Syd nodded. “We are, Mr. Hutchins. Married all of two days now.”
The innkeeper’s eyes brightened. “I knew it. Yer husband cannot take his eyes off you.”
Syd turned to Octavian with an impish grin and batted her eyelashes. “Yes, he is quite besotted with me. It was love at first sight for him. Goodness, he was quite ardent in courting me. Of course, I took a bit longer to return his feelings because a gently bred young lady must be cautious in the man she chooses, don’t you think? You must admit, he does look quite a bit rakish. But he has proven himself to be loyal and true. Clings to me like a little, lost lamb.”
Octavian was going to throttle her if she did not stop talking. “Indeed, I cannot get enough of my new wife. If you will excuse us, we would like to retire to our chamber now. We intend to be back on the road at first light.” He ordered breakfast to be sent up at the crack of dawn.
The room turned out to be quite pleasant, larger and more elegantly furnished than Octavian expected, but it was only the one room and it contained a big bed in the center of it. However, as elegant as this guest chamber was supposed to be, it had no decent carpeting. The room had small rugs the size of mats on either side of the bed so that their feet would not touch cold wood when getting out of bed, but those would not even accommodate the breadth of his shoulders if he attempted to sleep on them.
The bare wooden floor was going to be a problem.
He was not looking forward to spending the night on it after already spending last night sleeping on his carpet and then part of today sprawled uncomfortably on the narrow seat bench of their hired carriage.
His back would go out if he continued to sleep awkwardly along the journey.
Well, he had asked for this.
If he wanted a comfortable night’s rest, he could have left Syd hidden somewhere in London and gone to Greenock on his own to attend to the Admiralty assignment. But those blasted protective instincts of his would never allow him to leave her behind.
Not knowing what was happening to her would eat his guts raw.
Syd was now making herself comfortable and had removed the matching jacket to her travel gown. Since it was actually Adela’s gown, the fit was a bit tight and pushed up Syd’s bosom so that an enticing bit of cleavage and swell of her nicely formed breasts showed.
She bent forward to retrieve something out of her travel pouch.
He needed a drink.
Perhaps he would ask for that bottle of scotch and get himself a little drunk. Better yet, he could get Syd drunk. He knew he could coax his way into that bed with her once she was feeling warm and tingly.
Well, no.
He was never going to take advantage of her in this fashion.
“Syd,” he said, once the proprietor had left them and they were alone in their chamber, “need I review all the things you did wrong down there?”
“No, Octavian. I am quite aware of what I said and did. I am not in need of your lecture.”
“Then why run off at the mouth, telling him how I courted you and followed you around like a lovesick lamb? Seriously?” He shook his head and sank onto the mattress. “You cannot spread lies wherever we stop. At some point, you will forget which lies you told to whom, and then we will be found out. It is your reputation at stake, not mine.”
“You are right, but I needed something to ease my tension. I did not mean to irritate you. It was just gentle teasing. You and I both know you never looked at me with adoring eyes or ever followed me around other than to keep me out of tavern brawls. But we seem to have a bigger problem that I am sure you have noticed. This is a cold, hard floor. And there is a breeze coming through the door and window cracks. You cannot sleep on that floor or you will catch an ague.”
“What do you propose? I am not letting you sleep there, so do not bother to mention it.”
“I shall ignore the stupid remark. I can be ill and it won’t matter. But you have to stay healthy and strong to protect me.”
He eased back on the bed, propping his hands behind his head as he rested atop the pile of pillows. “You are not sleeping on that floor. And do not point out that I am already stretched out on the bed. It is just a temporary relaxation to ease my coiled muscles.”
“Precisely the reason why you need the bed and I do not.”
“Out of the question.”
She sighed. “What if we asked for an adjoining room? We could tell the innkeeper your snoring seems particularly bad today and I–”
“No. I am not letting you out of my sight.”
“Why? Don’t you trust me?” She looked hurt. “I would never lie to you or steal from you. You know I am trustworthy.”
“Syd, must I say it? Here’s what I trust you will do. I trust that you will thwart me at every turn. I trust that you will run offwithout warning and do as you please. I trust that you will break your promises to me.”
