Protecting The Princess - Nadine Millard Page 0,29
his eyes darkened even further until the blue was almost black, and she felt the inexplicable urge to fan herself.
Within seconds however, the affable rogue was back, and Harriet was left feeling vaguely unsettled.
“I think a cup of tea and some breakfast will cheer you right up,” he said pleasantly, as he picked up the water bucket and began to make his way back outside. “Do relax, Miss Royal. I’ll have you fed and watered in no time.”
Either ignoring or not hearing her gasp of outrage, he swept outside, leaving her to stare after him.
All of last night’s softening toward him went out the window.
His high-handedness was as bad as ever and once more, Harriet was left feeling as though her adventure were being taken over by the arrogant cad.
She stood from the bed and stomped over to the fireplace. She might as well make herself useful, since her life was being decided for her yet again.
Harriet was cleaning out the grate, being careful with the still-smoking embers, when the door opened once more and was filled with the figure of Mr. Lauer. He made the already small space seem tiny, filling every part of it with his presence.
“What are you doing?”
Harriet ignored the question, tried to ignore the presence of the domineering man.
A fete nigh on impossible to achieve, since he’d just come and crouched beside her.
“Here, let me do that,” he said as he reached out to take the small shovel from her hand.
Harriet gritted her teeth as he gently jostled her out of the way.
“Why don’t you find something to eat. Or fill the kettle?”
He smiled at her as though he were a kindly governess, and Harriet’s temper flared.
This was the exact sort of thing she’d run away from.
She stood up and marched over to the valise filled with her clothing, snatching up a clean muslin and fresh undergarments.
She rooted around in the bottom of the bag before pulling a bar of lavender-scented soap from its cloth. Next she snatched up her comb, tooth powder, and boar-hair toothbrush.
Finally, she shoved her feet into the kid boots she’d dropped by the bed and marched toward the door, her arms filled with her belongings.
“What are you doing?”
Mr. Lauer’s surprised question stopped Harriet in her tracks, and she turned to glare at him.
“Since I seem to have lost the run of my cottage to an interloper, I thought I would go and bathe in the lake. I trust that you don’t expect to help me with that?”
Once again, his eyes darkened at her question and raked her from head to toe. Harriet’s heart stuttered then slammed against her chest, her entire body heating under that molten scrutiny.
“Of course not.” His tone was husky and deep, and Harriet felt as though it burrowed under her skin to run along her veins like potent brandy.
“Well, good,” she managed to huff, but her voice was high and breathless, even to her own ears.
There was a painfully tense moment where they stared at each other.
Harriet had no idea what Mr. Lauer was thinking, but he probably wasn’t wondering what it would be like to kiss her.
Not that she was thinking that about him, of course.
Feeling her cheeks heat once again, Harriet turned tail and fled from the cottage, putting some much-needed distance between Mr. Lauer and her treacherous body.
Jacob started a fire, collected fresh water from a stream that ran down from the nearby mountain and put it on to heat before he even contemplated going to check on Princess Harriet.
He knew she was going to wash and change her clothing, and there was no way in hell he’d survive coming upon her in the middle of any of that.
She was angry. For a change, he thought sarcastically.
Jacob wracked his brain thinking what he could have done to upset her this time, but he was stumped.
Perhaps she was just highly strung all the time.
Though she did say she hadn’t slept.
Well, the water she used to wash herself with would certainly cool her temper. Jacob had felt its iciness only an hour ago when he’d bathed himself.
He set out the last of her bread, cheese, and cured meat on the table.
One meal left. That was it. And plenty of tea.
No more linens. No medical supplies.
The reminder of her injury sent him out of the cottage and in search of the contrary royal before she hurt herself further.
He’d only walked a few minutes, following the fresh prints lest she had gotten it into her head to