His Lady Mistress

Elizabeth Rolls17steel were taken by gentle, unerring hands and light flared asthe spark ignited the rags in the box.‘Sit down,’ he said brusquely as he set a chair by the fireand squatted down to touch the candle to the kindling andfaggots laid there. Verity obeyed and watched in bemusedfascination as he tended the fire and then prowled around thekitchen, looking into every corner. Warmth stole through her,despite the damp clothes.‘Go up and bring some dry clothes down here.’That jerked her out of her doze. Blinking up at him in theshadowy, dancing light of the fire, she asked sleepily, ‘Whateverfor?’His voice was very patient. ‘To put on. You need to getdry. Quickly.’Down here? With him in the kitchen? All of a sudden shewas wide awake.‘I’ll...I’ll change upstairs.’ No doubt he was quite harmless,but still...she couldn’t possibly change down here, evenif he turned his back, blindfolded himself and shut his eyes.‘There’s a fire down here,’ he growled.‘And so are you,’ she countered. ‘I’ll change in my bedchamber!’He stared at her. ‘For God’s sake, girl! You can’t possiblyimagine that I’d take advantage of you!’Her cheeks flamed. ‘Of course not! It’s just that...well, I’drather change up there.’A sudden grin lightened his rather harsh features. ‘He usedto say you were a stubborn little thing. Like your mother, heclaimed. Very well, quickly then. I don’t want you catchingyour death of cold.’Verity fled before he could change his mind.By the time she slipped into the kitchen, safely clad in herwarmest underwear and a thick nightgown, the major appearedto be foraging in the kitchen cupboards. She sat downby the fire to watch.