She stood there, very still.
'I was told by a young officer that you wanted to see me here,
Lieutenant. I wouldn't have been so careless as to en85 ter myself, but
he pushed open the door, and so here I am, to my great embarrassment.
Good evening, Miss. Worthingham.
Lieutenant, did you send for me?'
'I did not!'
'Then I must offer my apologies. Excuse me.' She turned.
'Wait a minute?' Jamie thundered.
Tess ignored him.
Eliza was laughing softly. He caught her and shook her hard.
'You did this!'
'Min. You'll never get beneath her skirts now, Jamie!' Eliza said
happily.
Jamie didn't reply. He shoved her from him and walked away. He didn't
give a damn that he was barefoot or bare chested he was just glad he
still had his trousers on. He didn't know why it was so damned important
that he catch Tess, he only knew that it was.
'Tess!'
She was walking away from him, ignoring him. He caught up with her and
took hold of her shoulders, swinging her around.
'Tess!'
'What?' She wrenched herself from his hold. He circled her, determined
to catch her if she moved.
'I
called you! Why the hell didn't you stop?' Tess looked at him, wishing
she could be half as calm or serene as she was pretending.
She hadn't suspected a thing. The young soldier had appeared at her door
just minutes ago, and he had been very proper, and she had imagined his
mission to be a true one. Lieutenant Slater 'had requested her presence
at his office.
She hadn't even known that his office and his bedroom were connected.
And she had thought that the summons sounded just like Jamie. He would
give her some other trivial order about the next morning. Don't
oversleep, don't be late, don't touch anything of mine that I set in
your wagon.
And so she had come without a thought. Without a single thought.
She had never imagined what it would feel like to see him in another
woman's arms. It had been awful seeing the brunette worse than naked,
draped all over him. Her hair curling over his naked flesh. Her breasts
cast against him, his arms locked upon her, the fever between them. She
inhaled and exhaled. She wondered if she had heard the words right
between them. No one can make me marry anyone. That was what he had said
to her. Wasn't it?
They had been lovers. He had all but admitted it. And maybe they would
be again. Maybe he would take Tess to Wiltshire, and he would come back.
Maybe he shouldn't go to Wiltshire. Because if he did, if they were
together, they would become lovers. And maybe he would be just as cool
to her. Maybe making love meant nothing at all to him, when the desire
