Read His Saving Grace (Regency Refuge 1) for Free Online

of privacy. Then he commanded her, "Stand up." When she did, he gently spun her so her back was to him, and he deftly unbuttoned the buttons along the back of her dress. He tried not to notice the soft skin peeking out above her chemise, the way her raven hair was falling out of its pins, or the delicate complexion of the skin along her neck and shoulders where the shimmering dress dipped. Once he got the gown unbuttoned, he untied the stays of her corset. Then he gave her his back and said, "Go ahead and take a bath. I'll see if we can find a gown for you to wear tomorrow, or if we can get this one cleaned in time for our departure."
    He heard Grace moving around behind him and tried not to picture what she would look like climbing out of her voluminous dress. It had been her wedding dress, and she'd been stuck in it for two days. He refused to let himself imagine the look of pleasure on her face as she was finally freed from it. He tried to avoid it, but he nonetheless noticed the dress was beautifully crafted and adorned with flowers for her special day. The burnished gold was a lovely color that became nothing less than alluring when worn by Grace.
    When he heard the water sloshing, he turned to see she'd laid her dress on the bed. Without a word to her, he grabbed it and went in search of Rupert.
    Reality was setting in. He had a wife. And she was in his room. Naked.
    ****
    Grace sat in the tub and relished the feeling of the cool water against her skin. She was having difficulty processing the change in Thomas's behavior. Was her Thomas back for good, or would the acerbic Thomas make another showing? Trying not to let her hope grow too much, she concentrated on washing herself. Getting the grime of two days' travel off her body and out of her hair felt wonderful. Even in the long-since cooled water, the simple action of bathing was a boon to her soul, a soothing reminder that not everything in her world had been turned upside down.
    Inspiration struck, and, unable to resist, she hastily scrubbed her chemise with soap and rinsed it before wringing it out and draping it over a chair in front of the fireplace, then settling back into the tub. Here's hoping it dries quickly! Even if the water wasn't the cleanest by then, at least the soap would wash away the smell of carriage and sweat.
    While she'd liked this Thomas more, with his caring blue eyes as he'd told her to stand and the gentle touch with which he'd undone the back of her gown for her, she hoped he didn't hurry back.
    I'm not sure I'm ready to face him with nothing but a wet chemise and false bravado.
    ****
    Thomas stayed downstairs as long as he dared. It had already been late when he'd gone up the first time. Now the place had emptied of all but him and the gangly proprietor. The man's wife had told him she could try to clean the gown, but would likely ruin it as she wasn't used to such exquisite material and delicate stitching. Thomas had instead dispatched the faithful Rupert into the village to wake the local seamstress and see if she had anything on hand that was suitably sized. A quick search of Grace's trunks had revealed a plethora of undergarments, books, and other household items, but no outer garments for the duchess to wear.
    The young duke took pity on the proprietor, who would stay up as long as he remained downstairs. He stood from his table, nodded to the man, threw down ample coins to pay the man for putting up with his unusual requests and bizarre behavior this evening, then made his way up the stairs. Taking a deep breath, he paused outside the door to their shared chamber. He hoped she was in bed, covered up and fast asleep.
    Thomas had spent far too much time in the presence of the peerage these last years. He hadn't realized until this evening how the attitude of entitlement and self-worship had soaked into his skin and pervaded his soul. He'd had his anger as an excuse, sure. The way he'd been treating Grace, though, by ignoring her very