They weren’t going anywhere in this weather. They had to settle in for the night. And what a long night it was going to be knowing he wouldn’t sleep until he saw her eyes flutter open.
Spending the night together, even if nothing happened, would ruin her. He gripped his hair. No one would offer to marry her after this. Her reputation would be dismantled by the gossip. The scandal would be too destructive for even the great Ashbourne name to combat.
The last two days he had been bracing himself for Hope’s overbearing, over nurturing ways, yet here he was being that instead.
Well, he could be the one to take care of her, couldn’t he? It wasn’t so bad.
With that resolved, he sat down to eat the warm food that had just been brought in, praying she would be able to join him soon. Little did he know he would be more thankful that those prayers went unanswered.
Chapter 9
WHENHOPEWOKEUP,it was to the sounds of groaning beside her. She rolled over to discover Isaac in her bed. Only, it wasn’t her bed. And it certainly wasn’t her room.
“What’s wrong?” her voice sounded thick and groggy.
“Nothing,” Isaac mumbled, gripping his stomach.
“It’s not nothing. What’s wrong with your stomach?” Hope’s head pounded as she asked after him, but she pushed the throbbing pain to the side.
“Just a bit of poison.”
“Isaac,” she reprimanded, “now is not the time to joke around.”
“No joke, my love. Just a touch of food poisoning. Don’t eat the beef.”
Hope’s eyes took in the plated food on the table in the middle of the room.
“What do you need?”
“Nothing.”
“Dash it all, Isaac. Now is not the time to be the martyr. Clearly you’re incapacitated. Let me help you.”
“I don’t need anything. I’ll get it myself. You’ve just been kidnapped. You can’t be feeling very well.”
“I don’t feel my best, but I certainly feel better than you.” He was rising from his prone position. She had to do something. In a flash, she pushed herself up and straddled him. If he wasn’t green in the face and bowled over, this position might be arousing. As it was, she could feel heat creeping up into her core.
“You’re not going anywhere, Duke. Lay down.” She pushed his chest. “Now.”
With little effort from her, he collapsed back on the bed. But within a second, he was trying again.
“Isaac, don’t move.”
“Get off of me, Hope.”
“No.” She had to think quickly. She grabbed his cravat and untied it.
“What are you—”
“Quiet. No moving. No talking.”
“Tyrant,” he mumbled.
She took the cravat and one of his hands and tied him to the bedpost.
“What the—”
“There. Don’t try a thing.”
