While Gilroy was gone, the coachman helped David climb into the carriage. The miss was as limp as a ragdoll, incapable of sitting upright. To keep her from sliding to the floor, he settled her sideways on his lap, holding her head against his shoulder.
She shivered and tried to burrow inside his coat. He mentally slapped himself. “Grab the blanket, if you please.”
“Right away, my lord.”
Soon they had the carriage blanket draped over her, and she relaxed against David with a sigh.
Gilroy poked his head in the door. “All done as you requested, my lord.”
“Thank you.” He’d been running through his options of what to do that would have the least consequence for either of them. “Take us to Aunt Constance, please.”
Moments later the coach rocked into motion.
She struggled to sit up, frantically looking around the dark interior of the coach. “Can’t b’lieve I’m being abducted,” she muttered, pushing away from him.
“Appearances to the contrary,” David said, tucking her back against him before she overbalanced and ended up on the floor anyway, “this is not an abduction. It’s a rescue.”
She snorted.
“You’ll have to forgive me. I have limited experience at rescuing damsels in distress.”
She giggled. “I have lim’ted esper …exp … I’m not used to being in dis’ess.”
“We’ll just have to find our way along together, then.” He made sure she was covered with the blanket and wrapped his arms around her more securely as the coach bounced over the cobblestone streets. Though Aunt Connie’s neighborhood was respectable, it wasn’t as nice as Lord Sedgewick’s, the roads not as well maintained.
Her left arm tucked tight against him, her cheek and the back of her hand pressed to his chest, she raised her right arm and twined it around his neck. He was startled to feel her fingers stroking his hair.
Petting him.
He blinked at this unexpected development. Held still while he tried to decide if he should stop her or permit himself to enjoy it. In her altered state of mind she didn’t really know what she was doing, did she? Several women had attempted to seduce him after he became the earl, with some of the misses trying to play with his hair. He had leaned out of their reach. His mysterious miss, though, seemed to be touching him for the simple tactile pleasure, like petting a cat. And she was the one purring.
She gave another pleased hum, then shifted her head as she … sniffed him? With a satisfied “mmm,” she pushed his cravat aside and rested her cheek on his chest again.
To distract himself, he explained to her where they were going and what she could expect when they arrived, speaking in the same low, quiet voice he used to soothe his young nieces and nephews.
When her fingers in his hair gradually stilled and her ribcage expanded and contracted in steady, deep breathing, he exhaled in relief. He was enjoying her touch far more than was proper for a gentleman rescuing a damsel in distress. Especially with said damsel, and her enticing curves in all the right places, on his lap, in his arms. He wished he’d paid more attention to what she looked like instead of being distracted by the enormous feathers and purple turban of her companion. He couldn’t recall any details of her appearance, not even her hair color.
While she slept, he hummed the last song he’d heard the musicians at the ball playing.
Eventually the coach rocked to a stop and Gilroy opened the door. “Fetch one of Aunt Connie’s blankets,” David said.
Moments later they switched blankets, making sure nothing of the miss was visible, not a stitch of fabric, slipper, or strand of hair, before he carried her into the townhouse. Neighbors might be nosy but he would give them nothing with which to start rumors.
Other than him carrying in a body, of course. He sighed.
Aunt Connie was not at home.
David groaned.
He summoned the housekeeper as well as a maid to attend the woman. He settled her on a sofa in the front parlor and stepped back to let them slip off her shoes, make sure she was warmly covered with the blanket, set a basin on the floor near her head in case she woke up and was sick again, and a clean cup and pot of tea on the low table before the sofa.
She slept through it all.
The fire popped and crackled in the hearth, the only light in the room. David gave a sigh of resignation, and he and the servants settled in chairs to await Aunt Connie’s return.
Chapter 2
Ashley opened her eyes, stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, and tried to remember where she was. Only jumbled images came to mind.
