Free The Dark One: Dark Knight by Kathryn Le Veque Page B

not?”
         She nodded, rubbing her backside.  “Aye, my
lord.”
         He acknowledged her with a slight nod. 
“Then, if you are not injured, I shall be on my way.”
         Jasmine stepped aside and gave him a wide
berth, turning to watch him as he marched down the hall.  Had she not been so
frightened of him, she would have thought him to be a ruggedly handsome devil. 
He was so tremendously masculine that there was no other way to describe him. 
But she did not think of men in terms of handsome or desirous; men were
terrible, vile creatures and she generally hated the sex.     Rubbing her bottom
once more, she continued on her way.
         Gaston reached out to open his door and was
cautious when he saw the door slightly ajar.  Inside his room, he could hear
banging about and his sword drew forth from its sheath in a clean, swift
movement.  Carefully, he inched the door open.
         He had hardly taken a step into the room
when he was suddenly flooded with the scent of lavender. He heard a good deal
of splashing now, pouring water, and deduced that no one lay in wait for him.
Unmistakably, someone was taking a bath in his room and he had vague suspicions
as to who the culprit was.  The lavender gave it away.
         Remington sat in a huge tub in the center
of the chamber, her head wet and her hands vigorously lathering a white cake of
soap.  The clothes she had been wearing to gather flowers in lay in a pile by
the hearth, while still other garments were carefully laid out on the bed.  He
was amazed that it had taken her so little time to prepare a bath and plunge
into it; he had seen her not ten minutes before.
         He pushed into the room; his eyes riveted
to her back the color of fresh cream.  Never had he seen such pure, flawless
skin and it amused him that Remington had yet to notice him.
         “What are you doing in my room?” he asked.
         Remington shrieked, immersing herself in
the water up to her chin.  Her eyes were so huge they threatened to leap from
their sockets as she turned to him.
         “My lord!” she gasped.  “I thought…. I had
no idea that …oh!”
         A corner of his lips turned up.  “You
thought what ?”
         Her cheeks were a delightful shade of pink;
she was deeply mortified.  “I was dirty after gathering flowers this morn and…I
thought you were too busy in the bailey for some time.  I had hoped to take my
bath and be gone in plenty of time.”
         “Why did not you simply take the tub to
your room?” he asked.
         “Because it is too heavy for the female
servants to carry it, my lord, and the men are too old,” she explained.  “We
must do all of our bathing in this room.”
         “I see,” he said.  Much to her horror, he
was moving closer.  “I could have moved it for you.”
         “I did not want to be a bother, my lord,”
she said, eyeing him warily.  “As I said, I had hoped to be done well before
you returned.”
         “Yet I have returned and you are not
finished,” he said.
         Remington was starting to shake; she was
not only embarrassed, she was terrified.  He had the same look Guy had right
before he….
         “I am finished now,” she said, her voice
rising with fright.  “If you will but allow me a moment to dry myself, I shall
be gone.”
         Her sudden terror caught him by surprise;
what had he said?  Yet he realized that his mere presence frightened her and,
for once, he was sorry.  He did not want to frighten this woman, although he
knew not why.
         “Nay, madam, take your time,” he said,
backing away.  “I have duties that can use my attention.  I am in no hurry.”
         But Remington was ignoring his words,
hell-bent on leaving the room as hastily as she could.  She did not like the
look in his eye.  She knew what he was thinking and she wanted no part of the
horrible, unspeakable deed.  Stripping her