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“Sebastian?” she said uneasily, her voice rising on a wail as he swung her up and around and dropped her into the horse trough She sank, completely

“Are you sure no one saw me?”

Her teeth were chattering; she was drenched, hair and clothing wringing wet, but all Francesca could think about was being discovered in Sebastian’s room at the inn She knew there would be a terrible scandal and she’d be ruined, like her sister Marietta

He orking on the s it up with curses and slivers of wood “The blacks, and the innkeeper, and everyone else in the village, is trying to put it out So to answer your question, no, no one saw us come in”

They’d crept around buildings and cottages, avoiding the crowd headed in the direction of the fire, and found the e, in the h

“You do realize,” she said, with as nity as she could muster, “that wool is very slow to burn You could have putto such drastic measures”

“So you’ve said…several times There,” he added, as the fire crackled He frowned at her, then tugged the coverlet from his bed and wrapped it around her

“I—I suppose you thought you were savingit difficult to feel grateful”

“I’ve apologized,” he said evenly He began to rub his hands over her arms and shoulders “Would you like

“No, thank you,” she said, trying not to blush

“Pity”

She winced when he touched her bruised shoulder A glint shone in his eyes “Did they hurt you?”

She pushed her wet hair back from her face “I don’t think he meant to Hal, I mean We bumped into each other ent after the pistol He won,” she added ruefully

“Where does it hurt?”

“My shoulder”