The woman whistled, and a boy probably the same age as Andrew came running toward her.“Nick, see that their horses are put in the barn and rubbed down.Then bring in their gear.”
He saluted the woman like a soldier and then ran out the front door.Mantheria could only be envious of his energy.“My son is missing.Have you noticed a boy, around eleven years old, with a dark suit and black hair come through your village?He was last seen in Tunley with a shepherd leading a herd of sheep.He has gone by the names of Andy and Noman.”
“No strange lads or sheep have come through the village today, but if you’re talking about a shepherd, I think you must mean one of Timsbury Manor’s farmhands.Once the storm lets up, I can send Nick over to see if they’ve seen your boy.”The woman looked at the puddle of water on her clean floor at Mantheria’s feet and then at Sunny’s wet face.“I’m afraid that the private parlor is already occupied, as are most of our rooms.But there is one left.A small bedchamber in the back, and I could have the maids prepare you a hot bath there in a copper tub.”
Only one room.Mantheria found herself swaying, and Sunny tightened his hold on her waist.
“That will be fine, ma’am.As you can see, my wife is very cold and wet.Would it be possible to borrow or buy a dry nightgown?”
“I shall lend her one of my own.”
Mantheria opened her mouth to protest, then found that she was too tired to.She closed her eyes and felt Sunny sweep her up into his arms.“Please show me the way, ma’am.My wife needs a fire.”
She didn’t see the stairs, but she felt Sunny climb them.Nor did she open her eyes until Sunny set her gently in front of the hearth.Instinctively, she held out her wet-gloved, wrinkled hands toward the warmth.She was too tired to even take off her sodden gloves.Sunny must have sensed it, for he carefully removed one and then the other and hung them near the fire.
“I’ll be fetching one of my nightgowns, and the maids will begin to bring up the hot water for your shared bath.”The female proprietor curtsied and then closed the door behind her.
Mantheria blushed as she realized that she was alone with Sunny in a room ...with a bed.Her friend made no attempt to go toward either her or the mattress; rather, he took off his soaked hat, coat, waistcoat, and then he sat on the floor near her to take off his boots.If her lips hadn’t been frozen from the cold, she might have smiled.It wasn’t every day that a duke sat on the floor.
As if guessing her thoughts, Sunny said, “I don’t dare sit on the edge of the bed for fear of leaving a watermark.”
He lightly bumped his shoulder against hers.She noticed that his linen shirt was completely soaked through and that she could see his defined chest muscles underneath it.Averting her eyes, Mantheria forced herself not to look down at his breeches, which were probably also wet and would show more detail than was proper.She leaned closer to the fire, the feeling in her fingers slowly returning.“How long do you think it will take before the storm lets up and Nick can see if Andrew is at Timsbury Manor?”
Sunny dropped his face into his wet, wrinkled hands as he shook his head.“I don’t know.It might not be until the morning.This storm is fierce.”
“But Andrew?—”
“Is a smart and resilient lad.I am sure that he has found shelter,” Sunny said, lifting his head up to look at her.“No doubt he’s telling some poor unsuspecting fool all about Odysseus and the story of the magic bag of winds.”
Determined to keep her eyes on the fire, Mantheria said, “I am not familiar with that story.”
She felt Sunny’s shoulder brush hers again, and a thrum of awareness rushed through her blood.A strange sort of warmth seemed to spread from her heart to her blood and throughout her entire body.And then the familiar fear seized her.She stiffened as if she were frozen solid.They were wet and alone in a bedchamber.She had not felt so vulnerable since her wedding night.She wasn’t sure what was going to happen or how to protect her battered heart if Sunny tried to kiss her.She wanted his kisses, but she didn’t know how to return them or how to stop her own body from going frigid.
“Odysseus and his crew landed on a peaceful island, where the elder, Aeolus, gave him a bag of winds in a magical leather sack.The bag of winds would help blow their ship home to Ithaca.But while Odysseus was sleeping, members of his curious crew opened the bag and let the winds out, which caused a terrible storm that brought the ship right back to Aeolus’s island.Odysseus asked for the elder’s help again, but this time he was refused.Dismayed, they set sail again.This time they landed on a new island where the goddess Circe lived.”
Mantheria watched the fire dance in the grate for a few moments before she said, “I suppose the moral of that story is that there are no second chances.Once a choice has been made, we can’t go back and unmake it.”
There was a knock at the door, and Sunny jumped to his feet to open it.Mantheria managed to slowly stand up as well.Two maids carried in a copper tub, and a third maid behind them was carrying a boiling pail of water.Sunny directed the maids to place the tub directly in front of the fire where they had been sitting, which they did.The third maid dropped the contents of her steaming bucket inside it, and they all promised to return soon with more hot water.
Sunny closed the door behind them.“I suppose we have a little more time to discuss the story as they fetch their pails.In this case, you are correct.Odysseus is not given a second chance to use the bag of winds.Except, that doesn’t mean that Odysseus isn’t able to find other ways home—different than his original plans—but they still lead him back to the love of his life, Penelope.I think the moral is to be careful in your curiosity so that you don’t search out the forbidden.”
Mantheria returned to stand near the fire, this time with her backside closest to it.“Like the story of Pandora’s box.”
“Exactly.”
She moved her hands behind her to be closer to the warmth of the flames.“I have always hated that myth.Without curiosity, there would be no scientific improvements or further knowledge gained about us, the other animals, and the world that we live in.”
“Not to mention the size of bellies and bosoms.”
Even though her face was not near the fire, Mantheria knew that it had gone a fiery red from her burning embarrassment.She knew that Sunny was making a reference to Helen’s unfortunate desire to share her growing measurements of both during her pregnancy.Something that never failed to make Mantheria extremely uncomfortable.She’d never been so insecure in her own body, nor felt the tightness she had in her bosom at this very moment, and the unfamiliar warmth that was spreading through her lower belly.She didn’t like these feelings at all—they made her feel wild and out of control.Powerless to control her own body.She stepped away from Sunny and the fire.Her side hit the wall at the same time there was another knock at the door.
Sunny glanced at Mantheria for permission before he said, “Come in.”
The lady proprietress entered the small bedchamber carrying a folded and freshly laundered nightgown and a pair of towels on top of their two bandboxes.“Here is the nightgown as promised.Nick was able to fetch your bandboxes and dry the outside of them off, but he did not open them to see if their inner contents were damp.”The woman set all three items on the bed and then ushered in the three maids, who were all carrying steaming pails of boiling water.One by one, they dropped the contents into the copper tub; it was not quite halfway full.The maids curtsied and left the room.
Mantheria walked to where the woman was standing.“Has the weather cleared enough for Nick to go to Timsbury Manor?”
The proprietress pointed to the window—the panes were darkened, and Mantheria could hear the steady pounding of the rain.“I am afraid not, Your Grace.And I can’t send one of my ostlers into that weather in the dark.They’d get lost in the storm.But I promise you that he’ll ride out first thing in the morning—rain or shine.”