Well, until a different tension had claimed him when he’d found himself clutching her in his arms. She hadn’t soothed that.In fact, her response to his kiss had merely increased the pressure building in his body. But nothing short of getting hernaked beneath him and loving her was likely to rid him of that kind of tension.
“I guess I had best start,” Jetta murmured.
Geordie pulled himself from his thoughts and focused on the woman in his hold. Peering down at the top of her head, he notedhow the candlelight set fire to the pale gold strands of her hair, and had the strangest urge to bury his face in it. Shehad truly glorious hair, he decided, barely restraining himself from plowing his fingers into it and running them throughthe fine strands.
Dwyn’s suddenly stiffening against him distracted Geordie then and he glanced toward her feet just in time to see Jetta straightenwith the larger piece of glass held in her fingers.
“It did not go in as far as I expected,” Jetta said as she set the piece of glass aside. “You must not have set your completeweight down on it.”
“Nay,” Dwyn murmured. “I tried to sidestep as soon as I felt the first bite of glass and set my foot down on that one, thensimply fell to the side to avoid impaling meself fully.”
Jetta glanced up at that, her gaze sliding up Dwyn’s body to her hands and then back, pausing on her skirt. Following hergaze, Geordie saw the small slices in the skirt and knew Dwyn probably had more glass there. It looked to be about where herknees would have been when she’d fallen to the floor.
“Look away, husband, Geordie,” Jetta warned.
Geordie turned his head to the side, but heard the rustle as Jetta lifted Dwyn’s skirt to examine her legs. The clucking thatfollowed told him that Dwyn’s legs hadn’t escaped the glass. “I cannot believe anyone could be this careless. ’Tis one thingto break the glass, but not to ensure it was cleaned up so no one got hurt . . . And in front of the garderobe too! The oneplace everyone will eventually visit.”
“Did ye see anyone in the hall when ye came out, lass?” Geordie asked, keeping his face averted.
“Nay. Neither when I went in nor out,” she got out between gritted teeth that told him Jetta was removing glass from her kneesand it was as painful as he had expected.
“Geordie, please give Dwyn the candle so she can hold it for me. I need more light,” Jetta murmured, and he glanced aroundand picked up the candleholder from the bedside table to hand it to Dwyn. Taking it, she set it on her skirts just above herknees, but Geordie noted that her hands were trembling. It was the only other sign of the pain she was suffering. Dwyn hadn’tmade a sound as Jetta dug glass out of her knees.
“There,” Jetta said with a sigh a moment later. “Now I shall just put a little salve on.”
They were all silent as Jetta quickly applied salve, and then she tugged Dwyn’s skirt down and glanced around. “Aulay, mayhapyou could hold the candle now so I can check Dwyn’s hands.”
Nodding, Aulay stepped forward and took the candle when Dwyn held it up. She then held her hands out to Jetta, and said, “They’refine, really. I think they’re just a little dirty and perhaps bruised from landing on them so hard, but I do no’ think there’sany glass in them.”
“I think you are right,” Jetta murmured as she used a linen to clean her hands. “Aye. They are just bruised.” Releasing herhands, she grimaced slightly and said, “I guess that just leaves your feet.”
Both women took deep breaths then, and Geordie found his gaze dropping to Dwyn’s chest. Much to his disappointment, her breastsbarely crept upward in the gown this time.
“Better to get it done quickly,” Jetta said determinedly, and shifted to kneel farther down the bed by Dwyn’s feet.
Aulay immediately moved to the end of the bed and knelt to hold the candle as close to Dwyn’s feet as he could without gettingin Jetta’s way as she bent to peer at the bottoms of them. Grimacing, she glanced to Dwyn and said, “I apologize in advance,Dwyn. This is not going to be pleasant.”
Dwyn’s head bobbed, and she squeezed Geordie’s hands when he released her shoulders to grasp hers. They were all silent asJetta worked, but Geordie was concentrating on Dwyn, noting every flinch or stiffening that signified pain. They all jumped,however, when there was a knock on the door.
Aulay moved silently to answer the knock as Jetta leaned back to her work again, picking the pieces of glass out of Dwyn’sfeet.
“I’m sorry to bother ye, m’laird. But we were looking for Dwyn and a maid said— Oh! Dwyn!” Una gasped, moving into the roomwhen Aulay stepped back and she saw her sister on the bed.
“What happened?” Aileen cried, rushing around Una to hurry to the bed.
“I stepped on a bit of glass,” Dwyn said.
“Oh.” Aileen blinked, and then frowned slightly as she peered at Geordie seated behind her, his legs on either side of Dwyn’sand his arms around her as he held her hands. The sister opened her mouth, no doubt to ask why he was sitting, holding hersister like that, and then paused, her eyes widening when Dwyn suddenly gasped and lunged forward, her hand jerking towardher feet as if to push Jetta away before Geordie stopped her.
“Oh,” Aileen said again, but with understanding this time.
They all fell silent now as Jetta worked, the two girls wincing as they watched. Almost every time they did, Dwyn flinchedor stiffened in
