having to work from early morning until late at night.
When her meal was finished, she paced the room and expected to be seeing Rodney again, but instead the next knock at the door brought a heavy brass tub and buckets full of hot water. A package arrived soon after: scented soap, large linen towels, a generous sponge, and a brush.
A bath of clean hot water, one of the first she had enjoyed since leaving Osmond’s home, eased her mind and body, and later, wrapped in towel, she sat on her stool and brushed her wet hair.
Another knock interrupted her grooming, and she went over to the door. "Who’s there?"
"Geoffrey Seavers, madam. May I come in?"
"You’ll have to wait, milord. I’ve only just come out of the bath."
"Stand behind the door then and let me come in. I’ve brought you a dress and shoes." He paused and cleared his throat. "I won’t look."
Alicia thought for a moment and then put the brush on the table and took up the key. She struggled with the difficult lock, and as the door creaked open, she very quietly asked him to honor his word. "If you’ll put the dress on the bed and leave, I’ll be most grateful."
She held her linen towel around herself and watched his back as he moved to the bed. His hair was pulled back and tied with a ribbon and he had changed to a fresh coat. His steps were slow and cautious ones and he seemed to hesitate. He finally rested a bundle on the bed and painstakingly undid the large package, withdrawing a rich-looking gown. He draped this on the bed and withdrew shoes—expensive-looking ones—which he set beside the gown.
He cleared his throat but did not turn. "I’m told I made a miserable fool of myself last eventide and you were frightened." He cleared his throat again. "My apologies."
"And I am sorry that I proved such a disappointment to you," she replied in a quiet voice.
Geoffrey turned abruptly and startled a gasp out of her. The towel covered her nearly to the floor and did not leave her badly embarrassed, yet she had expected him not to turn. When he realized his error, he cast his eyes resolutely to the floor.
"Again, madam, I’m sorry. I did not think. It’s only that I couldn’t remember your face, and your voice surprises me.
"What surprise is in my voice?" she asked somewhat harshly.
"It’s gentle," he said, still looking at the floor. "And pleasant. Not what I expected."
"Well, at least I’m not totally unfit in your estimation," she countered.
Geoffrey’s hands went into his coat pockets and he raised his eyes very slowly. Alicia did not gasp and clutch at her cover this time, for his action was so deliberate. She had plenty of time to call out to him not to look at her, but she wanted to see his eyes again. Though she had not suffered ill with drink the night before, she found in the morning that she could not clearly remember his face.
Seavers’s memory was badly impaired and he could not separate in his mind one foul and ill-kept barmaid from below from the parcel that Rodney had delivered, both being women he had encountered the night before. Though he’d arranged the bath, soaps, and clothes, he couldn’t carry the idea a bit further without seeing her face. And the face he was seeing now was lovely. Her hair hung in dark, wet ringlets over her shoulders and down her back, and her face glowed with a freshly scrubbed flush. Slender fingers held the cover in place over her breasts, and drops of moisture from her hair caused the linen to fit her more as skin than cover. What he saw pleased him a great deal. "On the contrary, Alicia," he said hoarsely.
He cleared his throat and began to pace about the small room.
"What we shall do first, Alicia, is teach you all we can of the Bellamys. It shouldn’t take very long. A letter has been sent by courier to the king explaining that the delay in your arrival at court is for the purpose of burying your aunt, the old woman having just been laid to rest. Then, with a few gowns to see you through,
When her meal was finished, she paced the room and expected to be seeing Rodney again, but instead the next knock at the door brought a heavy brass tub and buckets full of hot water. A package arrived soon after: scented soap, large linen towels, a generous sponge, and a brush.
A bath of clean hot water, one of the first she had enjoyed since leaving Osmond’s home, eased her mind and body, and later, wrapped in towel, she sat on her stool and brushed her wet hair.
Another knock interrupted her grooming, and she went over to the door. "Who’s there?"
"Geoffrey Seavers, madam. May I come in?"
"You’ll have to wait, milord. I’ve only just come out of the bath."
"Stand behind the door then and let me come in. I’ve brought you a dress and shoes." He paused and cleared his throat. "I won’t look."
Alicia thought for a moment and then put the brush on the table and took up the key. She struggled with the difficult lock, and as the door creaked open, she very quietly asked him to honor his word. "If you’ll put the dress on the bed and leave, I’ll be most grateful."
She held her linen towel around herself and watched his back as he moved to the bed. His hair was pulled back and tied with a ribbon and he had changed to a fresh coat. His steps were slow and cautious ones and he seemed to hesitate. He finally rested a bundle on the bed and painstakingly undid the large package, withdrawing a rich-looking gown. He draped this on the bed and withdrew shoes—expensive-looking ones—which he set beside the gown.
He cleared his throat but did not turn. "I’m told I made a miserable fool of myself last eventide and you were frightened." He cleared his throat again. "My apologies."
"And I am sorry that I proved such a disappointment to you," she replied in a quiet voice.
Geoffrey turned abruptly and startled a gasp out of her. The towel covered her nearly to the floor and did not leave her badly embarrassed, yet she had expected him not to turn. When he realized his error, he cast his eyes resolutely to the floor.
"Again, madam, I’m sorry. I did not think. It’s only that I couldn’t remember your face, and your voice surprises me.
"What surprise is in my voice?" she asked somewhat harshly.
"It’s gentle," he said, still looking at the floor. "And pleasant. Not what I expected."
"Well, at least I’m not totally unfit in your estimation," she countered.
Geoffrey’s hands went into his coat pockets and he raised his eyes very slowly. Alicia did not gasp and clutch at her cover this time, for his action was so deliberate. She had plenty of time to call out to him not to look at her, but she wanted to see his eyes again. Though she had not suffered ill with drink the night before, she found in the morning that she could not clearly remember his face.
Seavers’s memory was badly impaired and he could not separate in his mind one foul and ill-kept barmaid from below from the parcel that Rodney had delivered, both being women he had encountered the night before. Though he’d arranged the bath, soaps, and clothes, he couldn’t carry the idea a bit further without seeing her face. And the face he was seeing now was lovely. Her hair hung in dark, wet ringlets over her shoulders and down her back, and her face glowed with a freshly scrubbed flush. Slender fingers held the cover in place over her breasts, and drops of moisture from her hair caused the linen to fit her more as skin than cover. What he saw pleased him a great deal. "On the contrary, Alicia," he said hoarsely.
He cleared his throat and began to pace about the small room.
"What we shall do first, Alicia, is teach you all we can of the Bellamys. It shouldn’t take very long. A letter has been sent by courier to the king explaining that the delay in your arrival at court is for the purpose of burying your aunt, the old woman having just been laid to rest. Then, with a few gowns to see you through,
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