman and as an officer of His Majesty’s Royal Navy that I will do absolutely nothing against your will.”
She hesitated. Something flickered deep in her eyes that was quickly gone. “You promise?”
“I swear it.”
Her eyes searched his face before she nodded and turned her back to him again so he could finish unfastening her dress. Her skin beneath was chilly as well, and he knew he had made the right decision despite her discomfort.
His own discomfort could be ignored as well.
His rude member might have a mind of its own as he undressed her, but he still controlled his actions.
He could not take advantage of a lady in Penny’s state, no matter how delicious she smelled or how silky her skin was as he skimmed his fingers over her back to loosen the ties of her short stays.
As a concession to her modesty, he moved her to stand near the head of the bed while she still held up her dress to stay covered. He lifted the covers and turned his back. “Get in.”
After a moment’s hesitation, he heard her dress slither to the ground, followed by a soft thump as her stays landed atop it. The bed rustled as she got in, and he let the covers go when she tugged on them.
He turned to see her with the covers pulled up to her chin, eyes wide and wary, loosened hair trying to tumble out of its braid.
He nodded reassuringly and stooped to pick up her dress, draping it across the flagstones near the hearth so it could begin to dry.
After a moment’s hesitation, he picked up her stays and laid them atop the dress.
Sitting on the stool, he tugged off his boots and took a moment to look at Penny. She was huddled beneath the covers, still shivering, and he knew what he would need to do.
With a sigh, he removed his damp stockings before he stood to strip off his coat and waistcoat, spreading them on the hearth as well to dry. Leaving his shirt and breeches on, he padded to the opposite side of the bed, lifted the covers, and slid in.
“What are you doing?” Her voice was as close to a shriek as a whisper could be, and he bit back a grin.
“You need warmth more than modesty right now.”
Firmly, he rolled her to her side and then pulled her against him so her back was cushioned against his front, his arm around her waist. She wore only a thin shift, and he did his best to ignore how flimsy the barriers between their bodies really were.
He pulled the covers back up to their chins and settled himself comfortably against the pillows. The inn might be a bit shabby, but the linens were clean and the pillows were plump.
Slowly, breath-by-breath, Penny began to relax against him, her shivers easing as his body warmed and sheltered hers. The curves of her arse cradled his erection, unwanted in this moment but inevitable given her closeness and how long he had dreamed of holding her like this.
“Achoo!”
Well, perhaps not exactly like this. He smothered his grin against his arm as Penny sniffled and then relaxed again. They drowsed together, Hugo watching the flames leap in the fireplace until Penny drifted off to sleep, a tiny snore escaping her lips as her head drooped.
When he finally felt confident she was warm enough, Hugo slipped from the bed and put his boots, coat, and waistcoat back on. Perhaps the innkeeper’s wife would have soup or stew for them, or even just bread and cheese.
After a moment’s hesitation, he picked up Penny’s dress and cloak along with his greatcoat and draped them over his arm. The kitchens would be a much more efficient place to dry everything if he was already going down there.
Penny’s scent rose from her damp clothes, and he had to stop himself from raising the dress to his nose so he could inhale it.
He must control himself. He must remember that the important thing was that Penny was safe. No matter what discomfort he suffered in the next few days of sharing this tiny room, it would be worth it to know she was safe.