Rendezvous With Yesterday (The Gifted Ones #2)(82)

Robert closed his arms around her and locked his hands at the base of her spine. “I suspect you knew otherwise.”

She winked. “Guilty as charged. I missed you today.” Rising onto her toes, she kissed his chin. “Did you miss me?”

A smile tugged at his lips. “Aye.”

“Good.” She lowered her voice so that only he would hear her. “I’m sorry, Robert. I know it wasn’t proper. But this place was a real health hazard. When I walked past it earlier, I almost gagged at the stench. Something had to be done. And the men were whining so much about having to clean up their own mess and doing what they considered women’s work that I had to hurry and distract them before I gave in to the desire to strangle them all.”



“Why did you not simply assign some of the women from the castle to…” He trailed off when she narrowed her eyes.

She had fielded that question far too often today. “Because there is absolutely no reason these men can’t pick up after themselves. They’re not children, for crying out loud. Besides, I was afraid any women I sent in here would end up with their skirts tossed over their heads.”

“You are a woman, are you not?” he asked, his expression unreadable.

“Aye, but we both know none of them would dare touch me. And as you can see, my skirts are still down around my ankles.” Her voice sank to a whisper. “Plus, if anyone ever did try aught, I would totally kick his arse.”

“I know that. Others do not.”

She frowned. “What do you mean? Someone might actually think the men have been in here gangbanging me all afternoon?” She kept forgetting that appearances meant everything here. “Well, it doesn’t matter anyway, because here everyone already thinks I’m a—” She broke off, remembering that he didn’t know about the whole whore thing.

He frowned. “A what?”

“Nothing. I mean, naught.” Alice had done a complete turnaround since the kitchen incident, going out of her way to help Beth despite the continued ribbing and belittlement of her peers. The two of them were actually becoming friends. Beth didn’t want to get her into trouble, so she changed the subject. “Hey, while you’re looking all fierce and murderous, would you order the men to finish their cleaning so we can sneak off and be alone together?”

“You would not perchance be attempting to distract me, would you?”

“I would,” she conceded. “I have been indulging in some very imaginative fantasies about you today, and thought maybe we could try a few of them out.”

Robert scowled over her head. “Finish the task she has set before you.”

Beth whispered, “And repeat it every fortnight.”

“And repeat it every fortnight,” he ordered.

No one protested, though Beth suspected he would hear a few grumbles tomorrow.

“You’re wonderful,” she praised him with a smile.

“I know.”

Beth laughed. Releasing him, she tucked one of her small hands into his and faced the men. “It’s been fun, guys. I had a great time getting to know you all and shooting the breeze with you today. There isn’t a single one of you that I don’t like.”

Uncertain of Robert’s mood and whether or not there would be ramifications later for misleading her, the men all offered tentative smiles.

And, of course, she thought many of those smiles also held a good bit of confusion over her peculiar words. But they seemed to glean her meaning.

“See you later.” Beth drew Robert out of the tower and led him across the bailey, swinging their linked hands between them. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

Squinting against the descending sun, she sent him a wry smile. “I’m never going to fit in around here, am I? I keep forgetting the rules.”

He shrugged. “You shall learn them all in time. And once you have, I shall be endlessly entertained, watching you choose which ones you will follow and which you will discard.”

Shouldn’t he be more concerned than that? “You won’t be angry if I decide to buck the system every once in a while? You won’t send me packing?”

The pause that followed, she felt, was due more to his need to decipher her meaning than think through his answer.



“Nay, Beth, my feelings for you are not contingent upon you obeying the rules.” He smiled and raised her hand to his lips for a kiss. “And I shall only become angry if you place yourself in danger.”

She grinned up at him. “So, you like me a little, do you?”

“More than a little.”

Good. Because she was crazy about him. “You know what?”

“What?”

“I’ll bet Edward could scare up enough hot water for a bath if we asked him nicely.”

His eyes sparkled with interest. “Could he now?”

She nodded. “Of course, there probably won’t be enough to fill two tubs, so we would have to share.”

“With the right incentive, I believe I could resign myself to such a fate,” he murmured thoughtfully.

“The right incentive, huh? How about…” Beth stopped. Moving in close, she slid her hands up his chest, over his shoulders and into his hair. “This?”