“Are you, though?” His gaze bored into hers. Mina had to struggle not to drop her own. Swallowing, for her throat was suddenly dry, she nodded her head. “That’s what you want?” he persisted.
Was it? If she said no, she thought, then she would be doomed forever to this confined life of parlor and attic bedroom. Whereas, if she said yes… A strange and slightly terrifying prospect lay before her. Being a wife to Will Nye in both fact and deed.
A narrow, dull life or the unknown. For some reason, an image flashed into Mina’s brain. The cliff edge where she had hovered for one thrilling and horrifying moment, right on the brink.
“Yes,” she croaked.
This time, she would plunge right over the edge.
On reaching The Merry Harlot, Nye drove the carriage straight into the courtyard and pulled on the reins. Turning in his seat, he yanked her roughly into his arms. Mina blinked up at him a moment, hot and breathless despite the bite of cold in the air. Nye did not speak, and she was ridiculously aware of the fact they were both breathing hard in each other’s faces. Suddenly, his lips were crushed to hers and she was clinging onto his jacket for dear life.
The firm press of his lips suddenly relented and Mina gasped. She would have slid off the bench if he hadn’t maintained his ruthless grip of her. She opened her eyes, staring up at him. When had she closed them? How long had she been pressed to his chest like this?
“You’ve got to breathe through your nose,” he murmured and for a moment she felt indignant, but then she noticed his own breathing was just as uneven as her own and his eyes still fixed on her lips.
“Oh,” she said lamely.
“And give me a taste of your tongue.”
“How am I supposed to do that?” she asked in bewilderment. “I can hardly talk at the same time.”
His eyes gleamed and for one horrible moment, she thought he would laugh at her. If he had, she wasn’t sure what she would have done, but instead he raised one hand to scratch the stubble on the side of his jaw. “I mean let my tongue taste yours,” he said gruffly.
Mina gaped at him. “What?” she faltered. She surely had not heard him correctly. One of the horses tossed back its head and Nye was forced to release her to right his grip on the reins.
“Alright there, Nye?” called a voice, recalling Mina to her surroundings. Her bonnet had come loose and was hanging off her head. She made a grab for it and Nye swore under his breath.
“We’ll give it another go,” he said. “Later.”
“Er… yes,” Mina agreed, thankful for her reprieve. “Quite.”
She could see other figures milling round in the shadowy courtyard and felt horribly embarrassed they might have witnessed their awkward embrace.
“Reuben, hold her head!” Nye bellowed and Mina saw the man with the ginger beard spring forward to seize one of the horses as Nye clambered down. She had scarcely re-tied her bonnet, when Nye appeared at her side of the carriage and was holding a hand up for her to descend. Mina took it and precariously started to descend from the perch at the front. She only managed the first step and then found herself swung down with his hands at her waist.
“Get up to bed,” he said. “I’ll join you later.”
Mina’s face flamed as she turned away from him to scurry into the inn. He’d join her later? She hung up her cloak and bonnet and took a hurried wash in the scullery before hurrying up the staircase. She nearly spilled the wax from her candleholder when Ivy knocked on her door as she was setting it down on the bedside table. “Oh Ivy,” she said looking up with relief. “You did make me jump.”
“Just wanted to thank you for my gifts, Mrs. Nye,” Ivy said beaming. “Love a nice bottle of scent, I do, but you didn’t have to.”
“You’re most welcome,” Mina said, waving this aside. “And I wanted to. Do you think you’ll use the lotion? I wasn’t sure which type you favor...”
“Ooh yes, it’s ever such a nice one,” Ivy interrupted her. “Besides, I always has a different one each time!”
Mina sat on the bed and started efficiently braiding her hair. “Are you not serving at bar tonight, Ivy?” she asked.
“Not till after hours tonight,” she said with a wink, coming into the room and closing the door softly behind her.
“After hours?” Mina frowned, motioning to a chair. “How can you serve at bar when it closed?”
Ivy giggled. “You are a sheltered one and no mistake.” She sat in the chair and revealed a bottle she had been carrying under her arm. “Care to take a glass with me, Mrs. Nye?”
Mina changed her mind about her automatic refusal. After all, she was in dire need of some Dutch courage. Instead, she nodded. “Call me Mina,” she answered
Ivy’s eyes widened. “I couldn’t do that, Mrs. Nye. Wouldn’t be right.”
“Not even when no-one else is around?” Mina asked with a frown. First Edna and now Ivy. She sighed, feeling a little forlorn.
“Well, I dunno about that,” Ivy replied warily and produced two wine glasses out of her apron. She set them on the side and uncorked the bottle.
“How is it that you can serve an empty bar?” Mina persisted as Ivy poured. “Do you mean you are to do a stock-take?”
Ivy laughed merrily. “Lord bless you, he don’t let me do no stock-take,” she said, passing a brimming glass of red wine to Mina. “Very jealous Nye is about the state of his cellars. The one time I suggested it, you’d have thought I was a Customs
