had she trembled for some other reason?
The material loosened on her figure with each button, revealing smooth pale skin, so pale that it was almost translucent. He dismissed the urge to press his lips there as nothing more than a normal male response. She shivered a second time, almost as though she could read his thoughts and delicate gooseflesh danced across her skin.
The thought that he ought to have rented two rooms entered his mind, but he just as quickly rejected it. She was safer this way.
From Culpepper, anyhow.
He finished the task quickly and stepped away from her. Luckily, the maid chose that moment to knock, bringing the requested bottles of whisky. He wasted no time in pouring himself a few drams, emptying the glass in one swallow, and then filling it again.
Tabetha’s reckless independence had irritated him before. Perhaps knowing she’d been knocked so low was the reason it didn’t now.
In fact, he grudgingly admired it. Her confidence was almost attractive when she wasn’t preening and carrying on about becoming a duchess.
Remembering the look he’d spied in her eyes before they’d been interrupted, he poured a second glass and crossed the room to where he ought to have been hearing splashing sounds from behind the screen. He’d heard her climb into the tub, but she’d since gone suspiciously silent.
Peering around the flimsy barrier, he cleared his throat. Just enough to see her shoulders rising out of the tub where she sat, hugging her knees to her chest, chin down and looking far too despondent.
Her head snapped up. “What are you doing? Get out of here!”
“Drink this.” He reached across the space with the glass he’d poured for her.
The copper tub was decent-sized and with her knees bent up, she quite effectively hid her feminine assets.
Even so, he couldn’t help but notice how fragile she looked, and unfortunately, his cock stirred. Down, boy. Now was not the time for this. And as far as this woman was concerned, no time ever would be.
He’d been quite successful to date at burying any attraction he’d experienced for this girl—this woman. He’d done this by thinking of her as nothing more than a duty, as an annoying task. She was the younger sister of one of his best friends. His eyes flicked to the delicate curve of her spine.
Damn his eyes, all in all, Tabetha Fitzwilliam was a bad idea.
Even if her alabaster skin did practically glow in the soft light coming through the window.
“Drink this. You’ll feel better, I promise.” Stone forced his gaze to remain on her face, reaching the glass closer to her.
Eyes wide, she nodded and then accepted the drink, giving him the barest glimpse of the side of her breast as she lifted her arm to take it. Pale and plump. His fingers itched to see if her skin felt as soft as it looked.
“This isn’t proper.” She stared down into the glass as though she was talking to it rather than him. Most likely she was talking to herself.
The events of the day must have turned all her notions of propriety onto their head. She likely needed the whisky more than he did.
“When all this is over, we’ll pretend it never happened.” Surprisingly enough, he meant it. As much as he enjoyed goading her, he wouldn’t goad her today. Her greatest achievement had become her greatest mistake in one afternoon. She’d left London believing she would return as a duchess.
Instead… It was likely she was ruined forever.
“Do you think he’ll keep quiet about it?” She seemed almost hypnotized as she stared into the glass of whisky.
“No telling.” She was as pale as a ghost and every so often a shudder ran through her.
“What if…” She stared at him with horror-stricken eyes. “What if-f-f—I’m r-r-ruined?” She was shivering now.
Oh, hell.
Stone stepped out and dragged the chair into the cramped area behind the screen. He was too damn tired to keep standing and if he stepped any closer to her, he was going to get glimpses of more than just the side of her breast.
He lowered himself to sit, resting his forearms on his thighs and cradling his half-empty glass. “Your family has a way of rising above these things. Take your sister for instance.” He didn’t like seeing her like this. Regardless of her poor judgment, he’d never expected to see her looking so… broken.
“That wasn’t her fault.”
“Drink.”
Something in his command jolted her out of her stupor and this time she lifted the glass to her lips and