The Arrangement by Lyn Stone

Author:Lyn Stone [Stone, Lyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, General, Historical, Fiction
ISBN: 9781459268227
Google: C41apgtyW0YC
Amazon: 0373289898
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1997-10-01T21:00:00+00:00

Kathryn uncovered the basket Grandy had delivered before dawn. She fried the eggs and sliced the bread into chunks. Just as she poured the coffee, she heard Jon’s boots clump heavily down the stairs. At least his feet weren’t dragging, she thought.

When he appeared, more about him looked changed than his clothes. For one thing, the customary powder was missing. And he’d left off the dark wig. His wet hair lay neatly slicked against his head, smelling of his sandalwood soap and free of its usual queue. A small razor nick marred his strong jaw. The pale blue of his irises enhanced the network of red around them.

He had dressed casually in a clean, slightly frayed lawn shirt and a serviceable gray tweed jacket. A maroon silk cravat hung loose about his neck. His black riding pants fitted like a second skin, molded over muscles that flexed admirably with every movement. She wondered how in the world he had managed to get them on with only one hand working.

The clothes had hung in the wardrobe of the room she’d always thought of as Pip’s. This outfit must be all he had left after yesterday’s altercation mined his suit. He made a disreputable- looking earl this morning, quite a match to her rumpled countess.

“Eat first, then I’ll redress your hand,” she said, and promptly took her own seat. He complied, wolfing the food much as the mannerless Pip had always done. Oddly, that comforted her a bit.

They completed the meal without further conversation. Kathryn cleared the table and assembled the bandages and healing potion Grandy had included in the morning’s basket of food. When she had everything laid out, Kathryn held out her hand. “Let’s get on with it.” She didn’t relish seeing how the expected swelling of tissue had affected her latest needlework, but there was no one else around to do it.

He shrank back in his chair, holding his right hand cradled in his left. The blue eyes darkened, and he pressed his lips together. He looked so much like the Pip she’d loved, it made her want to cry.

“Come now, it must be done, or you could suffer an infection.”

Slowly, reluctantly, he released his right hand and inched it toward her. The trembling caught at her heart, but she resisted offering sympathy. She didn’t want to feel sorry for him. She wanted to hate him.

Making her voice as matter-of-fact as she could, Kathryn explained what she was doing. “First we’ll get this wet wrapping off and give your hand a good wash. Be very still.” His harsh intake of breath almost stopped her, but she persevered.

A quick glance showed him turned away with his eyes clenched shut. “Look, Jon,” she said encouragingly, knowing that the longer he avoided seeing the damage, the worse his imagination would make it.

There was a great deal of bruising and the fingers were indeed badly swollen, but all of them seemed perfectly straight. It would be impossible to tell whether they were set correctly, or if he would have proper use of them, until the bones healed and the swelling receded.

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