stroll to let the other adults get ready for bed. Strange that the first time she’d be sharing a bed with her husband would be in such circumstances.
She felt shy as she went back to the tent and used the darkness to slip a nightdress on over her underwear. She’d stopped wearing corsets on board the ship and loved the freedom of not being constrained. It’d be foolish to sleep all night in her outer clothes, though, and make them even more crumpled. She didn’t know how she was going to get washed in the morning, though.
As the foreman had said, it had grown rapidly cooler as it grew dark and she shivered as she lay down beside Andrew, closing her eyes with a tired sigh.
‘You need to move closer,’ he murmured near her ear, ‘otherwise the blanket won’t cover us both.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘No, it’s me who’s sorry.’
‘Whatever for?’
‘Getting you into this mess.’
‘It is a bit of a muddle, isn’t it? We’ll laugh about it one day, I suppose.’The warmth of his body was so tempting she moved closer.
His hand encountered hers and he wrapped his fingers round it. ‘You feel chilled through. Come here, let me hold you properly. I rarely feel the cold.’
She moved gratefully into his arms, letting his warmth wrap around her, feeling his breath gently disturbing her hair.
There was silence, then he said suddenly, ‘You’re taking all this without making a fuss or complaining. I really appreciate that.’
‘Well, it’s not your fault. And anyway, weeping and wailing wouldn’t change a thing, would it?’
‘It is my fault because I’m the one who got us into this. I’ll do my best to sort things out quickly and get you a proper home.’
‘ We shall do our best.’ She’d admired the way he’d got on with things tonight, instead of whining and complaining like that Bert Grenville. Her first impression of the man hadn’t changed. She neither liked nor trusted him. She yawned and felt sleep creeping over her body, gave into it willingly.
The next thing she knew, grey light was filtering into the tent and she could hear the sound of someone hammering outside. But Andrew’s arms were still round her, so she waited till he woke up to move. It’d been a long time since a man held her like this and she’d forgotten how good it felt.
Then a little ant ran across his cheek. He twitched and as it continued to run round his face, opened his eyes and shook his head to dislodge it, staring at her in surprise for a moment. He pulled away suddenly and she realised why with a blush.
She didn’t comment on the change in his lower body but was glad for this proof that he did desire her. It had been worrying her more than a little that he’d showed no signs of wanting her except for that one kiss before they left England. Edging away, she reached for her clothes but quickly abandoned the attempt to dress under the blanket and after checking to make sure the others were asleep, got up to do the job properly, standing up.
The combinations she was wearing under her nightdress reached only to her knees and she saw Andrew’s eyes linger on the swell of her full breasts, which she knew showed clearly under the fine cambric. She’d never be able to achieve the slender boyish look that was fashionable now, that was sure, not with her figure. Feeling warmth in her cheeks but not trying to hide herself from him, she slipped on her petticoat and a sensible, sleeveless cotton frock. It warmed up quickly here and even at this hour of the morning she didn’t feel the need for a cardigan.
When she went outside, she saw to her immense relief that the women’s latrine was shielded from view. The hammering she’d heard had been Gil. He’d stuck poles into the ground on three sides with a plank joining them, and was just finishing nailing leafy branches to this.
He took a step backwards to check his work, then turned and saw her watching. With a grin, he flourished an invitation to her to use the
She felt shy as she went back to the tent and used the darkness to slip a nightdress on over her underwear. She’d stopped wearing corsets on board the ship and loved the freedom of not being constrained. It’d be foolish to sleep all night in her outer clothes, though, and make them even more crumpled. She didn’t know how she was going to get washed in the morning, though.
As the foreman had said, it had grown rapidly cooler as it grew dark and she shivered as she lay down beside Andrew, closing her eyes with a tired sigh.
‘You need to move closer,’ he murmured near her ear, ‘otherwise the blanket won’t cover us both.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘No, it’s me who’s sorry.’
‘Whatever for?’
‘Getting you into this mess.’
‘It is a bit of a muddle, isn’t it? We’ll laugh about it one day, I suppose.’The warmth of his body was so tempting she moved closer.
His hand encountered hers and he wrapped his fingers round it. ‘You feel chilled through. Come here, let me hold you properly. I rarely feel the cold.’
She moved gratefully into his arms, letting his warmth wrap around her, feeling his breath gently disturbing her hair.
There was silence, then he said suddenly, ‘You’re taking all this without making a fuss or complaining. I really appreciate that.’
‘Well, it’s not your fault. And anyway, weeping and wailing wouldn’t change a thing, would it?’
‘It is my fault because I’m the one who got us into this. I’ll do my best to sort things out quickly and get you a proper home.’
‘ We shall do our best.’ She’d admired the way he’d got on with things tonight, instead of whining and complaining like that Bert Grenville. Her first impression of the man hadn’t changed. She neither liked nor trusted him. She yawned and felt sleep creeping over her body, gave into it willingly.
The next thing she knew, grey light was filtering into the tent and she could hear the sound of someone hammering outside. But Andrew’s arms were still round her, so she waited till he woke up to move. It’d been a long time since a man held her like this and she’d forgotten how good it felt.
Then a little ant ran across his cheek. He twitched and as it continued to run round his face, opened his eyes and shook his head to dislodge it, staring at her in surprise for a moment. He pulled away suddenly and she realised why with a blush.
She didn’t comment on the change in his lower body but was glad for this proof that he did desire her. It had been worrying her more than a little that he’d showed no signs of wanting her except for that one kiss before they left England. Edging away, she reached for her clothes but quickly abandoned the attempt to dress under the blanket and after checking to make sure the others were asleep, got up to do the job properly, standing up.
The combinations she was wearing under her nightdress reached only to her knees and she saw Andrew’s eyes linger on the swell of her full breasts, which she knew showed clearly under the fine cambric. She’d never be able to achieve the slender boyish look that was fashionable now, that was sure, not with her figure. Feeling warmth in her cheeks but not trying to hide herself from him, she slipped on her petticoat and a sensible, sleeveless cotton frock. It warmed up quickly here and even at this hour of the morning she didn’t feel the need for a cardigan.
When she went outside, she saw to her immense relief that the women’s latrine was shielded from view. The hammering she’d heard had been Gil. He’d stuck poles into the ground on three sides with a plank joining them, and was just finishing nailing leafy branches to this.
He took a step backwards to check his work, then turned and saw her watching. With a grin, he flourished an invitation to her to use the
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