Honor Reclaimed (All About Honor) (18 page)

Drew was just planning to go back
out for the evening to visit one of his favorite houses.
 
Being with Eirian all evening left him
in need of release.
 
He groaned
audibly when he read her message, but he did not hesitate to leave immediately
to find out what was wrong.

Eirian answered the door herself
when Drew arrived.
 
“Eirian honey,
what is wrong?” he asked as he took her in his arms.
 
He did his best to keep his hug platonic and
comforting.
 

Eirian was so relieved to be able to
share her fears that she burst into tears.
 
“I am so sorry to be such a baby.
 
I just got this message from home.”
 
Like most gentlemen, Drew found a
damsel in distress irresistible.
 
She handed the letter to Drew who quickly assessed the situation.
 

“We will leave at first light.
 
I know you need an escort and I find
myself at loose ends just now.
 
I
will be glad to escort you.
 
Will
you be ready to leave by then?” he asked.

“Oh yes, of course.
 
Thank you so much!
 
I do not know what I would do if you
were not here.”
 
She stood on her
toes to place a kiss on his cheek.
 

Drew clenched his fist at his sides
to keep from taking her in his arms and ravishing her right there in the floor
of the foyer.
 
The next few weeks
were going to be a living hell for him and she was totally clueless.
 
“I will call for you first thing in the
morning.”

His voice sounded funny to
Eirian.
 
She hoped he was
just
tired and not getting sick.
 
As soon as she closed the door behind him she went to Nanny
to let her know about Aislinn and to inform Nanny that she would be responsible
for the children until either she or John returned.

Nanny did not think it was a good
idea for Eirian to take off alone with Sir Andrew.
 
It simply was not proper.
 
Eirian could not see the problem.
 
Drew was the closest thing to family she knew and she felt
like she could count on him in this situation.

After Eirian had closed the door
Drew leaned back against it and gritted his teeth.
 
Oh my God, how was he going to survive this without
rupturing something deep inside of himself?
 
He would never be the same.

They left at first light as he had
promised.
 
Eirian had penned a
quick note to John apprising him of the situation.
 
She was not even sure it would reach him before he left for
home, but she did try.

Morning dawned clear and
bright.
 
They traveled along in
silence for a couple of hours when Eirian finally said something.
 
“Drew, are you angry with me?
 
Did I interrupt any important dates you
might have had?”

“No Honey, why would you ask
that?”
 
Drew returned.

“You haven’t said one unnecessary
word to me since we left London.”
 
She countered.

“Honey, when was the last time you
heard me say a single word this early in the day.
 
In fact when have you ever even seen me this early in the
day.
 
I was not even sure there
were two sixes on the clock.
 
Fives
I have seen, because I often come home about that time as I did this
morning.
 
I am sorry sweetheart I
am just tired and I have a headache.”
 
He explained.

Eirian laughed, “A hangover you
mean?”

Drew just nodded to affirm her
statement and then grimaced as he grabbed his aching head.
 
Eirian let another gale of laughter
loose.
 
Before he stopped to think
about what he was doing, he leaned over the narrow distance separating their
horses and pulled her lips to his.
 
For a split second Eirian forgot to react.
 
She accepted his kiss thinking it would be a quick brotherly
tribute.
 
It was not.
 
It was a total assault to her
system.
 
It felt as if a lightening
bolt shot through her system.
 
When
his tongue entered her mouth she pulled away from him as if she had been burned
by fire.
 
Her hand went to her
mouth in shock and her eyes displayed not only shock, but fear as well.
 
Drew was so ashamed and angry with
himself.

“Eirian, I am so sorry.
 
I did not mean for that to happen.
 
I guess I am still a little under the
influence of liquor and my inhibitions are down.
 
I promise that will not happen again.
 
You just looked so sweet when you were
laughing that I forgot myself.”
 
My
God, they had only been on the road for two hours and he could not keep his
emotions to himself.
 
How was he
going to last for the couple of weeks that he knew he had before him.

He did not know whether to be
pleased or ashamed when he caught Eirian repeatedly and unconsciously touching
her lips through the rest of the morning.
 
One thing for sure, his kiss had left an impression.

As the day drug on Drew had more and
more cause to regret tying one on the night before.
 
Not only was his head aching but his eyes were burning and
his throat hurt.
 
By the time they
found an inn to stop at he could not wait to get to bed, alone.
 
For once he knew he would not dream of
taking Eirian to bed with him.
 
Drew spoke to the inn- keeper and requested adjoining rooms.
 
“Will you and your wife be staying more
than one night?”
 
Drew felt so bad
he did not even bother to correct the man.
 
He just took the keys and requested that food be sent to
their rooms.

Drew escorted Eirian up to her room
and told her to lock the door and not open it for anyone but him.
 
He kissed her gently on her forehead
and waited until she had closed and locked the door.
 
He went next door and fell into bed with his cloths on.
 
The next thing he was aware of was a
knock on his door.
 
When he opened
it there was a servant holding a large tray covered with several dishes that
contained their dinner.

“Where would you like me to put
this?”
 
The buxom young girl asked
him.
 

“Over on the table by the window I
guess.”
 
He answered.
 
His head hurt so bad that he could
barely think.

“Would there be anything else?” she
asked pushing her breast out to their best advantage.

“No I do not believe so,” he answered
for once oblivious to the open invitation he was receiving.

“Well handsome.
 
If you change your mind and want
ANYTHING at all, you just have to ask for Dora.”
 
With that she reached up to pull his face down to hers
planting a sensual kiss on his lips as she brought his hand up to her
breast.
 
Acting by instinct alone,
Drew used his other hand to grab her backside and pull her up against his
rapidly growing erection grinding it against her.
 
At just that moment, Eirian having heard the knock on his
door,
opened the door to her adjoining room.

“Oh my, I am so sorry.”
 
She closed the door immediately and
covered her burning face with her hands.

Drew none to gently pushed Dora away
from him as if he had been scalded.
 
What had he been thinking responding to the little harlot that way with
Eirian in the next room?
 
“Leave
right now.”

Dora, assuming that she had
infuriated the gentleman’s wife, was fearful for her job.
 
She did not know he was traveling with
his wife or she never would have come on to him.
 
He was just so handsome and he looked like the kind of man
who would have been generous during as well as after he bedded her.
 
She left as quickly as she could.

Shit, Drew thought.
 
He had really screwed up this
time.
 
He acted strictly by
instinct when to girl came on to him.
 
It was not the first time he had found himself in that situation, and he
responded as he always had, forgetting for a minute that he was not alone.
 
She must really think he was a low life
now.

“Eirian honey, may I come in?” he
asked through the crack in the door.

“Enter,” she responded.

When he opened the door he found her
sitting on the side of the bed with a crimson blush on her face.
 
Before he had a chance to apologize as
he had planned, Eirian blurted out, “Drew, I am so sorry.
 
I should have knocked before I entered
your room.
 
I am sorry that I
interrupted your,
ahhh
… that I interrupted you.”

“Honey, it is I who should
apologize.
 
I did not solicit her
company.
 
She was delivering our
dinner tray and made me an offer I should have refused.
 
I did not mean to embarrass you or
expose you to any unseemly behavior.” He was sincere in his apology.

“It is of no matter. Let us put this
behind us.
 
I am hungry.
 
Can we eat now?” she asked trying to
put the embarrassing moment behind them.

They ate, or rather, Eirian ate her
dinner and Drew mostly just pushed his food around on his plate.
 
They then retired to their respective
rooms to get some sleep.

The morning found Drew feeling much
better.
 
They quickly broke their
fast on some bread and cheese and taking a package of the same to save for
lunch.
 
They were on their way soon
after daybreak.
 

By mid morning, Drew was once again
quiet, but this time Eirian did not comment on it.
 
Not until she noticed him slowly sinking and slouching in
his saddle did she become concerned.
 
“Drew, you do not look well.
 
Are you alright?”
 
She
reached over to check his temperature and was alarmed to find him burning with
fever.
 
“Oh dear, Drew honey, you
are burning with fever.
 
We have to
find a place to stop.
 
Why did you
not tell me you were sick?”

Drew was beyond responding.
 
He could not have if he wanted to his
throat
was
so swollen and sore.
 
Eirian took his reins from his hands
and led his horse down the road as he clung to the saddle, struggling to stay
upright.
 
It was not quite noon
when Eirian sighted the Inn just down the road.
 
Nothing had ever looked so good to her.
 
She could not wait to get there and to
get Drew into a nice warm bed, especially as it looked like the skies were
about to open up to pour rain.
 
It
took the assistance of the innkeeper to get him up the stairs and into
bed.
 
The innkeeper helped her
remove Drew’s boots, but assuming that they were a married couple left her to
finish undressing him.

Eirian tried to take the attitude
that it was no different than her undressing one of her boys.
 
It did not work.
 
He was a man, fully grown, and she was
very much aware of it.
 
She would
just have to get over it because he needed to be sponged down, to bring his
fever down, as it was dangerously high.
 
She gathered a cloth and the basin of water and began to wash him
down.
 
She started with his face
and then pulling his shirt over his head she moved to his arms and shoulders as
they were already exposed.
 
She had
not realized how well muscled he was.
 
It was obvious that he must be
a hands
on owner
on his estate.
 
He did not get
those muscles working behind a desk.
 
She briefly wondered what it would be like to feel those muscles moving
under her hands in the throes of passion.
 
Oh my God, where had that thought come from? She felt herself blushing.

She continued to work her way down
his body, when she got to his waist she hesitate a moment before she tackled
the job of removing his pants.
 
She
could not figure how to accomplish the task without embarrassment to both of
them, so she just forged ahead struggling to pull them off.
 
Oh Christ, the bathing had caused his
body to react on its own and his appendage was standing proud.
 
Her mind once again wandered where it
should not go.
 
She quickly covered
the center of his body and washed down his limbs.
 
Drew was just barely conscious enough to wonder if she liked
what she saw.