Her Counterfeit Husband (7 page)

She offered him a sympathetic smile and patted his chest.  “There’s no need to be
uncomfortable
around me.  I don’t mind if you’re not graceful.”

Even though she meant those words, he still didn’t like the fact that he had bouts of weak moments when she was in his presence.  “I didn’t think to ask this befor
e, but don’t I have someone who
helps me with getting dressed or with my bath
s?”

“You did have a valet tend to your needs six months ago, bu
t you dismissed him
,” she replied as they reached the tub.

“I did?  Why?”

She shrugged.  “I don’t know.  You didn’t feel
the need to tell me
.”

“But you don’t make it a habit of helping me with my bath
s
, do you?”

“No, but then, you’ve never needed help b
efore.  Please undress and
get in the tub.”

He couldn’t argue her logic, so he removed
his clothes
.  He probably shouldn’t have been self-conscious since she was his wife.  She’d seen him naked many times in the six years they’d been married, except he didn’t remember any of it.  He was acutely aware that she was standing next to him.  He glanced her way as he slipped off his underwear.  Relieved that her gaze remained above his waist,
he handed her his clothes
.

While she
put them
in a basket for the laundry maid, he grabbed the edge of the tub a
nd gingerly stepped into it
.
He sank into the
water, which wasn’t overly hot but warm
enough to ease his muscles.  He let out a low contented sigh.

Anna
picke
d up a cloth and soap
from
the table
and turned her tender eyes his way.  “Feeling better?”

He nodded.  “Much.  If I’d known how good it’d feel to be in this water, I would have asked for a bath sooner.”

With another one of her angelic smiles, she dipped the cloth into the water and rubbed soap on it.  “Yes, but I don’t think you would have had the strength to sit up.  The doctor said you shoul
d be able to take brief walks by
the end of the week.  He doesn’t want you to push yourself too hard, but the longer you lie in bed, the harder it’ll be for you to heal.”

“It almost seems like a contradiction to say that too much rest is bad for me.”

She chuckled.  “Perhaps, but it’s true.” She ran the soapy cloth along his back, starting at his shoulders and slowly working her way down.  “You’re healing nicely.  Your bruises are
almost gone
.”

He noticed that even as she used pressure on his back to wash him, she was gentle, preferring to use short str
okes to wipe any lingering dirt
from his back.  She was always gentle with him, taking the time to patiently bring him back to health.  Touched by the care and concern she continually showed him, he cleared his throat and whispered,
“It’s too bad I took that fall down the st
airs.  If I hadn’t, I’d remember everything.  I’d like to remember everything, especially you.  Like the first time I saw you at
Hyde Park or the evening I proposed to you.” He glanced ov
er his shoulder and added,
“Y
ou
must have been
a beautiful bride.”

Her eyebrows furrowed and she stopped washing his back.

“Did I say something wrong?” he asked, wondering why her expression seemed to darken at his words.

With a slight shake of her head, she dipped the cloth back into the tub and rub
bed more soap into it.  “No
. 
You didn’t say anything
wrong.  I just need more soap, that’s all.”

He sensed there was something she wasn’t telling him but decided it didn’t matter.  At least not right now.  She was probably overwhelmed
by everything
.  Perhaps he’d never told her
she was beautiful before.  Maybe this was the first time he’d said something that nice to her.  He thought to say that he was sorry about the past, that he would try to be the kind of husband who deserved
her
.  He started to tell her this, but when he opened his mouth
, he wasn’t sure how
.  He would tell her at some po
int, but today wasn’t the day.

To his surprise, she handed him another cloth and the soa
p.  “For your front,” she informed him when he didn’t say anything.

“Oh.” He took the items and rubbed the soap into the wet cloth.  “So I’m going to start taking walks along the property soon?”

“The doctor said you’ll be ready next week, and he left a cane to help you
.”

“Will you walk with me?”

She brought the cloth lower along his back and rubbed it in soothing circular motions.  “I will if you want me to.”

“Yes, I want you to.” Judging by the uncertainty in her voice, he guessed he hadn’t wanted to go walking with her in the past.  “You can show me the grounds.”

“There are a lot of grounds.  You’ll need to ride a horse or be in a carriage to see all of it.”

“Then we can go riding together.”

She didn’t respond.

Deciding he wouldn’t press the issue further, he turned his attention to washing his chest and legs, glad that there were enough suds in the water to hide his erection
.  The bath wasn’t something he considered overtly erotic, but being in close pr
oximity to Anna while naked had
an unexpected effect on him.
  He forced his thoughts back to washing himself off.
 
To his surprise, after she finished washing his back, she washed his hair.  Now this proved
to be
a very relaxing experience, so
he
closed his eyes and sighed.

She chuckled.  “I thought you might enjoy it if I washed your hair.”

“Did you?” he murmured.

She ma
ssaged his scalp and hummed a tune.  Not being familiar with it, he focused on the melody, wondering if he’d heard it before.  It was pleasant with a touch of melancholy to it, something that didn’t surprise him.  There was an underlying sorrow he sensed beneath her smiles, and suspecting he had something to do with that sorrow wasn’t easy to think about.  But she dutifully came to his bedchamber to help him, and si
nce she was nice to him, she must be
willing to forget the pa
st and start over.  Perhaps
losing his memory was the best thing t
hat happened to them
.

Wh
en she was done
, she retrieved
a towel.  “Once you dress, I’ll have the laundry maid change your bedding.”

He eased out of th
e tub
, careful to mind his
aching joints
.  He accepted th
e towel from her and wrapped it
around his waist.  She picked up another towel, and he thought she
was going to hand it to him but she wiped the water off his chest and back.

Afterwards, she handed him the towel
and set out his new clothes on a chair
.  “Do you feel up to eating more than soup tonight?”

As he dried his hair with the towel, he nodded.  “Yes.  In fact, I’d love more substant
ial
food
.  What do I usually eat?”

“Your favorite meal is roast quail.”

“All right.  Can I have that?”

“Of course
.  Whi
le you dress, I’ll talk to C
ook.”

She left the room, and he hobbled over to the wind
ow, aware of the ache in his ribs
.  He pushed open the curtains further to let more light into the room.
  He took a moment to inspect the grounds.  From his vantage point, he saw
a
well-groomed
landscape that was surrounded by trees.
His gaze went
up
to the sky, and he noted how clear it was.  Not a single cloud in sight.  He smiled.  The future stood before him and Anna, and he had a feeling it was going to be a good one—much
better than whatever had been in their past.

He turned to his clothes and dressed, taking his time
since he had to stop a few times when his sore muscles protested
. 
Recovery was taking time, and he had to remind himself that he needed to be patient.  Once he was done, he checked his reflection in the mirror.  He hadn’t seen himself since he lost his memory, so it wasn’t any surprise that nothing seemed familiar.  Most of his face was still bruised, but he noted the broad nose, the dim
ple in his chin, the high cheek
bones, and high forehead.  His blond hair fell in waves
to the
shirt’s collar
.

He stared at his reflection, hoping something—anything—would spark
a
memory, even if it was brief.  But nothing came.  With a shake of his head, he turned his attention to inspecting the rest of his body, noting his tall f
rame and slender build.  He was Jason
Merrill, the Duke of
Watkins, and he lived at Camden
.  He closed his eyes and repeated what Anna had told him several times.  When someone knocked on the door, he opened his eyes an
d
answer
ed
it, glad to see Anna had returned.

He wasn’t sure what to make of
her slight intake of breath, so he asked, “Is something wrong?”

She blinked several times before she offered a weak chuckle.  “N
o, not at all.  You look good, Your G
race.” She
entered the room and gestured to the laundry maid.
  “Since you’re decent,
I’ll let her
change the sheets.”

“Of course,” he replied and quickly stepped aside to allow the maid into the room.

The maid went into the room.  Anna went over to the window
and opened the curtains wider than they were
.  “I see you looked at some of the grounds.”

“Yes.” He approached her and turned his attention to the green landscape.  “I like lots of sunlight in the room.”

“Do you?” she asked.

“Did I not tell you this in the past
?”

She hesitated for a moment and cleared her throat.  “In the past, you’ve
always
had the curtains drawn.”

“I did?”

She nodded, but she di
dn’t explain further
.  Instead, she
said, “There are a couple of hills on the other side of the estate, and a path
that
winds through a group of trees.  I think you’ll enjoy walking on that path.  It
leads to a beautiful fountain
.”

“You like that path a lot,” he whispered, noting the wistful look in her eyes.

“I do. 
It’s like being in another world
.”

“It sounds romantic.
  We’ll have to walk it
.”

She peered around him, so he turned to see what caught her attention.  The laundry maid had removed his old sheets and was putting on the new ones.  She looked back at him and asked, “Do you feel up to
coming downstairs
for dinner tonight?”

“
No, not yet
.
  I did good to walk around this room today.
”
After a moment of silence passed between them, he ventured, “Will you eat dinner with me tonight?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered, breaking eye contact with him.

Hesitant, he wondered if he should proceed or not.  She hadn’t had any meals with him, and since he’d been eating nothing but soups, he thought nothing of it.  But tonight he was going to have a real meal, and the fact that she didn’t want to share it with him made him uneasy.  It was yet another indicator that thin
gs between them hadn’t been what he wanted them to be
.

“I’d like to have dinner with you,” he insisted, his voice soft.  “I promise I won’t chew with my mouth open or spit when I talk.” As he hoped,
she chuckled at his joke. “H
ow can I get you to eat with me?  Should I stand on my head or attempt a backflip?”

Her eyebrows furrowed.  “Those are odd things
you’d think to do
.”

“They were the first things that came to mind, but I’ll do them or anything else you request if it means I can secure your company for dinner.”

She sighed.  “Why do I get the feeling that you’re not one to give up easily?”

“Haven’t I always been that way?” he asked.

He expected her to say that it was, but she cleared her throat and stepped around him.  “
The bedding is done. 
I’ll inform the footman to bring both of our dinners up here.”