And he hadn’t whispered a single word about love, or emotion, or even mild affection. Protection…duty. That’s what he’d offered.
She looked up at him then, his face also set in hard lines. She sighed. This was one more item to add to their list.
She had to tell him how she felt. If that pushed him away, so be it. She’d share her past too and her fears. It was time to share everything. If he rejected her…she could only hope she was as strong as Eliza believed.
But she trembled as she thought of the rejection she was facing.
“You must be frozen,” he said, pulling her tighter against him.
That eased her fear just a bit. She turned to her sisters. “Bash and I have several things to discuss. I trust you can recover without us.”
Eliza gave her a quick wink. “Of course.”
Caroline, or Aunt Mildred, trailed behind. “About my resignation,” she called to Bash. “I’ve reconsidered.”
But it was Isabella who turned to the other woman. “Go to your room and get warm. We’ll discuss your employment tomorrow.”
Bash winked and, without a word, continued up the stairs past the various sitting rooms and the wing that held his office…at least she thought that might be the one.
They kept going up the stairs until they reached the third floor where they turned into her…room.
“This is where we’re going to talk?” she asked, her brows lifting.
“We both need to get out of these wet clothes,” he answered. “And don’t worry. I’ll keep my hands to myself. Last night was a mistake.”
That made her stop short. Was he marrying her because of what they’d done? “A mistake?”
He pulled her into the room and beg
an to unbutton her pelisse. “I shouldn’t have touched you like that outside of wedlock.”
“You’ve touched other women outside of wedlock, haven’t you?”
“They were different,” he murmured as he began to work the wet sleeves of her dress loose.
“Why?” she asked, her breath catching. She was shaking as much from her nerves as much as she was from the cold.
“Because they were not women I was considering for marriage.”
“Oh,” she said softly.
“I thought we had a whole list of things to discuss.”
“We do. We are,” she said as he tugged her skirt down and she stepped out of the soaking fabric. She took a deep breath as he loosened the strings of her corset. “I don’t want you to marry me out of obligation.”
His fingers stilled. “I am the duke who will rescue your family from certain disaster.”
“Bash.” She turned to look at him then as she slipped her hands into his. Most of the very wet garments were off and the heat from the fire seeped into her cold skin. “You’ve been wonderful. From the first moment you met me you’ve protected me and my sisters. But…” She took a deep breath.
“What?” He let go of her hands, shrugged off his coat and then sat, stripping off his boots. She waited as his gaze cast down to the floor. Finally, he looked up at her. “I know there is a but coming.”
She drew in a deep breath. “You make me afraid.”
“Afraid?” He stood suddenly and crossed over to her. His face was drawn in deep lines of hurt. “You’re afraid of me?”
“Not of you. I’d never be afraid of you. I’m afraid of…” Her voice trailed off.
“What?”