‘I think I should write a note for the Pridhams, telling them I am well, but I wanted to wait until you had returned, in case you thought it unsafe to travel.’
‘I do not think there is any danger, as long as you do not tell them our direction. Would you like me to undertake the task? I also want to send word to George Street, to apprise my valet of the situation.’
‘Yes. Thank you, that would be very kind.’
‘Very well. I shall seek out pen and paper and write the letters in the morning room after I have finished my dinner. That way I need not disturb you again.’ Still she would not look at him. Tristan bit back a sigh. He said, ‘You should go to bed, Natalya. I will ask the maid to come and help you undress. Goodnight, my dear.’
Natalya heard the soft click as he closed the door behind him and felt the emptiness of the room as the silence closed in around her. When he returned she would be tucked up between the sheets, the curtains pulled around the bed and he would sleep in the chair, keeping watch. Her chivalrous protector.
And knowing he would not disturb her made her want him even more.
Natalya slept soundly and did not wake until the maid came in with a cup of hot chocolate.
‘It is nine o’clock, ma’am, and a lovely morning.’ She continued to chatter as she fastened back the silk bed-hangings. ‘Mr Quintrell came downstairs early to break his fast, ’cos he did not want to wake you.’
‘Oh.’
Natalya sipped at her hot chocolate. She had barely moved in the night and one side of the bed was untouched, the pillows plump and pristine. A sigh welled up inside her. He had kept his word, he had not come to her bed and now she was not sure whether she was most glad or sorry.
However, it convinced her of one thing. He was not behind her abduction. This was no elaborate plot he had devised to seduce her. But if that was the case, he might be in danger.
She said as carelessly as she could, ‘And where is Mr Quintrell now?’
‘He’s gone into Devizes with his letters. Said he didn’t want to put Mrs Sturry to the trouble of sending a servant with them, which she was very happy to do, ma’am, but no, the gentleman says as how he would take them himself, even though it has been raining since dawn.’ The maid finished bustling around and beamed at her. ‘So, ma’am, would you like me to bring your breakfast on a tray now?’
Natalya held out the empty cup. ‘I think I should like to wash and dress first, if there is any hot water?’
‘Indeed there is, ma’am. I shall bring it up immediately!’
Natalya spent the morning in her room. The window overlooked the drive and she glanced out frequently, wondering just how long Tristan would be. She tried to concentrate upon Mrs Edgeworth’s improving tale, but could not help looking up at regular intervals, wondering if he had returned. She missed him more than she could say.
It was a day of sunshine and showers and a short but violent downpour at about two o’clock rattled the windows. It also covered the sounds of approaching footsteps and Natalya gave a start when the door opened.
She could not prevent a smile of relief when Tristan came in.
‘You are back! Did you get very wet? We have had rain, on and off, all day here.’ She flushed at the banality of her greeting.
‘It was the same in Devizes,’ he told her. ‘Fortunately, Mrs Sturry found me a greatcoat and hat to wear, which kept off the worst of the rain. The poor horse suffered more than I. You know, she really is an exceptional mare, far too good to be hired out to just anyone. When I get back to George Street I shall buy her before she can be ruined by some cow-handed novice. I shall send her down to my own stables at Dalmorren.’
She knew he was trying to put her ease and felt grateful, although she was barely attending, her thoughts fixed on the way his brown hair curled damply about his head.
She said, ‘I thought you would be soaked to the skin.’
Suddenly she imagined herself helping him to strip off his sodden clothes, wielding a towel to rub dry the honed flesh she had felt beneath his shirt as they rode through the night. Natalya berated herself and tried hard to keep the thought from setting her cheeks on fire. Not only her cheeks, but her whole body. And she ached with longing. Oh, goodness, this must be the reason respectable women fell from grace! Or perhaps it was because she was the child of some wanton woman, who thought of nothing but earthly pleasures. To cover her confusion, she walked to the window.
‘Thank heavens the rain has stopped now. I always think things look so much better when the sun is shining, do not you?’
‘Natalya.’
She froze knowing he was standing close behind her.
‘Natalya, you have no need to be nervous. I have told you, you have nothing to fear from me.’
‘I know.’ Her earlier garrulity had deserted her. It was difficult to speak, her voice felt strangled in her throat. ‘I am being very foolish.’
‘No, no, it is perfectly natural, given what has occurred, but I would not have you be afraid of me.’
‘I am not afraid of you, Tristan.’ She tried to laugh. ‘We should blame my aunt and uncle. They have kept me so confined that I have no experience of being...being alone with a man.’
‘That is how it should be for a gently bred young lady.’ He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her towards him. ‘However, if we are to be convincing as a married couple we must try to be
