A Midnight Requiem: The Ghostly Hour: An Historical Romance Collection by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2022-10-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Siân had already unhooked her cloak and hung it up to dry, and was getting the supplies out of her satchel by the time Mr. Payne returned. He was carrying the second saddle under one arm and the supply satchels slung over his other.

She’d been so horrible to shout like that. What if he hadn’t returned?

But he had. Even though she yelled and told him fantastical things, he’d returned, and it looked like he’d taken care of the horses…and maybe he’d take care of her, too, and—

“Ow!” She yanked her hand away from the flame.

He set down the saddle and tossed the satchel. “Here, let me.”

She only became privy to the first stings of pain once Mr. Payne took her hand in his. His warm, calloused hand was achingly familiar, and Siân wanted to gasp, to say something, but what?

The feeling was…different. Was she attracted to this odd man? She, herself, had never felt it before, and certainly no one was attracted to her. She was no great beauty, and only with her marriage to Charles would he inherit any dowry of land from her family estate. So throughout her years, no boys or men had teased or flirted with her.

And in truth, she had been fine with that since her arranged marriage with Charles. She was to marry, have a family, be close to her sisters. It was ideal.

So Reginald’s—no, Mr. Payne’s—touch shouldn’t give her scatterings of heat that went to parts he wasn’t holding. And his sure way of inspecting her limb shouldn’t feel so comforting after the sting of heat from the flame.

And why wasn’t he letting her go?

Head bowed, she observed him as she hadn’t been able to before.

A curl of his hair fell forward and his lips were parted a bit, the only feature softening the hard angles of his face. He shouldn’t be handsome, shouldn’t be attractive. But he was to her. She liked him as well. He loved the farm life, was kind to Mary and others, and all of that was far more dangerous than his merely searching her hand for injuries.

Her attraction was grievous because she was journeying to her betrothed. And yet there was still part of her that wondered why Charles had asked for her after all these years.

In truth, she knew he didn’t love her, and she certainly didn’t love him. Maybe he asked for her so she could tend his broken leg, and then, when he was mended, he would send her back.

Why she felt relief for that, when she should only feel terror to return to Eryl’s lascivious ways, she didn’t know.

“It looks like you pulled away in time,” Mr. Payne said.

She didn’t understand him at first because she felt pulled toward him rather than away. There were still days before they’d reach Charles, days more of this close contact when she shouldn’t be thinking of anything except her intended.

Siân delicately removed her hand from his. “I think it startled more than pained me.”

His brows drew down before his eyes snapped up to hers…and held.

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