‘You s-slept here?’ She shrank back against the pillows.
‘In the chair,’ he told her. ‘It was not difficult; I was so tired I could have slept on a board.’
‘Oh.’
He pushed himself to his feet. ‘Would you like something to eat? I told Mrs Sturry I would go and find her when you were awake. She will bring something up for you to break your fast.’
‘No, no,’ she cried, distracted. ‘I must get up. I must get back to Bath with all speed. Where are my clothes?’
She tried to throw back the bedding, but he stopped her.
‘There is no hurry. Mrs Sturry has taken your gown away to clean it as best she can.’
‘But I must get home!’
He said gently, ‘It is well past noon now and too late to get you there today.’
‘Nonsense. We cannot have come that far.’
‘Far enough.’ Tristan tucked the bedcovers back around her. ‘I do not propose to ride into Bath with you across my saddle-bow. And on a Sunday, too. Think what a feast the gossipmongers would make of that!’
She fell back against the pillows. Despite her long sleep she felt too exhausted to argue. All she could do was whisper a faint, ‘Thank you.’
He smiled and stepped back from the bed.
‘We will need to hire a chaise. Our hostess tells me the nearest place to do that is Devizes. By the time I have returned here to collect you, we should not reach Bath before dark, and I want to make the journey in broad daylight, with plenty of traffic on the road.’
Natalya plucked nervously at the sheet.
‘Do you think the men who abducted me might be watching out for us?’
‘It is unlikely, but I will not take the risk of driving you home at night, when we would be most vulnerable to attack. Now, I will send Mrs Sturry up with your breakfast and I shall ride into Devizes and find a suitable vehicle to convey you back to Sydney Place tomorrow.’ Without thinking she reached out her hand and he took it, smiling at her. ‘Do not look so frightened, Natalya. You will be perfectly safe here while I am gone.’
‘No, no, you misunderstand.’ Her fingers clung to him. ‘You must not go alone. I c-could not bear it if something happened to you.’
He sat down on the edge of the bed and regarded her for a moment, his grey eyes enigmatic.
‘Nothing is going to happen to me, Natalya. I will be as quick as I can.’ Giving her hand a final squeeze, he went to the door. ‘Oh.’ He turned. ‘Just in case you were wondering. We are Mr and Mrs Quintrell. It is my family name, so not too far from the truth.’
With that he was gone. Natalya listened to his quick, firm tread on the boards fading away to nothing. She felt bereft. Not even his final smile could shake it. She allowed herself the indulgence of a few hot tears, which she dashed away when the door opened and the housekeeper came in with a heavily laden tray.
‘There, there, dearie, there’s nothing to weep about,’ she exclaimed. ‘You are safe enough here, you have my word on that. Now, you just eat up your breakfast, that will put some heart into you.’ She put the tray across Natalya’s lap and bustled about the room, plumping cushions and straightening ornaments. ‘It is only ham and a little bread and butter, but I have brought you tea, as well, which Lady Farnell swears always perks her up.’
‘That is very generous of you,’ murmured Natalya, taking a sip.
‘Nonsense, it’s the least I can do, after the trouble you have been through. Your man was telling me how those horrid relatives of yours took against him when he married you and wanted to fetch you back. Shameful, I calls it, when anyone can see he is head over heels in love with you!’
‘He—he is?’ The teacup clattered in the saucer.
‘Lord, yes! I’ve never seen a man more besotted, ma’am! And when he laid you down here, and you stirred and clutched at his hand, beggin’ him not to leave you—well! It fair brought tears to my eyes to see the two of you. So don’t you be afraid. If anyone comes here a-looking for you I shall send ’em to the rightabout.’
She was standing with her fists on her hips, looking so fierce that Natalya did not doubt her at all.
‘Thank you, Mrs Sturry. You are too kind. Especially with your master and mistress away.’
‘Aye, Sir Toby and his lady have gone to town, to see these foreign Emperors and Kings and the like who are coming to celebrate the fact that that French monster has been well and truly beaten and sent to Elba.’ She snorted. ‘To my mind he should be given the same treatment as his sort gave all those poor French aristos during the Revolution. They should cut off his head. But there, as a good Christian I suppose I shouldn’t say so.’
Natalya did not know how to respond to this outburst so she concentrated on her breakfast. She found she was, after all, quite hungry and had soon eaten everything before her.
‘I feel much better for that, Mrs Sturry, thank you.’
The housekeeper beamed as she bustled over to collect the empty tray.
‘I knew you would. Now, I shall go and see if your gown is ready, then we can get you dressed before your husband comes back from Devizes.’
‘Is it very far? That is, will he be long?’
‘Ah, bless me, you are missing him already! He will be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail, you mark my words, then you can have a cosy dinner in here, just the two of you. Your man thought you would prefer that to the formal dining room. I did tell him I was sure my mistress would not object to you using the family rooms, but he was adamant this
