Chapter 49

"You didn't come downstairs to the garden, so I came up."

"I was going to in a minute. I was just washing and dressing."

She took his hand. They'd sometimes taken breakfast on the table in the garden. They'd once done other things too. The remembrance made her heart lurch.

She wanted to offer him more than her hand, but speaking of coming up, she'd vomited. The taste and smell would be on her breath. She edged her tongue forth. On her lips too.

"Dressing?" He curved his lips into a faint smile. Desire was, of course, the normal state for him to exist in, making it helpful to have chosen him. Only there were times she realized, as he leaned toward her, she wished she hadn't. "Yes." She turned away. "So I could come down to breakfast."

"What's this? More rules?"

"What? Me dressing for breakfast?" She reached down for her shoe. "No, there is no rush surely? We have all day."