“She must be ready to catch the rising-dawn wind,” a voice said from the side of the bed. Sophia reached to jerk the counterpane over her and Ashley.
“What the devil is that?” Ashley asked, raising his head to look toward the foot of the bed.
“Ronald,” Sophia groaned. “A moment of privacy,” she scolded.
“You’ve had more than a moment,” he said, his tone acerbic.
“How did you get out of your chambers?” Ashley asked.
“It takes more than a lock and key to keep one of my nature confined,” Ronald said with a smirk.
“Finn,” Ashley groaned.
“Indeed,” the garden gnome said. “He should use his head for more than a hat rack.”
“I have been telling him that for years,” Ashley groaned. He drew Sophia further into his arms and nuzzled his morning stubble against her throat. “Go away, Ronald,” he said, lifting his head only for a moment.
The room was dark, but the cold morning light that filtered through the curtains warned of the coming dawn. Sophia giggled. “Yes, Ronald,” she agreed. “Do go away.” Ashley cupped her breast, making her want to squirm within his grasp.
“We must go,” Ronald warned.
“A moment,” Ashley growled, his lips nipping at hers as he rolled her beneath him.
“You have no more than a moment,” Ronald warned. “The wind will leave without you if you don’t get out of that bed, get dressed, and get ready to go.”
Ashley scooted himself to the edge of the bed, still on top of her, but crooked, which made her want to laugh with the impropriety of it all. “Give us two minutes alone, Ronald. Then we’ll be along.”
“Do you promise?”
Ashley brushed at the lock of hair that hung down across his forehead. “On my honor.”
“Do you have any?” the gnome snorted.
Ashley made a move to grab for him. “You little curmudgeon.” The gnome’s feet scuttled across the floor, moving out of his reach. Ashley sighed heavily, “A moment, Ronald.”
“Margaret and Mr. Thorne left with the earlier wind,” Ronald said. “I convinced your brother to let me come and fetch you.”
That was very fortuitous for him.
“So, Your Grace, if you will be so kind as to get off her…” Ronald cleared his throat loudly, letting that finish his sentence.
Ashley pushed his upper back toward the center of the bed. “I believe Ronald has caught Wilkins’s illness.”
“Illness?” She laughed as Ashley growled low in his throat and tossed the counterpane higher over his head, and began to kiss his way down her body. She heard a click as Ronald slipped out the door. Sophia shoved the counterpane down and reached for his shoulders. “What illness?” she asked, tapping the top of his head lightly with her fingertips.
He looked up between her naked breasts. “The one that causes them to begin and end sentences with a clearing of their throats. I often think they’re choking.” Ashley lightly tickled her sides.
Sophia shoved at his shoulders. “I have to get up and get dressed.” She looked toward the window at the purple shades of sky that were appearing. “If I miss the morning wind, I’ll be stuck here.”
“That sounds like a good plan,” he said with a chuckle, as he kissed her lips quickly.
She pushed at his shoulder again and he stopped to look down at her.
“You’re not going to stay, no matter what I do.” It wasn’t a question. It was just a statement. A true one. She shook her head. Tears pricked at the backs of her lashes. He rolled off her and to the edge of the bed, where he sat for a moment. Then he sighed heavily and reached for his trousers. He pulled them up over his hips and tugged his shirt over his head. He held her dress out to her. “May I at least walk with you out to the wind?”
He didn’t think he could jump aboard, did he? “The wind won’t recognize you as a traveler.”
“Why does that sound so sensible to me?” he said with a laugh. He pulled on his boots and jacket. He looked rumpled, but she had never thought him more handsome. “I don’t have Anne with me. I wouldn’t try to jump aboard.”