Page 51 of His Scandalous Viscountess
Who was behind the attack?
Because there was little doubt the brute who’d tried to snatch Jules could not have been working on his own recognizance. Of course, only one answer came to mind: it had to be Wallthorpe. Though Wolf also refused to discount Jules’ former lover. Sheik Hassan seemed mighty determined to have her back in his bed as well, and the man had traveled thousands of miles to find her.
He looked down at Julia, who was huddled against his side. He wanted to marry her. Not only was it the best way to protect her, but he was ridiculously in love with her. Despite his efforts to make her fall for him, she had yet to change her mind.
Was tonight’s attack enough to sway her thinking on marriage?
Chapter 21
Julia stood in the foyer of Wolf’s town house as the indomitable Mrs. Gordon put everyone and everything to rights. She wasn’t cheery, she didn’t laugh, she didn’t smile, but she was welcoming in an efficient sort of way. Julia had known her for all of three minutes, and she wouldn’t dare think of crossing the woman.
“Lord Flintshire, you may take your usual room. My ladies, I shall have rooms prepared for you in a trice.”
She turned to hustle off, but stopped as Wolf cleared his throat.
“Mrs. Gordon, Lady Julia will sleep in my quarters.”
Julia looked up, surprised yet overwhelmed with relief at his blunt announcement.
“My lord!” The housekeeper pressed her hand to her chest. “Why, that’s scandalous!”
That his cheeks were dusted pink amused Julia, even as he appeared simultaneously embarrassed and put-upon.
Wolf sighed. “Be that as it may, I shall not sleep separate from her after this evening’s events.”
Flint looked even more uncomfortable than Wolf, but spoke up, as well. “And I’ll need a room adjoining Mrs. Smith’s. We can’t be too careful after tonight’s incident.”
Mrs. Gordon’s brown gaze narrowed, and if she could have thrown daggers at the men, Julia was certain she would have.
“I, for one, shall sleep better knowing Lord Flintshire is close at hand.” Ros spoke so softly that Julia wasn’t certain anyone else heard her. But then Mrs. Gordon’s disapproving brown eyes softened a bit.
Julia bit her lip and admitted her own relief as well. “I wouldn’t sleep a wink without Wolf after nearly being abducted.” She glanced up at him and let her desire show in her eyes. “I may not sleep at all, even with him at my side.”
And just like that, Mrs. Gordon tutted and scooted away to see to their rooms.
Wolf cleared his throat in the awkward silence. “Yes, well. A nip of something bracing seems in order while we wait for our rooms to be prepared. Wouldn’t you agree?”
~
Half an hour later, Julia found herself in Wolf’s chambers, soaking in a steaming bath before a small fire. It was warm for May, when the sun was shining, but the nights still held a chill. Not to mention the cold fear that still lingered well after the incident. She’d only stopped shaking once they’d settled in Wolf’s carriage and she’d been able to press herself against his side. There was no doubt in her mind, she wouldn’t have been able to sleep in her own bed that night. Though when she’d asked him to stay with her, she’d assumed he would take her to The Market—not his home. But Wolf was always defying expectation—or at least hers.
She hoped Ros was soaking in an equally delightful bath, though with slightly less of an audience than she had at the moment.
Wolf hovered near the tub, looking masculine yet comfortable standing in his shirtsleeves, trousers, and bare feet. “May I get you anything else?”
Julia sighed a little. The worst of her shock and fear proved to be dissipating, along with the tendrils of steam. “I’m quite well at the moment, but thank you.”
He kneeled behind her at the edge of the tub. “Would you allow me to scrub your back?”
She thought about it for a minute, drawing the moment out almost teasingly. But then she raised the scrubbing cloth out of the water. “Mmmm…I think I shall.”
His presence behind her was both reassuring and exciting. Then he leaned close to her ear. “Sit forward, my lady.”
As he reached down into the water and searched out the soap, his wandering hand stroked and caressed all of the flesh he could find. Eventually, he found the small bar and set about his task. The light roughness of the cloth and the slippery feel of the soap combined in a pleasurable way with the pressure he applied to further relax her tense muscles. She wouldn’t have asked for a bath at such a late hour—and, in fact, hadn’t—but she truly appreciated that Mrs. Gordon had arranged for one so quickly.
Curious, now that her emotions had settled down, she considered who her assailant might have been. There was truly only one logical answer in her mind. “Wolf, do you think the man was sent by Wallthorpe?”
Her bath attendant sighed behind her. “I do suspect that to be true, though I am unwilling to entirely discard the notion that your sheik might also have played a hand in tonight’s events.”
