Chapter 26

 

‘Don’t be scared.’

As they stood facing each other in the central lobby of the bagnio, he reached out a hand and drew his fingertips down the side of her face. He had already been there when she had arrived a moment before but they were both still dressed as they had come in from the chill of the January afternoon. It was cold in here too, although very bright.

There were no windows around these internal walls but the lobby was flooded with winter sunshine streaming down from the cupola on top of the building. In a curved niche opposite the double front door sat a life-sized brass statue of an eagle, wings upraised, gleaming in the light striking it from above.

Their cloaks fell from their shoulders, his grey, hers dark blue. Beneath her cloak he could see she wore a fine woollen gown in a rich dark brown. The hem of her skirts brushed the black and white marble tiles of the floor. As she bent forward to set her wicker basket down he saw neat little brown leather shoes with a low curved heel and a tantalizing glimpse of her ankles, clad in white stockings.

He was carrying his leather satchel, slung bandolier-style across the waistcoat he wore below his cloak. That was of fine brown broadcloth, much the same shade as her gown.

‘We match today,’ he said, his cold fingertips still tracing the line of her jaw.

‘So we do.’ Her eyes fluttered closed, then opened again as she wrapped her fingers around his wrist, under his ruffled shirt cuffs, stilling and capturing his hand. She wore knitted mittens, fashioned to leave the tops of her fingers free. ‘A butterfly touch,’ she observed. ‘Like those little butterfly kisses the other day.’

‘I’m trying not to frighten you away. Startle you so you’ll flutter off like a pretty little butterfly. Although it’s not too late for you to change your mind, Kirsty.’

‘Would that make you angry?’

‘No. But I’d be very disappointed. Which is vastly to understate the case.’ He tugged her hand away from his wrist, lifted it to his mouth and kissed it.

‘I’m not going to change my mind.’

‘Glad to hear it.’ He looked at her over the back of her hand. ‘One thing though Kirsty, before we go any further. I should probably have asked you before. You know you will bleed? Also that it may hurt? Although I hope only very briefly.’

She took a breath. ‘I know both those things. There are towels in the linen press through in the bedroom. We can put one under us. For the blood.’

‘Miss Practical,’ he said, wondering if he could love her any more than he did right now. ‘We match in this too, it seems. I’ve already made up the bed through there, with a towel beneath us.’

‘When did you do that?’

‘On my first visit here this morning. While it was still pitch black.’ He gestured towards the gleaming brass eagle. ‘Struck a light and got the fright of my life when that thing loomed up in front of me. Thought the king of the birds was going to pick me up and fly me to his eyrie. What’s an eagle doing in a bagnio? I haven’t seen that before.’

‘He’s one of the symbols of the calling.’

‘The calling?’

‘The College of Surgeons. Possibly connected with surgeons having to be eagle-eyed. What did you do after you recovered from your fright?’

‘I set a low fire under the boiler. That amount of water in a cistern takes a long time to heat.’ He looked around him. ‘Very ingenious system of pipework here. To draw the water in from the well outside and run it through under the floors to heat the different rooms.’

‘There speaks the engineer,’ she teased.

Or the man who’s as scared as you are. Only for a very different reason. That’s why I’m babbling about pipework. Very romantic.

‘You want us to bathe?’ she asked shyly.

‘I thought you might like to. Afterwards.’

‘Oh,’ she said. ‘Afterwards.’

His mouth curved. ‘That’s a rather faint little voice. At the risk of embarrassing you even further, I’d love us to bathe together. The bathtubs look long, wide and deep enough for two. Have I shocked you?’ he asked, as her hand flew up to her mouth.

‘Y-yes,’ she stuttered. ‘N-no… Maybe… I dinna really ken if I’m shocked or not.’

‘You can mull it over. Water won’t be hot enough for quite some time. One more thing. If it hurts too much or if you simply do not like it, tell me and I will stop. At any point.’

Her eyes searched his face. ‘You would do that? You could do that?’

‘If it’s for you, I can do anything. Wouldn’t much like it but I’ll stop if you ask me to.’

She dropped her eyes, obliging him to speak his next words over the top of her head. ‘You did this the other night, you know. When I brought Geordie and Joshua back from Musselburgh. Once you and I were alone in the library – apart from Geordie, our sleeping chaperone – you apparently found my neckcloth deeply fascinating, It seems to be exerting the same fascination over you now.’

Flipping one edge of his grey cloak back, he gripped the thick belt of the satchel and swung it round his back. She kept her head down, one mittened hand resting against his black silk neckcloth. Over her hair she wore a white cap with a narrow frill, a fashionable little hat on top of it. He flicked its brim. ‘Can we get rid of all this, d’you think?’

‘Not yet.’ Hampered by her bowed head, her voice came out as not much more than a squeak. ‘Not until I say what I have to say.’

‘Which is?’ he encouraged, stooping and leaning sideways in an attempt to see the expression on her face.

‘That I dinna ken how to do any o’ this. That I am woefully ignorant.’

‘Och, Kirsty…’

His soft laugh brought her head up. ‘Dinna make fun of me!’

‘I’m not making fun of you. I’m amused, that’s all.’ His deep voice was as soft as his laugh. ‘I rather like what you call your woeful ignorance. I think it’s sweet. You dinna need to ken how to do any o’ this,’ he added, in affectionate mimicry of her accent. ‘All you need to do is let me make love to you. Are you scared?’

‘Maybe a wee bit nervous.’

‘I’ll be as gentle as I can. Hold you as I would a precious piece of porcelain. As I would those dainty little teacups of yours. The ones you keep in your bedchamber for when your friends visit.’

‘Which you know about from the night when you invaded my bedchamber. I like the metaphor, all the same.’ Earnest again, she looked up at him. ‘I want to make love to you too, Robert. Give you pleasure.’

‘You already do. You will do. I guarantee it. You know how to kiss, don’t you? And caress? Everything else will come naturally.’ His voice dropped to a murmur. ‘Are those not beautiful words? Kiss,’ he repeated. ‘Caress.’

‘Yes,’ she agreed. ‘Those are beautiful words.’

‘Wonderful. We’re making progress. Let’s make some more. Take your hat and cap off. Better still, let me do it.’

After he had freed her hair, they kissed again before he moved both arms to encircle her waist, spreading his fingers under her cloak. Damn her stays – but they would soon be rid of those.

‘I’ll put more coal on the fire under the boiler soon. Not quite yet. But before we come together.’ He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. ‘You may have liked my metaphor but that was an unfortunate turn of phrase.’

‘Isn’t that what we are going to do, come together?’

He laughed. ‘That’s the ideal, yes—’ Then, seeing her puzzled frown: ‘You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?’

‘No. So tell me.’

He spared one hand to tap the end of her nose with his finger. ‘I’ll tell you later. At the appropriate moment.’

‘Will there be one of those?’

‘I’m hoping for several. I’m glad you don’t want to change your mind. I might have become unhinged if you had. Driven mad by unrequited lust.’

‘Lust, is it?’

‘Nothing wrong with honest-to-goodness lust,’ he said, delighted to see his words had made her eyes sparkle. Green as a summer meadow, those eyes. Along with the defiant upward tilt of the chin, one of the first things he had noticed about her. Among other attributes and characteristics. She was such a beguiling mixture, shy one moment and bold the next.

‘I’d jalouse you ken a great deal about lust, Captain Catto.’

Triumphant. That was the only word to describe the look on her face now. Idiotically happy, he pretended to glower at her. ‘I was going to add, especially when lust goes hand in hand with love. Now, Miss Rankeillor,’ he asked, deliberately arch, ‘what about those shameless thoughts of yours? As I recall, you were going to share them with me. Anytime you like, madam.’

‘Och, Robert…’ she said, her whole body softening.

‘Och, Kirsty,’ he responded, glad he had slid the satchel out of the way. Stays or not, the feel of her body against his was intoxicating. No barrier below her waist other than fine wool, the petticoat and thin shift covering her hips and legs and what lay between. ‘Och, Kirsty,’ he said again. This time there was no teasing in the words. ‘I love it when you melt against me like this… Oh,’ he moaned, feeling his body react to hers. ‘You’re willing, then?’

‘Aye. Dinna want to be responsible for you losing your wits.’

‘Only for that reason?’

‘Stop fishing for compliments.’

‘Kiss,’ he said. ‘Caress. Several of both, if you please.’

They did that, ending with both of them a little breathless, foreheads pressed gently together. ‘You’ll have to guide me too. I’ve never lain with a virgin before. Never wanted to. Until now. Let us go through to the bedroom.’

Picking up her basket he led the way out of the lobby and into the bedroom. There were two divans in there, standing on honey-coloured varnished floorboards. The wider one was neatly made up with sheets and a couple of blankets.

‘You did this earlier today?’

‘Yes. Shall we take our cloaks off and sit down on the edge of the divan?’

Following both suggestions, she untied her cloak, laid it over the foot of the divan and sat down. He set her basket on the floor to the side of the bed. ‘What’s in here? Apart from your night clothes, I take it.’

‘Sustenance,’ she said, looking up at him as he swung off his cloak and laid it on top of hers. ‘Not wearing your horseman’s coat today?’

I thought my cloak might add an extra layer of warmth later on. Along with yours. Should we need that.’

‘I’ve brought gingerbread and ginger tablet. Couldn’t bring anything more substantial. Not when I’m only supposed to be taking a wee New Year’s gift to Anna. But I thought you’d appreciate the ginger. What’s in your satchel?’

‘My banyan. As requested. I brought sustenance too.’ Swinging off the satchel, he laid it on top of his cloak and sat down next to her. ‘My contribution to the feast is a loaf of bread, butter and some slices of ham. Although I shall indeed look forward to the gingerbread and the ginger tablet. The second time you’ve brought me some.’

‘I remember. When I called at the guard-house trying to work out whose side you were on. When you discovered Geordie had been hiding Alice there.’

After the assault on her, Geordie’s sister had been taken, bound and gagged, to a squalid brothel in Edinburgh, told she would work there from then on. When the woman who ran the place succumbed to drink, Alice had found the courage to make her escape and go looking for her brother.

Catto touched Kirsty Rankeillor’s cheek. ‘Don’t dwell on it. She’s safe now. They all are.’

‘Reading my thoughts again?’ she asked ruefully. ‘Will your men not think it odd that you have taken food away from the guard-house? Or wonder why you will be absent from there overnight?’

‘I do not have to explain myself to my men. Besides which, nobody is keeping much of an eye on the guard-house pantry with Geordie not being there.’ He lifted one of her hands. ‘Can you bear to take your mittens off? I promise it will be warmer in here very soon. I’ll add the coal to the fire as soon as daylight has faded. So no one will notice any smoke coming out of the chimney.’

She nodded her agreement before holding out her hands to him. ‘Why don’t you take my mittens off?’ Growing bolder and more relaxed though she was, there was a tremble in her voice.

‘Happy to oblige,’ he said, peeling off the little gloves. Tucking one inside the other, he rolled them into a neat bundle and tossed them into her basket. Raising her hands to his lips, he planted a delicate kiss on the inside of each wrist, relishing her visible pleasure at his touch. She was still nervous, he could see that. Maybe even scared, despite having denied it. He had to do something about that. Some inconsequential talk might help release the tension he could sense building up inside her.

‘I also brought some wine. There’s a bottle of hock and a bottle of claret in the pantry. This morning I found some glasses and rinsed them out and dried them. I even polished them with a cloth I found in one of the drawers.’

‘You’ve thought of everything.’ She had a deep voice for a woman but that comment had come out more highly pitched, breathy and nervous.

‘I’m not finished yet. I brought some coffee too. Also a packet of tea so you can have your favourite drink tomorrow morning. Or whenever you like.’

‘Tomorrow morning,’ she repeated. ‘By which time everything will have changed. I shall have changed.’

‘You’ll still be you. What would you say to us loosening up a little more? Doesn’t mean we’re going to do anything yet. There’s no rush. Not till you’re ready.’

There was a tiny pause before she spoke, her hands rising to his neckcloth. ‘I’d say this.’ She slid the smooth strip of fabric from around his neck, rolled it up and sent it to join her mittens in the wicker basket on the floor. She looked very serious. Getting her courage up.

Tentative fingers touched his skin. She followed those fingers with her lips, kissing his bare throat. Once. Twice. He tilted his head back, savouring her touch as she had savoured his. Not that he was going to let her do this for too long. He wanted her first time to be as good as it could possibly be, which meant he was going to have to muster every last ounce of self-control.

‘My turn again now.’ He tugged the white linen fichu out of the neckline of her bodice, folding it before tossing it down to the bottom of the divan to lie on top of the satchel and their cloaks. ‘Ah. This is a much better view.’ Bending his head, he began kissing the tops of her breasts.

When he felt her fingers on his black satin hair ribbon, he raised his head again. ‘Not yet. Not till I add the coal to the fire. We’ll light a few lanterns soon too. Found three this morning. I’ve got them all ready in the pantry. I think it would be best to leave the sconces unlit.’

An idea leapt into his head. ‘Turn around. With your back to me.’

‘Why?’ she asked, although she was already obeying him.

‘So I can do this.’ He slid his arms down over her shoulders and her half-exposed breasts, his fingers sliding down under her stays and shift to cup them.

‘Oh!’ she yelled. ‘Your hands are so cold!’