“I don’t believe you,” Lauren said, her eyes searching his, but Theodore merely shook his head and cupped his palm over Lauren’s elbow, holding her in place.
With a crooked smile, he pointed above her head, drawing attention to greenery attached to the elaborately carved casing above the staircase. Lauren’s eyes widened as he pulled her closer. “Now, you will give me a truth. Would it be so terrible, Lauren? Being my wife?”
“Theo…”
“Give me a truth.” He gripped tighter, preventing her escape.
“I don’t know.” Lauren’s voice shook a little. “Had our fathers not been involved, I would have been very happy as your wife. Before. But now, I don’t know.”
Theodore grit his teeth at the display of her stubborn nature. “If you cannot answer honestly, then I’ll have a kiss instead.”
Lauren tensed, no doubt expecting a repeat of their passionate interlude in the library, but Theodore merely raised her hand to his lips. A soft kiss was pressed to the palm of her hand.
She stared at him in shock as he released her.
“Remember my words well, Lauren. A kiss, a truth, or a favor. At the very least, I’ll have one of the three.”
Chapter 4
Lauren rolled over, propping her arm under a pillow, and watched Anne bustle about the room. It was barely nine o’clock in the morning. Pity she could not sleep any later, especially after tossing and turning all night.
“The hot chocolate is ready, milady,” the maid said. “Will you want it by the fire, or shall I bring it to you in bed?”
“In bed,” Lauren replied, sitting up. “It’s too cold to get up just yet.”
“That it is,” Anne agreed with a laugh. She handed a delicate cup to Lauren, then continued readying the bath set up before the fire.
By the time Lauren finished her hot chocolate, the last bit of steaming water was added to the slipper tub. With a reluctant sigh, she threw back the coverlet and slid from the bed, her toes curling upon contact with the cold floor.
Anne took her nightrail, placing it neatly over a chair before helping her into the tub. Sinking into the steamy water with a sigh, Lauren grinned at her maid.
“I might stay here all day.”
“Not once that water begins to chill, milady. You’ll jump out fast as a cat when that happens. I’ll be back in a bit to help you dress and arrange your hair, but I’m off to check on Mr. Ollie. He’s still feeling poorly after riding on top of that coach, the stubborn thing.”
“Take your time, Anne. If Ollie is in need of anything, please let the housekeeper know. A few days of rest would certainly benefit him, and you as well.” Lauren tilted her head. “In fact, other than helping me with gowns that button up the back, I see no reason for you to attend me with such diligence.”
“Oh, milady. Arrange your own hair? Dress yourself, too? What sort of lady’s maid would I be if I allowed that?”
“The sort who deserves a day or two for herself. Truly, Anne, it will please me to give you that. Plus, you can look in on Ollie. I’m certain he will want you near.”
Anne appeared unconvinced but hopeful. “I don’t know, milady. Are you sure?”
Lauren smiled. “Of course. Go on now. Take your time and come back when you are ready.”
“Oh, Lady Lauren! You are too good to me.” A huge grin broke across Anne’s face. “Thank you.”
Anne exited in a flurry of skirts while Lauren chuckled and relaxed back against the edge of the tub.
In the silence of the room, with only the crackling of the fire to disturb the calm, Lauren contemplated the true motives behind her actions. Yes, she was being kind to her servants, but she also did not want any witnesses to whatever that devil, Lord Hawthorne, had planned.
The nerve of the man. Using something as commonplace as a bit of weed to prove her desire for him. It wasn’t fair he could command her responses so easily. She couldn’t forget he meant to trick her into marriage a second time.
And yet, how could she ignore the way her body ignited when Theo touched her?
Staring into the flames of the fire, Lauren was so embroiled in her thoughts that the click of the door did not register.
The trailing of a forefinger down the nape of her neck, exposed by her upswept hair, alerted her that she wasn’t alone.
With a startled gasp, Lauren sank further into the tub. Water sloshed over the sides when she instinctively crossed her arms over bare breasts.
“Good morning, my sweet,” Theodore drawled, his hand curling into a light grip on her neck. “Did you sleep you well? I didn’t. Too many thoughts of you running through my mind, unfortunately.”
“Have you taken complete leave of your senses?” Lauren choked out. “Have you no regard for the scandal this could cause?” She thought her heart would pound out of her chest from the fright he just gave her. Thank goodness Anne added some rose oil to the bathwater. It clouded the water just enough that Lauren could retain a bit of her modesty.
Theodore stood beside the tub, his fingers caressing her nape as he stared down at her. His full lips quirked upward with a slight twist.
“No one else is about this early in the morning, and Anne told me she had no intention of returning for a while. I have the feeling she was encouraging me to check in on you.”
He was dressed for riding, although Lauren could not imagine anyone willing to venture out in such freezing temperatures. Wearing a pair of dark breeches, a white shirt, and a knee-high Hessians, he also carried a wool riding coat in the crook of his arm. She watched as he carelessly tossed it onto the same chair as her nightrail.
Her heart rate ratcheted with something suspiciously akin to desire when he teased her earlobe, the blunt ends of his fingernails grazing her flesh. “Please, Theo. You shouldn’t be here…”
“When we are wed, this will become part of our morning routine. I will play lady’s maid for you. I will gladly wash your hair, pour the oils in your bath. Cleanse your body, from your head to the tips of your toes. And everything in between.”
While he spoke, his fingers traveled from her earlobe to the slope of her shoulder, then down along the delicate line of her collarbone. Lauren sucked in a breath, sinking further into the water, but that did not deter him.
Pulling a sprig of mistletoe from a small pocket of his breeches, he dangled it over her forehead, then tucked it away when she frowned up at him. This mistletoe business was becoming quite ridiculous. Did he intend on carrying the blasted plant with him everywhere he went? Did he mean to back her into a corner at every turn with it?
Chuckling, Theodore moved closer and gripped her chin with his free hand. With gentle pressure, he forced her gaze to meet his. His blue eyes were so bright with promise that Lauren felt her heart squeeze in response even through her frustrated anger.
“I can show you more pleasure than you could ever imagine, my love, by simply touching you,” he murmured, fingers dancing between the exposed border of flesh and the silky skin beneath the water’s edge. “But I will not take from you what you are unwilling to give. Tell me to leave and I will go.”
The demand was on the very tip of her tongue, but the words died a quick death. Lauren could only swallow and gaze up at him, wondering what pleasures he spoke of. What delights could be experienced with a mere brush of his fingers?