rush of men eager to court a woman who can successfully masquerade as a man for years.”
His eyebrows rose at her hostile tone. “Come now, Ben. Not so successfully, I think. At least three men have noticed.”
Benna opened her mouth, but then closed it. She was his servant; it was not her place to bicker with him.
“You resent my prying questions.”
“Of course not, my lord.”
“What a bouncer.”
She couldn’t help smiling. “Well, perhaps just a little.”
“There, that’s better. You are far too serious for one so young.”
“Can one be too serious, my lord?”
“Yes, if left unchecked it can become a life-threatening medical condition.”
She laughed.
A distant rumbling made them both glance up at the darkening sky. A drop of moisture hit Benna’s nose.
The storm was arriving far sooner than they’d expected.
***
“I’m afraid we’re going to get wet,” Jago said, even as rain began to pelt down. “I think it might be wiser to take shelter until this passes.
“Shelter? Where?”
“There is a hunting cottage just ahead through the trees. Let’s take this path.”
He preceded her down an overgrown, ancient trail that hadn’t received much use as of late.
It began to rain in earnest once they were a few minutes into the small wood. He glanced over his shoulder. She had pulled up the collar on her serviceable, but not especially heavy coat. Jago wanted to offer her his greatcoat but knew the gesture would be viewed as strange by anyone they encountered—not that that was very likely. But it would not be good to get into the habit of treating her like a woman to be cherished.
The trees shielded them from a good deal of wind, but the rain still found its way through the canopy.
Directly ahead of them a bolt of lightning pierced the woods.
Asclepius reared up. “Easy boy,” Jago murmured into the gelding’s twitching ear, just before the accompanying crack of thunder caused both his horse and Benna’s mare to whinny.
The rain started to bucket down and Jago was beginning to wonder if he’d somehow gone wide of the cottage when he saw it ahead. Next to the one-room cabin was a little outbuilding large enough to hold a few horses. Jago dismounted and turned to help Benna but she was already down and leading her mount toward the shack, murmuring something in the animal’s ear.
The shed had only three walls and a roof, but at least it was dry.
Benna began to unsaddle her horse.
“I’ll manage the horses,” Jago said. “Go inside and take off your wet coat.” He could see she wanted to argue. “That was not a request, Benna.” Her eyes flickered at his slip with her name. “Start the fire, I shall be right behind you.”
An old wooden bucket hung from a peg and Jago knew he would find water in the small rill that ran just behind the cabin, no doubt the reason this location had been selected. He pulled down his hat before heading back into the now horizontal rain.
The horses vied for control of the full bucket and managed to drain it in a matter of minutes so Jago made one more trip before picking up their saddles and carrying them toward the cabin’s only entrance.
He discovered a veritable domestic heaven when he opened the door.
Benna turned from the hearth, where she’d started a fire and was already boiling water.
“The fire was set and waiting,” she said.
“It’s always been kept ready. I’ve not been here for years but I daresay my brother used it whenever he hunted gamecock.” Jago placed the saddles near the hearth so they might dry, before shrugging off his greatcoat. He’d believed the new overcoat a ridiculous waste of money when purchasing it in Truro, but now realized the multi-caped, floor-length garment was better than a blanket in such weather.
Unfortunately, it was also half-soaked and heavier than a blanket.
He hung it from a peg, one of several placed near the hearth for just that purpose. Beneath the coat he was dry, except his boots. Benna had also removed her overcoat but her woolen breeches and coat looked damp
“You’ll catch your death in those clothes.”
“It’s warm enough that I don’t notice.” She ruined that claim by shivering.
Jago unbuttoned his coat. “Here, take this.” He glanced around the small cabin. A table with two chairs, a cupboard with a basin, and a bed were the only items immediately visible. The bed had a woolen blanket folded at the foot end.
“Wrap this around yourself.”
She took it in her free hand, holding his coat away