Lucas had intended to wait in the library until Dorothy arrived, and he was glad he managed to catch her. In fact, this turned out better than he anticipated. If he had been sitting in the room and not at the door, Dorothy could have turned and left again. Coming in after her, albeit inadvertently, ensured that she didn’t go anywhere.
It made him sound like a man he wasn’t sure he liked, but Lucas did want to see her. Dorothy needed to hear things from him, and Lucas had to swallow his pride and admit that he had done wrong by her. And not that daft apology that he had given her before; that had clearly just insulted her.
No, he needed to get onto his hands and knees and apologise. Although Lucas was hoping it wouldn’t come to that.
For a moment, Dorothy looked as if she was going to bolt. Then she straightened up and pulled her shoulders back, looking very regal.
“Then we’d better get moving. The sooner I get something inside me, the sooner I can go back to bed. Then maybe we can leave each other alone?”
Lucas didn’t respond. He didn’t want to leave her alone and certainly didn’t want this holiday to end. There had to be more opportunities to talk to her, to get her to soften towards him. All Lucas wanted was to be with her.
Considering he didn’t feel like that not too long ago, he knew that would be a shock. Dorothy was going to think he was a shallow man because he was only paying attention to her looks, but that wasn’t the case. Lucas saw the person past her appearance, and it was a good one. Dorothy was a good person.
He just had to get past her defences.
Moving silently, they both made their way through the house and into the kitchen. It was dark in there, the only light coming from the two fireplaces up against one wall. The fires were still light, somehow burning brightly despite the time of night. But it did warm the room up, which felt better than walking through a chilly house.
“You sit down here,” Lucas said, gesturing towards the long table in the middle of the room. “I’ll find us something to eat.”
“There’s no need …” Dorothy began, but Lucas cut her off.
“If I’m a gentleman, the least I can do is ensure you’re fed. I’m not going to have you looking through the pantry where the rats might be.”
Dorothy stared.
“There aren’t any rats in there! Are there?”
“You never know. I don’t want to have you scared because you see something moving.”
“Now you’re just assuming that I’m squeamish about rats,” Dorothy grumbled.
“Aren’t you? They’re surprisingly large, have teeth, and carry disease.” Lucas winked. “It’s better that they bite me than an innocent creature like you.”
Dorothy rolled her eyes and huffed, heading towards the table.
“Fine. Just stop being a fool. It’s not amusing.”
Lucas chuckled and headed to the pantry. After a look around, he found some cheese, and there was half a loaf of bread left. He surmised that the cook and pastry chef would be making bread overnight, so they wouldn’t miss this. If they did, they would just put it down to having used more than they expected.
After a quick scout around in the dim kitchen, Lucas found a chopping board and a knife, which he also brought to the table. Dorothy watched him in bemusement.
“You seem to know your way around. Have you had a midnight feast before?”
“I was in here a few nights ago. I couldn’t sleep again.” Taking the knife, Lucas began to cut the bread. “This is meant to be a holiday for everyone, and I can’t seem to rest in that comfortable bed they gave me.”
Dorothy didn’t respond. She was watching him slice the bread, and to Lucas, it looked like she was paying close attention to his hands. Why was that more erotic than her looking at his naked body?
His arousal stirred, and Lucas couldn’t stop himself from growling.
“Hmm?” Dorothy blinked. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
“You just made a noise. You sounded like you were in pain.”
Lucas cleared his throat.
“I’m fine, I … never mind.”