Tenacious Trents 03 - A Reluctant Rake (43 page)

He pulled a chair out from the table
and sat. It was best to remain on the far side of the room from
Audrey. He would sleep in this position if he had to. Just because
they were to spend the night together did not mean he could take
the liberties he had envisioned. This was his future wife and he
would behave like a gentleman.

There was a quick knock at the door and
Jordan rose and strode over to answer it. Surely Patricia wasn’t
back with their food already.

He yanked the door open to find the
driver standing in the hall with his trunk. Jordan had completely
forgotten that he had packed for a long trip, intending not to
return home until after he was married.

“Where would you like this, Mr.
Trent?”

Jordan scanned the room. “Put it by the
wall.” He gestured to an area not far from the bed. At least he had
a change of clothing. The same could not be said for Audrey. Even
if she did have something she couldn’t change her clothing anyway,
not with her wrists shackled.

He glanced over to where her hands
rested in her lap. There was bruising at the wrists and they were
slightly swollen. Why did the locksmith have to pick now of all
times to be gone. She had to be terribly uncomfortable.

Patricia followed shortly after the
driver with a tray loaded with bowls of stew, tankards of ale and
fresh warm bread. Audrey sat down across from Jordan at the table,
closed her eyes and inhaled before she groaned. “I am so
hungry.”

His stomach grumbled almost as loudly
as her groan.

She giggled and the sound was music to
his ears. She was recovering.

Audrey lifted her hand to grasp the
spoon and the other hand came with it. How could she eat this way?
She struggled through three bites then attempted to lift her
tankard. It was awkward and a few droplets slid down her chin. She
set it back on the table, leaned back and blew out a breath. “It is
too much work to try and eat and drink.”

“Then I shall feed you.” Jordan
grinned.

Audrey eyed him with suspicion but when
he held a piece of buttered bread to her lips she bit into it,
taking a chunk and devouring it.

When he took a drink of ale, he gave
Audrey a drink. When he spooned a bite of stew into his mouth he
did the same for her and so it continued until they were both
pleasantly full and the bowls empty.

“Thank you,” she said after he dabbed
her face with a cloth. “I don’t think anyone has had to feed me
since I was a babe.”

“I rather enjoyed it.” Jordan grinned.
And he had. There was something seductive about the way her mouth
opened and then closed over the spoon and the way the tip of her
tongue darted out to lick the remains of gravy from her lip. As the
meal progressed he became more and more uncomfortable and he had to
shift in his seat several times. “How long would it take to travel
from here to your home in Grosmont?” Jordan knew it took two full
days from London. He had never traveled there from Bath.

“Three or four days, if we stop
overnight.”

He wanted to be a gentleman and not
make love to Audrey before they were married. But he wasn’t a saint
either. They had tonight at this inn and depending on when the
locksmith could free her hands, perhaps another. Then three or four
days alone in the carriage with her, and more nights at inns, and
no companion or maid to protector her. Jordan wasn’t sure he could
endure it.

Perhaps they should skip Grosmont and
go straight to Scotland?

He dismissed the idea almost
immediately. He was going to gain her father’s permission first. It
was the respectful thing to do.

Audrey turned her face into her
shoulder and yawned. They were both exhausted and he rang for a
maid. He would leave long enough for Audrey to wash, see to any
needs and ready herself for bed. It was early by London standards
but they had just been through a few grueling days. No doubt she
would be asleep, as soon as her head rested on the
pillow.

Patricia arrived a short time later.
“Is there anything else I can get for you?” she asked.

“Why haven’t you returned to the
manor?”

“I am not going back there until I
must.” She shivered as if the place scared her. “Besides, one of
the servants is ill and I am staying to help out my
brother-in-law.”

“Could you remain with Audrey?” Jordan
asked. At least she was familiar with Patricia and it wouldn’t be a
stranger assisting her.

“I’ll see that she is all settled. Just
let me take these things down to the kitchen.” She placed the used
bowls and utensils onto the tray. “I’ll bring back some hot water
so you can wash up before bed.”

“Thank you,” Audrey said with a tired
smile.

It took longer than Jordan expected but
he was able to locate an apothecary and a shop with a few readymade
dresses in Bath. He had arrived just before the shops were to
close. He wasn’t sure the garments would fit Audrey but at least
she would have something else to wear besides her riding
outfit.

When he entered the room, Patricia was
sitting by the stove, a small candle was lit on the table beside
her and she was stitching. Audrey lay on the bed curled on her
side, sound asleep. He had never seen her so relaxed and so
beautiful. His heart constricted for a second. What was it about
her that caused the strangest sensations in his body?

Patricia folded her sewing and stood.
“I’ve had a bottle of wine delivered in case you need it later.”
She indicated to the bottle on the table and two goblets. “Miss
Montgomery has been asleep for near an hour now. I don’t suspect
she will wake before morning.”

“Thank you for staying with her.”
Jordan set his packages on the table by the wine. He would pour
himself a glass and enjoy it before he slept tonight.

“You just ring if you need
anything.”

With a nod she ducked out of the room
and closed the door quietly behind her. Jordan pushed his fingers
through his hair and wandered to the window. The courtyard was
still fairly busy but not like it had been upon their arrival. He
needed sleep as much as Audrey but the chair did not look all that
inviting.

Perhaps the floor, but there wasn’t
even a rug to help with the comfort.

He sighed and returned to the table
where he poured a glass of wine. If he drank the bottle perhaps he
wouldn’t care or notice the hard floor.

The one place he was not sleeping was
in that bed with Audrey.

Audrey opened her eyes and strained to
look about the strange room. The only light came from the fire lit
in the stove. Jordan was in the center of the room, smoothing
blankets out on the floor. A pillow rested by his feet. She would
sit up but it took too much effort. As it was she couldn’t find a
comfortable position. She was so used to sleeping on her side with
her hands tucked under her pillow and beneath her head. It was
impossible shackled liked this. She had tried to lay on her back at
first but the metal was heavy against her stomach so she rolled to
the side. Since she had been able to grasp only snippets of sleep
and she doubted she would get much before they were off for good.
As it was her arms and shoulders ached from being in the same
position since Millicent had put them on and she didn’t even know
when that had been.

“What are you doing?”

He turned to look at her. “How are you
feeling?”

She stifled a yawn. “Still
tired.”

He bent forward and kissed her
forehead. “You should sleep.”

“You didn’t answer my
question.”

“I am making a bed up on the
floor.”

Did he really think to sleep on the
hard wood? “The bed is large enough for both of us.”

He stared at her as if she had lost her
mind. “That is not a good idea, Audrey.” He turned his back quickly
and began shaking out the blanket he had just smoothed
out.

“Why?”

His head dropped but he didn’t turn to
look at her. “Are you so innocent?”

Her face warmed. “Yes though I suspect
that will soon end, if you still plan to marry me.”

He turned so quickly she didn’t have to
blink. “Of course I intend to marry you,” he insisted.

“Then get into the bed. You will be
sore tomorrow if you sleep down there.”

Jordan glanced at the floor, back at
the bed, then to the floor again before looking in her eyes. “Why
are you awake?”

Why was he changing the subject? “I am
uncomfortable. I can’t sleep as I normally would and my shoulders
ache.”

A gentle smile came to his lips and he
settled at the side of the bed.

Audrey rolled to her back and looked up
at him. “I would love to simply stretch but they weigh too much to
bring over my head.”

Jordan placed both hands on her wrists
and slowly lifted them away from her body. Her elbows bent and a
moment later the hands rested on the pillow behind her head. A sigh
escaped from the immediate relief and she arched her back to
stretch the aching muscles.

“This was not a wise
decision.”

Audrey looked up into his dark blue
smoldering eyes. Goodness. That look could scorch a lady’s heart.
Whatever had she done?

Before she could voice the question
Jordan leaned forward and placed his lips against hers. Audrey
melted. She moved to put her arms around him but momentarily forgot
that she couldn’t lift them, especially from this
position.

His kiss was gentle at first but became
more demanding the longer he continued. Audrey didn’t care. Strange
warmth was building, one she had experienced before and she was
anxious to know where it led.

Jordan traced the seam of her lips.
When she opened he delved setting her aflame with when his tongue
mingled with hers. Goodness, he had never kissed her with such
passion before. It scared and thrilled her at the same time and she
certainly didn’t want him to stop.

He lifted his head and looked at her.
“You know you are at my mercy.”

She nodded. He could do anything he
wished and she was not in a position to stop him. In her heart she
knew he would never hurt her.

“If at any time you wish me to stop
just say so and I will.”

Audrey studied him with confusion.
“What are you going to do?”

A seductive grin came to his lips and
that devilish dimple winked at her. “I am going to show you a taste
of the passion I have been fighting since we first met.”

Was she finally going to learn what
occurred between a man and woman? “Are you going to make love to
me?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

A thrill shot through her.

“But, I will not make you mine
yet.”

What did he mean? Oh, there was so much
that she didn’t understand.

He brought his hands up to cradle her
face. “Do you trust me?”

She nodded.

“I want you to promise me that if you
wish me to stop all you need to do is say the word.”

She blinked at him.

“Promise me.”