My cheek remained pressed to one knee as the maid worked up another lather. A subtle shift of weight, and the cloth came into sight, held just above the waterline in her cupped hand.
I blinked. And then I blinked again, trying to make some sense of the image. The hand was large—too large to belong to any woman. My eyes darted upward, to a well-muscled forearm with a thick smattering of light brown hair.
“Would you prefer I finish the washing?” a familiar voice rumbled behind me.
I jerked violently, splashing waves of water over both sides of the tub. “What are you doing in here!” I clutched at my nakedness, though the milky water did a decent job of concealing me. “Get out!”
Green eyes met mine. “I’ll leave when I’m done.”
Henry pushed up from his haunches and walked toward the hearth. Having discarded his coat and waistcoat, his attire consisted of riding boots, black breeches and a linen shirt with the sleeves shoved up to the elbow. Most of his hair remained tied back, except for the strands that had come loose during the fight and now fell free to his shoulders. Wild and civilized, the man wore both sides with the same ease that other men wore gloves. The sight toyed with my pulse, and a rush of hot blood tingled beneath my skin.
He leaned against the wall at the edge of the firelight, a towel draped on one arm.
Twisting around, I looked frantically over the side of the tub for another towel. Drat. I eyed the one Henry was holding. “Give that to me.”
“Sorry, but the towel stays where it is until after we’ve talked.” A mischievous glint danced in his eyes. “Unless you’d like to come get it. But you should know that I’ll not surrender without a fight.”
“Oh, wouldn’t you enjoy that.”
He didn’t even bother to deny it. “More than I’ve ever enjoyed anything before.” His voice was lower than usual, and the heat in his stare sparked a correlating fire deep in my stomach. Forbidden images sprang to life in my head, starting with a slow rise from the tub, and ending with...
My mouth fell open a fraction of an inch as the breath caught in my throat.
“From the look on your face, I wouldn’t be the only one to enjoy it.”
I slammed my teeth together hard. Damnation. I was mad at him. Very, very mad. I needed to remember that, and stop behaving like a filly in heat in the presence of a stallion.
Inhaling a long shaky breath, I did what I could to force my emotions back to anger. With my shoulders near the waterline, I scooted toward the side of the tub and crossed my arms protectively over the crest of my breasts.
Henry arched a brow at me. “Not in the mood for a wrestling match? That’s too bad. Perhaps another time then.”
I glared at him. “Why are you doing this?”
“We need to talk, and other than tying you to a chair, this is the only way I can think to keep you from running away.”
The truth did little to lessen my sullenness at being trapped. “Have you considered that maybe I don’t want to talk yet? That holding me prisoner will only worsen the situation?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “You’re free to go at any time.”
“Oh!” I cried in frustration. If not sitting naked in a tub, I would have thrown my arms up in exasperation. “You’re impossible!”
A slow smile spread across his mouth. “Just practical. Either way, it’s a win-win for me.”
I tossed a handful of water at him. It fell short, wetting the stones at his feet.
“Does that mean you’re ready to talk?” He bent a knee, propped the sole of one boot against the wall behind him. “Or do you need more time to soak? I’ve all day, so no need to hurry on my account.”
“That depends,” I shot back. “Are you ready to apologize for behaving like a bloodthirsty barbarian?”
“I assume you are referring to the incident with Sean.”
A burst of angry air rushed from me. “Well, let’s see. Did you cut off any other hands today?”
Henry shook his head. “Just the one. None of the other men were foolish enough to threaten you.”
“Is that supposed to make it all right?” Anger boiled straight to the top of my head. “Good heavens, Henry! You maimed a man over a few ill-spoken words. At first I thought it a matter of survival as you were so outnumbered, but then you admitted to never being in danger. How can you even think to justify your actions now?”
His shoulders took on a stubborn set. “He has both hands last I saw.”
I gave a derisive snort. “Only because I happened to be close by. Which you didn’t know at the time, did you?” I forged on, well aware of the answer. “It’s by sheer luck that I arrived in Wexford when I did or Sean would be sporting a stump right now. And don’t you try to deny it.”
“As you say,” he ground through clenched teeth.
“Good. Then we can move on to the part where you admit to being a barbarian and apologize for hurting my brother.”