“Nothing serious,” he said and gestured once more for Seth to sit. “Please remove your shirt. With your constitution this should be quick.”
Seth’s jaw clenched as he looked between both Hollingsworth men.Neither seemed inclined to leave.
With gritted teeth, Seth removed his topcoat and turned to the doctor.
“The shirt stays on.”
***
Cassandra woke in pure darkness, disoriented, heart hammering in her chest. She reached blindly until she found the edge of the canopy and pulled the curtain back with a trembling hand. Blinking hard, she struggled to adjust to the dim light. Shadows danced along the edges of the room from the low burning embers in the grate. She had slept through a servant coming in to light it, and—she noted with some unease—someone dressing her in her cotton nightgown.
How did she make it back to her bedchamber?
She stepped onto the cool floor and lit a lamp. Squinting at the clock on the mantel, she frowned. One in the morning. In the middle of her bedchamber, a small table held a dinner tray with covered plates. Next to the flatware, a champagne flute held a solitary white flower with dark leaves. She lifted the flower to her nose and inhaled its fresh, creamy fragrance.
A gardenia.
Lifting the lids from the plates, she found slabs of cold beef and chicken, a loaf of bread, and cheddar cut into cubes. Ravenous, she tore at the bread with her fingers and made a crude sandwich, forcing the thick bread down with long gulps of water. Satisfied, she reached for the napkin near the flower and noticed that tucked under the vase was a folded square of parchment, sealed with red wax.
A hero’s reward.
One kiss taken, and one freely given.
A cheap feeling came over her. She hadcompensatedhim for saving her. A weight settled into her stomach as she realized their deal was done. No longer did she need to worry about him reading herinnermost thoughts. Desires. Dreams. Especially now, he couldn’t know.
Hastily she picked up the page and removed the seal, but instead of her own looping cursive, a simple script read:
Come to my bedchamber when you wake up.
-S
Flushing, she glanced at the clock as if it had suddenly become a respectable hour for an unmarried woman to go to a man’s bedchamberalone. He certainly didn’t mean now, did he? She listened at the brick and heard nothing. She paced a few steps in front of her door, chewing on a cube of cheese.
This is ridiculous.
A swish of parchment slid under her door, another folded square, sealed in the same manner. Irritated, she opened it.
Eat.
Dress warmly.
Wear your walking boots.
Come to my bedchamber.
-S
Bristling at the series of commands, Cassandra had every thought to refuse him, but... her walking boots? He didn’t mean to take her outside, did he? Going to the window, she peeled back the curtains to see a sky clear of clouds with a full moon casting the world in a pale blue light. The grounds were empty. The halls silent. The guests asleep. It was a horrible idea. Foolish andwrong.
But her traitorous heart raced.
Carefully, she donned a pair of stockings and slid her feet into her leather boots. She tied her dressing gown over her nightgown, wrapped a cloak around her shoulders, and checked the mirror to see that her hood covered her face. Poised with her hand at the door, Cassandra allowed herself a moment to reconsider.
Was she really going to do this?
Go to a man’s bedchamber in the middle of the night? And not just any man, butSeth.A man who infuriated her. Kissed her.Wantedher.
Yes, she would.