Chapter Twenty-Three
Lucy put her hand onthe back of his head as he laid it on her shoulder. She’d felt the power of his orgasm and knew he was as spent as she. “Come on,” she finally managed. “To bed before we fall asleep here and are even more stiff in the morning.”
He agreed and after they cleaned off, they climbed into bed. Still naked, he pulled her into his arms and fell immediately asleep. Lucy had thought she would sleep as easily. She was certainly exhausted, but even after the release of lovemaking, the thrill of the chase and the capture of Vanderville played over and over in her mind.
Finally, she was able to push it aside, but with Duncan’s body pressed against hers, it was hard not to recall what they’d shared before the hearth. She shouldn’t have allowed him to climax inside her. There was no risk of pregnancy. She knew her body, and the cramps in her belly told her her cycle would start tonight or tomorrow.
But there was a risk to his heart. He’d obviously wanted to maintain some distance between them, and she hadn’t allowed that.
But there was a risk to her heart as well. Tonight, she had felt something she’d never felt before. And it was more than simply his prowess at cunnilingus. There was no way to put it except her heart felt...softer. The way he’d cared for her tonight. The way he’d undressed her, bathed her, treated her as though she were precious. But he always treated her like that. He loved her. That was why, and she’d never been loved like that before.
Could she love him back? Lucy didn’t know. She had half a mind to wake him and tell him how she felt. But what to say? She didn’t know if it was love, but it was something. Something she’d never felt before. She’d tell him tomorrow. She’d ask him to give her time to sort out these feelings, examine them. Perhaps they could discover them together.
She turned toward him and burrowed into his chest, enveloped by the feel and scent of him.
***
IN THE MORNING, SHEwoke alone. And no wonder, as it was broad daylight. Just how late had she slept?
She didn’t need to look to see Duncan wasn’t in the bed chamber. She could feel his absence. Knowing him, he’d probably risen before dawn and tiptoed to her bed chamber so the charwoman who lit the hearth in the wee hours wouldn’t be scandalized by seeing them together. Did the staff still think them brother and sister? She had no idea what Lord John had told them.
She stretched, feeling a pleasant soreness between her legs, and padded naked to a chair near the hearth where her clothes were draped neatly over the back. She lifted them and then put them back down again. She couldn’t put on the dirty clothes from yesterday. Not to mention, everyone from Lady John to the magistrate had stared at her as though she were a two-headed cat when they saw her in breeches.
She went to the armoire and found a dressing gown that was too big but would cover her as she walked to the chamber where Mrs. Cox had put her things. She’d probably have to spend half the day answering the magistrate’s questions, so she’d need to put her hair up. Though perhaps Duncan was meeting with the magistrate now, and she could be absolved of that task.
She crossed to the door, pausing halfway as she noticed the sheets of paper lying on the desk. There hadn’t been parchment there before. She hadn’t taken specific note of it, but she’d been trained to catalogue details. The desk had been clear.
Lucy padded to the desk and stared down at the coded message. It had been written in Alexandria, and she sat down, lifted the quill, and dipped it in ink. She lifted a second sheet of parchment and wrote out the code then set about decoding the letter.
It was short and to the point.
Missive for you below.
She lifted the papers and found a folded paper with her name on it. She knew the writing to be Uncle Winn’s. Lucy broke the seal and groaned. It was coded in Damascus. That would take more time. Best to finish with Alexandria before starting with another code.
She continued working on Duncan’s letter, rereading what she had and adding to it.
Missive for you below. Received new assignment.
Adieu.
No regrets.
