I’m quite sure that doing so would cost me my immortal soul.”
“Gabriel.” She looked a little shaken by his words, and touched his arm once more, offering him a small caress. Then, without warning, she leaned over and pressed a soft, tender kiss to his lips.
He closed his eyes, reminded achingly of that brief glimpse of heaven.
“All will be well,” she whispered as she cupped his nape, her fingers threading through his overgrown hair. “Now, listen to me. I’m sure all those weapons of yours can remain put away in that box. You just stay out here where it’s quiet and the air is clean,” she said softly. “In time, your peace will come.”
“So say your Gypsy powers?” he murmured skeptically, loving her touch.
“So says my heart.” Her gentle stare caressed his face. To his amusement, she pressed an almost motherly kiss to his forehead.
Leaning back again to her own chair, she smiled uncertainly at him.
Gabriel watched her every move with riveted intensity.
“It’s getting late,” she mumbled. “I’d better get these dishes done.”
“Leave them.”
“Mrs. Moss will have an apoplectic fit.”
“I’ll deal with her. You’ve done enough work for one day. Go and choose a suitable room and we’ll put some clean sheets on the bed for you.”
“Clean sheets for a person who smells like a stable?” she muttered, laughing in mild embarrassment.
He shrugged. “You can reuse the bath if you want. It’d be a simple matter to add a few pails of hot water to warm it up again. It’s just sitting there—or is that too Army for you?”
“No, I’ll take it!” she exclaimed, lighting up. “Oh, bless you—I’m not too proud to say yes. That would be grand!”
“Right, then. We always keep a cauldron of hot water on the fire-crane. Go and choose a room to sleep in,” he ordered as they both rose from the table.
“One where the door locks?” she replied with a saucy look, recalling his words from outside.
“If that’s what you prefer,” he answered in a silken tone.
She blushed.
He laughed quietly and turned away. “Run along, Gypsy girl. I’ll bring the water up for you.”
She smiled uncertainly at him and started to go, but when she reached the doorway, she glanced back over her shoulder. “Gabriel?”
“Hm?” Heading for the hearth, he turned back to her.
“I don’t think you’re mad,” she said softly. “I believe in destiny, too.”
He smiled at her in gratitude. “Thanks.” She turned to go. “Sophia?”
“Yes?” She spun around again at once with the hint of a peachy blush in her cheeks.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he admitted with a nod.
She gave him a tremulous smile in answer, then hurried off into the shadows, leaving him alone.
When she had gone, he let out a sigh. Well, she was certainly more interesting company than the kittens or Mrs. Moss. He reached toward the fire-crane to fetch the hot water for her bath, puzzling with some irony over how the master had become the servant.
Ah, well. Such was the power of a beautiful woman, he mused. And whatever Sophia might be, she was certainly that.
CHAPTER
SIX
T here was something curiously seductive about using the same water Gabriel had bathed in. She felt…covered in him somehow.
It was not an unpleasant feeling.
Sometime later, Sophia was luxuriating in warm water up to her shoulders and silently rejoicing to have washed the smell of the stable out of her hair. Unlike during Gabriel’s bath, she had made sure to keep the door to the dressing room closed. By the light of a few candles burning here and there, she glided the small oval of soap slowly up her arm. Gabriel had gone to make a fire in her chamber so she would not catch a chill when she left the bath.
He had also said that he would make her bed.
Strangest man.
All of this was thoroughly bizarre. She leaned her head back against the edge of the tub, still in a state of lingering amazement
“Gabriel.” She looked a little shaken by his words, and touched his arm once more, offering him a small caress. Then, without warning, she leaned over and pressed a soft, tender kiss to his lips.
He closed his eyes, reminded achingly of that brief glimpse of heaven.
“All will be well,” she whispered as she cupped his nape, her fingers threading through his overgrown hair. “Now, listen to me. I’m sure all those weapons of yours can remain put away in that box. You just stay out here where it’s quiet and the air is clean,” she said softly. “In time, your peace will come.”
“So say your Gypsy powers?” he murmured skeptically, loving her touch.
“So says my heart.” Her gentle stare caressed his face. To his amusement, she pressed an almost motherly kiss to his forehead.
Leaning back again to her own chair, she smiled uncertainly at him.
Gabriel watched her every move with riveted intensity.
“It’s getting late,” she mumbled. “I’d better get these dishes done.”
“Leave them.”
“Mrs. Moss will have an apoplectic fit.”
“I’ll deal with her. You’ve done enough work for one day. Go and choose a suitable room and we’ll put some clean sheets on the bed for you.”
“Clean sheets for a person who smells like a stable?” she muttered, laughing in mild embarrassment.
He shrugged. “You can reuse the bath if you want. It’d be a simple matter to add a few pails of hot water to warm it up again. It’s just sitting there—or is that too Army for you?”
“No, I’ll take it!” she exclaimed, lighting up. “Oh, bless you—I’m not too proud to say yes. That would be grand!”
“Right, then. We always keep a cauldron of hot water on the fire-crane. Go and choose a room to sleep in,” he ordered as they both rose from the table.
“One where the door locks?” she replied with a saucy look, recalling his words from outside.
“If that’s what you prefer,” he answered in a silken tone.
She blushed.
He laughed quietly and turned away. “Run along, Gypsy girl. I’ll bring the water up for you.”
She smiled uncertainly at him and started to go, but when she reached the doorway, she glanced back over her shoulder. “Gabriel?”
“Hm?” Heading for the hearth, he turned back to her.
“I don’t think you’re mad,” she said softly. “I believe in destiny, too.”
He smiled at her in gratitude. “Thanks.” She turned to go. “Sophia?”
“Yes?” She spun around again at once with the hint of a peachy blush in her cheeks.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he admitted with a nod.
She gave him a tremulous smile in answer, then hurried off into the shadows, leaving him alone.
When she had gone, he let out a sigh. Well, she was certainly more interesting company than the kittens or Mrs. Moss. He reached toward the fire-crane to fetch the hot water for her bath, puzzling with some irony over how the master had become the servant.
Ah, well. Such was the power of a beautiful woman, he mused. And whatever Sophia might be, she was certainly that.
CHAPTER
SIX
T here was something curiously seductive about using the same water Gabriel had bathed in. She felt…covered in him somehow.
It was not an unpleasant feeling.
Sometime later, Sophia was luxuriating in warm water up to her shoulders and silently rejoicing to have washed the smell of the stable out of her hair. Unlike during Gabriel’s bath, she had made sure to keep the door to the dressing room closed. By the light of a few candles burning here and there, she glided the small oval of soap slowly up her arm. Gabriel had gone to make a fire in her chamber so she would not catch a chill when she left the bath.
He had also said that he would make her bed.
Strangest man.
All of this was thoroughly bizarre. She leaned her head back against the edge of the tub, still in a state of lingering amazement
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