Page 19 of Just Think of the Scandal (The Fairplace Family Novellas #2)
T heo awoke to the sunrise falling across his face. He blinked, lifting his head to better understand where he was.
Pale yellow light spilled through a crack in a lace curtain, illuminating the small but cheerful bedroom. A design of pink roses papered the walls. A whitewashed stand with a pale green pitcher and bowl stood in one corner, a looking glass hanging above it. A chest of drawers perched against the wall, and opposite that was the whitewashed door with an antique knob. His bed was piled high with pillows, a white coverlet, and Eliska, curled in a ball near the foot of the bed.
His whole body ached. He shifted, and his left leg screamed at him. A groan escaped his lips.
Eliska bolted upright, hair the color of a rosy dawn spilling around her. She wore a faded dress he didn’t recognize. Cuts marked her forearms and bruises marred her neck and face. Her eyes fastened to his. “Theo! You’re awake!” She pounced like a dog with a scent, prowling up the bed to put a hand to his brow.
Theo basked in her touch, another groan escaping.
“We’re at the local vicar’s house,” she said before he could even think to ask where they were. “They took us in yesterday. You likely have two cracked ribs. The doctor came by and set your leg.” She shuddered. “You screamed. The vicar’s wife and I held you down on their kitchen table. I never, ever want to see you in pain like that again.” Her pale face had turned paler at the recollection.
“Are you hurt?” Theo’s throat felt like someone had scraped his inside raw, and it sounded little better than a whisper.
“Bruises here and there. Scratches from the broken glass. You protected me.” Her hand caressed down his brow and cheek to rest on his chest, where his heart beat. “My love.” She opened her mouth to speak more, but her eyes filled with tears, and she burst into sobs.
Theo was horrified. “Oh, darling. I’m so sorry you were so frightened. It must’ve been terrifying to be caught inside that carriage with no way to escape.” He barely remembered any of it except the pain that had clouded all other senses.
“No, you idiot man! I was terrified for you . Have you ever been convinced someone you love was about to die right in front of you, with no way to stop it?”
Theo forced himself into a half-reclining position. It took too long and his whole body hurt with the effort. But he needed her close. He embraced her, pulling her gently against him.
“I shouldn’t lay against you,” Eliska cried into his nightshirt. “You’re bruised enough as it is. Your whole chest is black and blue.”
Theo stroked her hair, marveling at the silky texture. “Shh, my sweet Eliska. I’m here. I’m alive.”
“I can’t lose you, too,” Eliska said between sobs. “Not another person. Not again.”
Theo pressed kisses to her hair. “I’m here. We’re here,” he repeated over and over. “I love you.”
Eliska’s weeping quieted after a moment. She nestled quietly in his arms. All in all, this wasn’t a bad place to be, Theo reflected. He could get used to her body against his.
She finally pulled back to look him in the eyes, wiping her face with both her hands. “As soon as you’re well enough to be moved we’re going back to Blatherwycke and getting that special license.”
Theo’s heart soared.
“That is, I mean, if you still want me.” Eliska eyed him.
Theo grinned. “Come here.”
She moved. “What? Why?”
“Because my ribs hurt too much to move, and I need to do something.”
Her breath warmed his face. “What do you need to do?”
“This.”
Theo took her face into his hands and kissed her. Eliska’s soft gasp of surprised pleasure made his body yearn for her. He kissed her over and over, lips caressing hers. His tongue flicked the corner of her mouth, then he opened his mouth in an invitation for her to join him. Her tongue tenderly stroked his upper lip, then she slipped inside. Their tongues curled over one another, twining and dancing together in a celebration of life and love.
After several long moments of breathing her scent and memorizing her mouth, Theo pulled back to breathe. Resting his forehead on hers, he smiled. “Of course I still want you.”
Her answering smile lit the room like the sunrise.