The Rakehell Regency Romance Collection Volume 2(33)

"Fine. It's a lovely day. I shall find a good coat for you to wear. Your old one won't clean up well."



He nodded and put his head down on the pillow wearily.



She finished penning her letter to her brother, and had just sealed it when Alexander groaned loudly and began to thrash about. Startled, she sent the papers on her desk flying in every direction.



Sarah ran to his side to soothe him, grasping him by both shoulders as he writhed.



"No! No!"



It was the same word, over and over again, in the most agonized tone.



"I'm here, Alexander, I'm here. You're all right. You're safe. I've got you," she said, raising her voice to be heard above his shouts. "It's all right. You're here with me in England. It's a lovely spring day, and the war is over. You're all right."



"Sarah?" he asked in confusion a few moments later.



"That's right," she said, both hands resting lightly on his shoulders.



He surged forward and hugged her to his chest. While certainly stunned by the act, she did not struggle, just relaxed into the embrace. She nestled her head against his chest, and could hear his heart pounding rapidly. It was apparent he had been terrified, but by what? Unfortunately, the words he had uttered told her nothing about what he had seen in his nightmare.



When she ventured to ask him, he said he could not recall much. "A walled city, a huge explosion, people fighting and dying."



"Does anyone look or seem familiar?" she asked softly, thinking it had to be Ciudad Rodrigo or Badajoz he was referring to.



He shook his head.



"It's all right, don't try to remember now. Just breathe deeply."



At length he had quieted enough that Sarah lifted her head from his chest, and asked, "Better now?"



"Yes."



"Is there anything I can get you?"



"Some water would be pleasant," he said, his voice sounding scratchy and raw.



She rose to get it for him, and saw Caleb and Jenny hovering anxiously outside the door.



She blushed at the thought of how long she had been half on top of his long lean body. But there was no reproach in their expressions, only alarmed concern.



"Is he all right?" Jenny whispered.



"Just a nightmare. Nothing to worry about."



"Should we get him anything?" Caleb asked.



"Just some water and maybe a cool wet towel."



Jenny came in a short time later with the glass and a basin. He drank down the water, wiped his perspiring face, and let out a shaky sigh.



"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout the place down. I must have terrified everyone," Alexander apologized.



"No, not at all. It's fine."



"Would you like some soup, sir? It's split pea and ham."



"That sounds superb, Jenny. Just what I need. Thank you."



Sarah caressed his lean cheek and urged him to rest again, while she went over to the desk to tidy the scattered papers, which Caleb had begun helping to pick up. The letter was no longer there. Good old Caleb, he had obviously already put it in the post. She would be hearing from her brother soon, of that she was sure.



Of course, the newlyweds' travel plans for the next month were a bit vague, but there was a post office on the border outside Carlisle which her brother planned to call at on their way into Scotland. If they did not get the letter at the inn they were stopping at in Shropshire, they would get it when they reached Carlisle.



In any case, there wasn't any urgency, was there? Alexander was in a bad way both physically and mentally. He had been ill for two years, and still had a long way to travel on the road to recovery. He had no idea what circumstances were awaiting him at home, even if he discovered where home was. Why not take care of him here?



All right, she admitted to herself, there were other reasons as well. She had never met anyone so handsome in her life. Moreover, the instant jolt of almost-recognition she had experienced as he had stood in the doorway with the lightning and thunder crashing all around him seemed too strong an impression to brush off lightly.



Plus, she liked the company. He was undemanding as a companion, but held a warm physical appreciation for her. He accepted her and made her feel like a feminine, desirable woman, though not in any predatory way. She had become physically and emotionally closer to him in the space of a day than she had to any other man she'd ever met. She was acutely conscious of him as a man in a way that she had never experienced before.



Even Jonathan's stunningly handsome and virile friends Clifford and Thomas had never provoked such a strong reaction, though they were so good-looking each in their own way, one blond, one dark, that they caused most women to swoon whenever they walked into a room. She had never swooned-until now.