.
Natalia pulled in a breath and watched as the needle pricked Zed’s shoulder and the thread was pulled through. She tightened her hands into a ball and tried to remain as motionless as her brother.
Her brother barely winced as the needle was pulled through again. Natalia, on the other hand, did a full body cringe. When she relaxed, he looked over at her and said, “You don’t have to watch.”
She reached out and grabbed his hand that rested on his thigh. “Of course, I’ll stay.” Then she turned to Taygete, who was silently mending Zed’s skin with the attitude of a woman who saw nothing more than cotton and not flesh and blood.
“How did you learn to do this?” Natalia asked her.
Taygete’s gray eyes remained on Zed. Her voice raspy and attractive. “I worked as a nurse at a hospital in Southampton for nearly a decade. I knew almost as much as a doctor by the time I left.”
Julius stood against the wall with his arms crossed. “Tell your husband I thank him for lending you to us.”
Taygete smiled. “Thank him yourself if you dare.” She was pregnant and even now Tally could picture Hugh pacing just beyond the door. He’d tried to come into the kitchen, but Taygete had forbidden it, saying she didn’t need his tension in the air.
Zed kept his eyes fixed on his skin. He’d only looked at Julius once since they’d entered the room an hour ago and hadn’t said anything to him.
Taygete hadn’t wanted tension in the room, but Natalia could feel it like an itchy blanket.
The door opened again, and William entered. He came to stand behind Natalia’s chair, and she felt her hair being swept to the side before he placed a kiss on her neck.
“How are you?” he asked.
She lowered her lashes at the touch of his lips but fought to open them again as she remembered they had company. She found both Julius and Lorenzo watching her. Taygete wore a soft smile.
“I’m fine,” she whispered without looking at him.
He ran his hand down her back and then up, gripping the back of her neck. “How are you feeling?” His question was posed to Lorenzo, though he continued to touch her.
“I’ll live,” her brother said. She noticed then just how relaxed he seemed. Usually, when he was playing butler, he was stiffer with his posture. No more. The truth was out.
William’s thumb slid down her spine and then his hands were in her hair. He was still speaking to Lorenzo. “We’ll have to discuss the wedding soon.”
Natalia froze and turned to him. He shifted his hand further down her hair to allow her to meet his pleased green gaze. “I didn’t say yes yet.”
“You’re only fooling yourself if you think for a moment I’d allow you out of my sight after all this.”
Her cheeks warmed.
Julius spoke then to Lorenzo. “I’ll return your money to you. That way you can pay her dowry.”
Lorenzo turned to his cousin then. “There’s no need—”
“There’s every need,” Julius said. “It’s not mine to begin with. It’s yours so you’ll take it.”
“I’m not a servant. You don’t tell me what to do anymore,” Lorenzo said. “Or has that fact slipped your mind?”
Taygete pushed Lorenzo back when he began to lean forward. She said nothing though, neither did her expression change. She was clearly used to men bickering.
“It’s your money.” Julius pushed off the wall and came to stand by the group. “Why won’t you take it?”
“Because it was his,” Lorenzo said evenly, though Natalia noticed his breathing change. “I don’t want anything to do with him. Keep the money. Keep the land. You deserve it.”
“No.” Julius leaned forward. “I’ve held it all these years anticipating your return. I also invested it, so it’s a rather great sum now, though I hardly need it since I’ve my own. You’ll take this money, cousin.”
“Or what?” Lorenzo asked.
“Or I’ll get Uncle Perry involved, and you’ll damn well do whatever he says.”
Lorenzo narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t. He’s not seen me in years. I don’t want the first thing he says to me to be at an ear-shattering octave.”
Natalia winced.
Uncle Perry was not only very authoritative, but he was also quite loud. He said being the youngest of the brothers had made it so he'd learned to shout to be heard, but Natalia thought he’d simply gone deaf from shooting his guns far too often.
Julius had been right to say madness grew in the family.
“That’s your choice,” Julius hissed. “I’ve already planned to send a messenger to his house post haste to inform him that you both have been found.”
“Don’t.” Lorenzo started to move.
“Don’t move.” Taygete pushed him back again. Her expression was still plain.
Her brother settled. “I don’t want him to see me like this.”
Julius straightened and crossed his arms. “He’d be livid to know you’d deny your sister a dowry. And just wait until he hears how you missed your shot against an intruder.”
Lorenzo narrowed his eyes and turned away. “Fine.”
“Good.” Then Julius kissed Natalia’s head and left the room.
And that was that.
“Done.” Taygete leaned away. The wound was cleaned and bandaged a moment later. “Don’t use the shoulder for a few days if you don’t need to. Then after that start using it, but slowly. Don’t strain yourself.” She washed her hands and left the room.
Lorenzo stood without moving the shoulder and turned to William. “I suppose I don’t need to tell you to keep her safe? She was clearly born to be a Spinster. She’s likely to attract danger.” He wore an expression of irritation, but Natalia smiled, thinking his words a compliment.
William’s arm went around her waist. “I’ve got her.”
Lorenzo nodded, touched Natalia’s cheek, and departed.
Natalia turned in William’s embrace. “I’ll try to stay out of trouble.”
He touched her jaw and lifted her chin. “Are you not disturbed by what took place tonight?”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer. “Yes, but not the way you mean. You had no choice, and all of this was my fault. I knew Clara was writing her husband, I simply didn’t know she’d do it while we were out here. I thought the country would be good for her.”
He gave her a gentle squeeze and she fell silent. “This is not your fault.” And then he looked away. “I don’t know where the blame rests. Jasper James should have protected his wife if he truly loved her. Not brought her pain.”
“And not sought you for revenge,” she added. A prickling sensation settled in her heart. “I’m so sorry, William.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s an honor to protect you, Natalia.” He leaned forward and rested his head against hers. “I vowed to do it eighteen years ago. All I’m doing is fulfilling my promise.”
She smiled. “I’ve always loved you, William.”
“I know.” The arrogance returned, shining through with life in his eyes.
“Oh, was it your Roma blood that gave you the gift of hindsight or were you born this conceited?”
He laughed and reached out for her hand. Backing away, he flipped her palm up and trailed his thumb down its center. “I was told once that I was very good at reading palms.”
Natalia giggled. “What does mine say?”
He looked down at her hand. “Let us see, shall we? Ah, yes. It says you shall marry a very handsome man.”
“Who could that be?” she teased. “Levander perhaps?”
His eyes narrowed. “I’ll crush him if you even think to—”
She laughed again and kissed him. Taking her hand back, she ran it through his hair. It was wet. He’d showered. “Why so angry, my Roma vagabond? You know the future, don’t you?” She kissed him again and this time did so very slowly before releasing him. “So, tell me. What am I about to do to you?”
William stiffened. “I’ll lock the doors.”
“Hurry.” The purred word barely left her lips before he was doing as she’d instructed. As need rose inside her, she thought of all the places she wanted to kiss William and thought perhaps she should tell him, whisper it into his ear, and watch him react.
But then she changed her mind and decided to keep it as her own little secret… At least until she showed him.