brother is still here with us, but no, I don’t think that’s necessary. Anderley is more than capable.”
“Maybe so.” I took hold of his hand as he sat down beside me. “But I can tell that does not ease your concerns.” I lifted my hand to run my finger down the center of his forehead and over his nose, smoothing out the grooves wrought there. “Or is it merely impatience?”
He chuckled in self-deprecation, and recaptured my hand, bringing it to his lips. “Let us wait to see what Anderley’s first letter reveals.”
I nodded, a frisson of awareness sweeping down my spine as he turned my hand over to reveal my wrist. His hot breath feathered over my skin there, followed by the light play of his lips and then the gentle sweep of his tongue. “I thought you intended to revisit the brewery,” I managed to say with as much insouciance as I could muster.
I’m afraid it wasn’t very convincing, for he lifted his eyes to gaze at me through the fringe of his lashes, the corners of his lips curling into a roguish grin. “The matter can wait while I devote a few moments of my time to my darling wife.”
I couldn’t help but smile at his words. However, all too swiftly he released his grip on my hand and bent forward. I blinked down at him as I felt a tug on one of the laces of my half boots. “What are you doing?”
“Removing your shoes.”
“Well, yes, I suppose that’s obvious. But why?”
He made quick work of the first, pulling it from my foot and then bending to the task of untying the other. “Because I’ve been informed that women in your state appreciate having their feet rubbed.”
“Oh, well, I . . .” I stammered as the second boot was whisked from my foot and Gage swept my legs up into his lap. At the feel of his fingers on my bare foot, I giggled and squirmed. “You know, I’m rather ticklish.”
“Then I shall take extra care.” He added more pressure to the arch of my foot, and I gasped at the pleasure, closing my eyes.
Though I hadn’t complained, my feet were sore. Along with my back, and the injuries to my shoulder and side, though the latter two pained me less than they had the day before. But I silently thanked whoever had told him to offer to rub my feet, for it was unlikely I ever would have asked him to do so.
“Kiera.”
I stared up at him through half-lidded eyes, noting he’d ceased his ministrations.
“If you don’t stop making those noises, I won’t be able to continue.”
I recognized then the intensity of his focus, the soft flush of color in his high cheekbones, the glitter of desire in his eyes.
I blushed, realizing I had been rather vocal in my enjoyment.
He smiled devilishly. “Remind me to do this when your shoulder is healed.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Fortunately, we did not have to wait much longer for Anderley’s first missive. Gage had just returned from his second visit to Colum’s friends at the brewery, and I was seated before the writing desk in our sitting room, trying to organize all the aspects of this inquest into some semblance of an order, when Trevor burst into the room. From the appearance of his riding clothes, he’d just gone on a hard gallop through the surrounding countryside.
“I was striding through the guardroom, when Mr. Tait mentioned that the post had arrived. I thought you’d want to see this immediately.” He passed Gage the letter, before sinking down onto the leather ottoman.
“It’s from Anderley,” my husband declared, and broke open the seal.
I hastened over to the door leading to my bedchamber, and upon finding Bree inside flipping through the dresses in my wardrobe, I gestured for her to join us. Sinking down on the sofa beside my husband, whose gaze seemed to skim quickly over the contents, I urged him, “Read it aloud. I don’t want to miss anything, or wait for you to paraphrase.”
He flicked a glance of mild annoyance at me, but then began to read. “He says . . .”
The state of affairs here in Haddington is much as Lady Helmswick feared. The cholera has spread throughout the village and surrounding countryside. So much so that the housekeeper at Lord Helmswick’s estate—a diligent, but chatty woman named Mrs. Coble—has insisted that everyone wear kerchiefs tied around their faces when they leave the manor to prevent them from inhaling the bad air.