Page 4 of Her Duke’s Second Chance (Regency Second Chances #1)
CHAPTER 4
“ I suspect we will be here for a while. I should commandeer a private room before they are all taken,” Robert announced, placing his hand on the small of her back, and steering her gently toward a bench.
Georgiana was glad to dash inside the inn and get out of the increasing downpour. She did not mind a little rain, but the thunder and lightning were too much for her. The embarrassment of cowering fearfully against Robert made it twice as humiliating.
The inn was full, a lot of other travelers having had the same idea of sheltering while they waited out the storm. Several wait staff were hurrying up and down, serving platters of hot soup and tankards of ale.
Georgiana frowned at Robert. “Do you think we will have to spend the night?”
He sighed, peering outside before shaking his head. “Even if the rain stopped right this minute, we would not make much progress. The roads will be too slippery to drive on until at least late tomorrow afternoon. Let us wait and see.”
Georgiana was afraid he was right. From the conversations she could hear, she knew that most of the other patrons were traveling by stagecoach. If those had been forced to stop as well, it meant the roads were unusable.
She sighed, wrapping Robert’s coat more tightly around her.
This entire trip has been so fraught with difficulties.
Robert summoned one of the serving girls and murmured something in her ear. Soon after, a steaming cup of hot toddy was placed in front of Georgiana, together with a warm loaf of bread and a large bowl of hot soup.
She cast Robert a grateful glance and dug into her meal.
It was both filling and comforting, and she could not help but have good feelings towards him for taking care of her so selflessly.
Robert stood up and drifted off to speak with the publican. Georgiana paid him no mind, too busy enjoying her warm drink. A young boy started a fire in the fireplace, making the already cozy room even more comfortable.
After finishing her meal and warming herself by the fire, Georgiana could feel her eyes becoming heavy and drifting shut. It had been a harrowing journey, and she had not really had an opportunity to relax so completely.
A clap of thunder woke her up, and she realized she had fallen asleep. She looked around for Robert and saw that he was still in deep conversation with the publican. She concluded that she had not been asleep for long, which was a relief.
He finally returned and bent over to her to whisper in her ear.
“I am told the inn is quite full. For us, however, the publican has offered me a place around the back. It is not really part of the inn, more like an annex to his own cottage. But it is ours for the night.”
Georgiana wondered how Robert had managed to strike this bargain and concluded that a substantial amount of coin must have changed hands. She could only hope that the accommodations were comfortable as she nodded and followed Robert to their temporary shelter.
The route involved exiting the inn through the kitchens, walking along a narrow path fortunately shielded from the elements by an awning. After skipping across some cobblestones, they entered a tiny compound through a small gate. There was a round stone cottage on one side and a smaller, square stone and wood structure on the other.
The publican led them to the smaller shelter, opening the door to reveal a single chamber containing a bed, a fireplace with a pile of wood stacked beside it, a small table with a lamp already burning upon it, and a small bench on which they could sit.
There were two large wooden windows that were currently closed against the elements. The room was quite dim aside from the light cast by the fire and the lamp.
Georgiana stared at the single bed with trepidation. The publican bid them both a good night and closed the door behind him. She suddenly realized that this would only be the third time she had been alone with her husband since their wedding night.
“Do not worry. I have already arranged for us to be provided with dinner and a bath. Since your only gown must be quite damp, I thought you could hang it over the fire while we rest in the bed.”
Georgiana gave him a sharp, suspicious look. “Oh, did you? What a splendid idea. Me divesting myself of my gown in front of you. How normal and comfortable would that be?” she said sarcastically.
He snorted derisively. “Well, if you would rather remain in damp clothes, that is your prerogative. I do hope you do not expect me to do the same.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He shrugged as he began to undo the buttons of his shirt. She stared at him wide-eyed, unable to believe her eyes.
“What are you doing ?”
He ignored her, removed his shirt, and hung it on a hook over the fireplace. As he reached for the ties of his breeches, Georgiana gaped at him and felt her eyes become so wide that she feared they would pop out of her head, but she could not force herself to look away.
His toned, muscular arms were lightly furred and flexed as he began to remove his breeches. She could see the hard outline of his chest and suddenly yearned to trace her fingertips across it.
“Your Grace. What are you doing?” she repeated as she shook her head to clear it of its lustful thoughts.
Robert just ignored her.
“I am merely getting comfortable, wife.”
Robert watched Georgiana closely, wondering if she would faint from their proximity. He could not help but think back to their wedding night, and how she had cowered away from him on the other side of what was to be their spousal bed as if he was a beast.
All he could think of doing was to turn away from her and leave. He had ended up striding angrily to the stables, saddling a horse, and riding off to Emberford Hall.
He pulled down his breeches, smoothing them out before laying them on the stone slab before the fire. His clothes were very damp, and he had no intention of coming down with catarrh if he could avoid it.
Georgiana was hunched in on herself on the bed with her arms tightly wrapped around both knees, her big blue eyes staring at him as if she had never seen him before.
“As my wife, you should know that I rarely sleep clothed, unless the night gets very cold,” he said.
She nodded, made a noncommittal sound deep in her throat, and dropped her gaze.
“What of you?” he asked, just for the conversation while he debated removing his small clothes as well.
“What of me?” she asked in surprise, lashes sweeping upward so she could give him a blue look. “I have a nightgown, like any proper lady.”
He smirked. “You would be surprised,” he said, deciding to take his small clothes off. It was high time his bride saw him naked.
She squeaked, turning her body so she was facing away from him. “What would I be surprised about?”
“The variety of things a lady might sleep in. Or lack thereof.”
“Is that so? Have you had occasion to sleep with many ladies?”
He stared at her back in surprise. What a question to ask !
“A gentleman does not disclose that kind of information,” he responded.
“A gentleman would also not strip naked in front of a lady,” she sniped.
“Unless that lady were his wife,” Robert shot back.
She began to remove his overcoat, her movements sharp and frantic.
“Can you at least wear this ?” she hissed, thrusting the coat at him without facing him.
He chuckled. “Very well, I shall put it on and sit on the stone by the fire, so it too can dry off. Now, how about you come and sit beside me so that you get the benefit of the flames?”
She let out a high, disbelieving laugh. “Don the coat first,” she said, still turned away from him.
“I have. You can face me now.”
Slowly she turned, blinked at him once, and then got to her feet.
He was indeed wearing his great coat though he had not bothered to button it up. He sat with one leg crossed over the other, on the stone ledge in front of the fire, the flames heating his back. It would get uncomfortable soon, but for now, it was perfect.
She crossed over to him, hesitated for a moment, and then sat by his side.
“You see. That was not terribly hard, was it?” he asked teasingly.
She favored him with a glare and sat rigidly by the fire.
“You said the publican would bring us food and drink…and a bath?” Georgiana mumbled.
Despite Robert’s state of undress, Georgiana soon grew comfortably warm by the fire. She swayed a bit, her eyes closing until she was involuntarily leaning against his arm.
When she realized how close she was to laying her head on his shoulders, she jerked away, shuffling away from him and blinking rapidly to wake herself up.
“Yes but…” he leaned forward, cocking his ear to listen, “by the sounds of the downpour outside, I do not think it will be soon. You should go and lie down.”
“I am all right,” she said sharply, just to stop his urging.
She had no intention of taking off any of her clothes in front of him. She could not believe she was sitting next to his near-naked body. She could not remember ever seeing him unclothed. It had been impossible for her not to look at his manly area. The dimness of the room, however, had made it so she had not gotten a proper view, much to her mortified regret.
“How is it that you did not at least pack a change of clothes for this trip?” he asked.
“I was in a hurry. I do not see you with a suitcase.”
“It is still in the chaise. I left it there thinking we might set out again today but at this point, I see that it is impossible. Never fear, I shall fetch it in a short while, together with our supper and a bath for you. I simply thought to get warm first.”
Georgiana opened her mouth to thank him, hesitated, then closed it again. The feeling of being in uncharted territory would not leave her and she had no idea how to behave.
She pondered the notion of asking Robert if they could concoct a protocol of behavior so she would know what was expected of her.
She was quite sure that he would laugh in her face if she said such a thing. A man who stripped naked with no hesitation in front of a lady clearly did not set much store in decorum.
Do I? Do I set a lot of store in it, or am I simply used to adhering to it to hide my family’s shortcomings?
Georgiana did not know but, at that moment, she found that she missed her family. Things might have been hard, and they were constantly teetering on the brink of ruin before Robert’s dowry had saved them; but at least then, Georgiana always knew what was expected of her.
She always held her head high as she convinced the butcher to extend their credit, while the milkmaids were to be pleaded with for just half a pail of milk, for the young ones, please . She bargained hard with the market women for their groceries and bartered with the modiste for a used gown for her stepmother.
Now she was adrift in a sea of unknowns, never sure from one day to the next what her new role as a wife and a duchess encompassed. Robert got to his feet and shrugged out of his coat.
He turned and faced her. “Well, I shall be going now.”
She stared unblinkingly at his groin, her mouth agape and her throat tinder dry. “Uh…” she said.
He smiled. “I shall see you presently.” He turned, reaching for his breeches and pulling them on, followed by his shirt, stockings, and boots.
Georgiana sat frozen the entire time, unable to remember how to move. She stayed like that until the click of the door closing behind him snapped her from her trance.