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Authors: Ceciliaand the Stranger
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swaying in a jerky little dance.
Finally, the trio arrived at the bed.
“Pull down the covers,” Cecilia said.
“What for?”
She gaped at him as though she couldn’t believe her ears. “We just can’t throw him on the bed. Pull down the covers.”
Only a woman, Jake thought, shaking his head. “That’s crazy. But if keeping your sweetheart warm means so much to you, you pull them back.”
“He’s not my sweetheart!” she snapped. “Besides, you’re closer.”
A quick glance toward the bed confirmed she was right. But this was silly. “You can’t hold him up by yourself.”
It was the wrong argument to make. “Who says?”
Jake rolled his eyes. “Let’s not bicker. If you insist, I’ll turn down your damned covers.”
“There’s no need to resort to profanity, Mr. Pendergast,” she said haughtily, “just because you’re faced with ceding your meager but typical male show of strength to a woman.”
Jake relinquished his hold on Buck and stepped away, watching Cecilia stagger under the sudden burden. “Is that what I’m doing?” he asked innocently.
She weaved and leaned precariously for a moment before getting Buck’s bulk under control. “For heaven’s sakes!” she cried. “I almost dropped him, thanks to you.”
“Thanks to the loss of my meager strength, you mean?”
Cecilia rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Yes.”
From Dolly’s room across the hall, Jake heard stirring. He looked anxiously at Cecilia, who was glaring at him. Suddenly, an idea struck him.
Why not? he thought.
“Well,” he said, in his primmest Pendergast tone, “I am glad to know that you’ll thank me for something. And now I suggest you put this man to bed.”
Cecilia frowned, but followed his very logical suggestion. Her bent frame was about to snap in two from Buck’s weight. With Pendergast lifting not a finger to help, she shuffled closer to the bed.
“You need to turn the other way,” he said, calculating.
Cecilia puffed out an exasperated breath. She should have just pulled back the damned covers and left Pendergast to do the lifting. “But that doesn’t make sense,” she said. “That would put me between him and the bed.”
“Trust me,” Pendergast said.
Foolishly, but just wanting to get this all over with, she did. Gathering her last vestiges of strength, she pivoted herself and Buck around so that the backs of her thighs were pinned against the mattress.
“I told you this was all wrong,” she said.
Pendergast smiled, and behind him, Cecilia heard the opening of a door, then approaching footsteps. Dolly! “Oh, no!” she whispered, looking at him entreatingly. “Do something!”
He nodded obligingly, and then, with an evil little grin, put two fingers to Buck’s back and gave him a gentle but firm shove. The slight pressure was enough to throw Cecilia completely off-balance, and she yelped helplessly as she felt herself falling, falling—and saw Buck poised to land right on top of her!
They hit the cotton batting and down mattress with a dull thud just as Dolly scurried into the room.
“What is happening!” she cried, trying to make sense of the mass of arms and legs entangled on the bed. Cecilia let out a winded moan, and Dolly’s eyes widened.
“Don’t, Mrs. Hudspeth,” Jake urged, enjoying himself immensely as he took her arm to steer her toward the door. “Don’t look on it.”
Dolly dug in her heels. “But that’s—that’s Cecilia under that man!”
Cecilia let out a muffled cry and began to struggle to free herself.
“I’ve never witnessed such a scandal,” Jake said in a low voice. “I never dreamed such things went on in respectable houses!”
Dolly’s hand flew to her mouth, her friend forgotten momentarily at the mention of the word scandal . “They don’t!” She looked at Cecilia, puzzled. “But who is that on top of her?”
“Dolly, for heaven’s sake!” Cecilia yelled, poking her head free. “It’s just Buck. Get me out of
Finally, the trio arrived at the bed.
“Pull down the covers,” Cecilia said.
“What for?”
She gaped at him as though she couldn’t believe her ears. “We just can’t throw him on the bed. Pull down the covers.”
Only a woman, Jake thought, shaking his head. “That’s crazy. But if keeping your sweetheart warm means so much to you, you pull them back.”
“He’s not my sweetheart!” she snapped. “Besides, you’re closer.”
A quick glance toward the bed confirmed she was right. But this was silly. “You can’t hold him up by yourself.”
It was the wrong argument to make. “Who says?”
Jake rolled his eyes. “Let’s not bicker. If you insist, I’ll turn down your damned covers.”
“There’s no need to resort to profanity, Mr. Pendergast,” she said haughtily, “just because you’re faced with ceding your meager but typical male show of strength to a woman.”
Jake relinquished his hold on Buck and stepped away, watching Cecilia stagger under the sudden burden. “Is that what I’m doing?” he asked innocently.
She weaved and leaned precariously for a moment before getting Buck’s bulk under control. “For heaven’s sakes!” she cried. “I almost dropped him, thanks to you.”
“Thanks to the loss of my meager strength, you mean?”
Cecilia rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Yes.”
From Dolly’s room across the hall, Jake heard stirring. He looked anxiously at Cecilia, who was glaring at him. Suddenly, an idea struck him.
Why not? he thought.
“Well,” he said, in his primmest Pendergast tone, “I am glad to know that you’ll thank me for something. And now I suggest you put this man to bed.”
Cecilia frowned, but followed his very logical suggestion. Her bent frame was about to snap in two from Buck’s weight. With Pendergast lifting not a finger to help, she shuffled closer to the bed.
“You need to turn the other way,” he said, calculating.
Cecilia puffed out an exasperated breath. She should have just pulled back the damned covers and left Pendergast to do the lifting. “But that doesn’t make sense,” she said. “That would put me between him and the bed.”
“Trust me,” Pendergast said.
Foolishly, but just wanting to get this all over with, she did. Gathering her last vestiges of strength, she pivoted herself and Buck around so that the backs of her thighs were pinned against the mattress.
“I told you this was all wrong,” she said.
Pendergast smiled, and behind him, Cecilia heard the opening of a door, then approaching footsteps. Dolly! “Oh, no!” she whispered, looking at him entreatingly. “Do something!”
He nodded obligingly, and then, with an evil little grin, put two fingers to Buck’s back and gave him a gentle but firm shove. The slight pressure was enough to throw Cecilia completely off-balance, and she yelped helplessly as she felt herself falling, falling—and saw Buck poised to land right on top of her!
They hit the cotton batting and down mattress with a dull thud just as Dolly scurried into the room.
“What is happening!” she cried, trying to make sense of the mass of arms and legs entangled on the bed. Cecilia let out a winded moan, and Dolly’s eyes widened.
“Don’t, Mrs. Hudspeth,” Jake urged, enjoying himself immensely as he took her arm to steer her toward the door. “Don’t look on it.”
Dolly dug in her heels. “But that’s—that’s Cecilia under that man!”
Cecilia let out a muffled cry and began to struggle to free herself.
“I’ve never witnessed such a scandal,” Jake said in a low voice. “I never dreamed such things went on in respectable houses!”
Dolly’s hand flew to her mouth, her friend forgotten momentarily at the mention of the word scandal . “They don’t!” She looked at Cecilia, puzzled. “But who is that on top of her?”
“Dolly, for heaven’s sake!” Cecilia yelled, poking her head free. “It’s just Buck. Get me out of
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