Lords of Honor (15 page)

Micah worked diligently to dry Libby’s hair
.
He used the towel to squeeze the moisture from the dark strands,
rubbed them in the thick
cloth
.
He moved a chair to sit behind her and comb
through
her
thick
silken
mane
.
Like
the night before,
Micah
be
came entranced
while combing her hair
.
He would realize how absorbed he
was
,
then
begin to
converse with her
.

“Are you tired, Libby?”
he
asked as he stood and placed the comb back in his bag.

“A bit
.
But I do feel so much better
.”
She smiled as he brought the wooden chair from behind her
and sat beside her
so he could face her.

“And your stomach
, Libby, do you feel better?
”
h
e asked
in concern
.
She
took
most
of her broth and a
te a
slice of bread
at dinner earlier
.
She
nibbled on a piece of cheese
he offered to her
.
Libby
insisted she could eat no more
. She refused any
additional
morsels he tried to tempt her with
.
He
ate
his meal ravenously
.

“I feel fine.”

“You did not eat much, are you hungry now?”

“No,
Micah, I’m
not hungry
.
”

Micah saw her shiver slightly
.
“You’re cold, Libby
.
Let me get you into the bed
.
I must confess
I myself am sleepy.
I’ll have the girl send for someone to get the tub
.
If we do leave for Templecombe, w
e will have a long day tomorrow
.
We will just have to see how you feel
.
It will not hurt to stay
here
another day
.
I will send a letter to Owen
first thing tomorrow morning.
”

Libby moved to
try and stand on her own
.
Micah stood and scooped her into his arms
.
“Let me take you, sweetheart
.
You need to conserve your energy
.”
Libby leaned her head against Micah’s chest as he carried her into the bedchamber
.
She yawned
, realizing s
he was sleepier than she realized.

H
e
reasoned he should have let her try to walk
.
She
stepped
into
the tub on her own
.
But, he
felt an overwhelming need
to touch her
, to f
eel her
warm, soft body
against him
.
This was the only innocent way he could accomplish that.

He gently placed her in t
he bed
.
“
I’ll be in after the tub is gone, Libby
.
Do you want me to start a fire in her
e
?”

“Will you sleep in the bed with me?”

“Yes.”
He could not leave her
in the bedroom
alone, for her protection.

“
I shall be warm enough
.
We have more cover
here
than at the cottage.”

The servants sent to remove the bath were tidy and efficie
nt
.
Fifteen minutes after he
deposited Libby into the bed, Micah
crawled in beside her
.
She slept
.
He removed
all his clothing
except his trousers
.

She stirred as he lay back on the pillow
.

“Micah?” she whispered
.

“Did I wake you, sweetheart?”

“No
.
I don’t think so
.
Was I asleep?” Libby turned over to face him
.

“I thought you were
.
Are you still cold?”

“
Just a
little
.”
Could
it
be she
just missed
his
warmth
?
Libby realized in a very short amount of time, she
had
grown accustomed to Micah’s nearness
.

“Come here.” Micah
pulled her closer, placing
her head on his sh
oulder
.
He
kissed her temple
.
“Better?”

“M
m
m
.
Yes.”

“Good
.
S
leep
well, Libby
.”
He rest
ed his hand on her hip
.
He
wanted to fall asleep before certain
distracting
thoughts
crept into his mind and
kept him awake
.

Micah woke to Libby whimpering
.
She m
ov
ed
restlessly
.
He reached for her
and p
ulled her close
.
She was dreaming
.
I
t appeared to be
a nightmare
, for she seemed frightened
.
She was talking
.

“Archangel Michael, please help me get away
.
Please send someone to help me
.
I cannot even walk
on my own
.
These men m
ean to kill me
.
Please help me!
”

Micah
stilled for a moment
.
She
prayed t
o Archangel Michael to save her
?
The same angel he prayed to for his perfect love
.
Micah smiled to himself for a moment
.
He t
hen set about co
mforting his lady
, h
is fiancée, h
is soon-to-be wife
and apparently
h
is precious gift from th
e Archangel Michael
.
H
e
silently
thanked the angel.

“Shh
,
Libby, sweetheart you’re dreaming,” he whispered in her e
ar
.
She whimpered again
.
“Shh
,” he crooned, smoothing her hair from her face
.
“You’re safe, Libby
.
You’re safe now, sweetheart.”

Her
eyes fluttered open
.
“Micah
!
Oh thank goodness
.
I thought I was kidnapped again
.”
She snuggled closer
.
Her hand moved to rest on his
bare
abdomen
.

Micah tend
erly kissed her forehead
.
“No,
sweetheart
.
You’re safe
; y
ou’re h
ere with me.”

“Thank God
.
I prayed to the Archangel Michael that day, for he is the angel of protection
. It was
j
ust before I walked in
to
the
White Hart
.
Then I saw you
.
It was a miracle, I t
hink,
” Libby whispered as she tucked her head beneath his chin.

“M
mm
.”
Micah stroked her back
.
“I believe you are right, Libby
.
I believe you are my miracle I p
rayed for,” he whispered to her
.
He realized she was already
fast
asleep
.
Smiling, he kissed her
forehead
.

He just enjoyed holding her for a time, knowing now she was meant for him,
meant
to be his wife
.
He received confirma
tion that Archangel Michael
heard and responded to his prayer
on Glastonbury Tor
.
He and
Libby
were meant to
be together
.
He sm
iled
.
Soon, he f
ell asleep holding
his
L
ady.

He
woke
some hours later lying on his
back
.
His arm was
beneath
Libby and was
numb
.
H
is hand
somehow
had
moved be
neath
her shirt and
was
currently
clasping
one rounded globe of
her ba
re bottom
.
Her skin was so soft and
smooth
.
He allowed himself one slow, lingering caress
over the silken globe
before
sliding
his hand from
beneath her shirt and
removing it
from
her very sexy and firm derri
è
re
.
He
withdrew
his arm from beneath her
, turned to face her, pulled her close and buried his face in her glorious hair.

Just before dawn, Micah woke again
.
This time it was because Libby was on her side, her back to him
.
A
s she did the night before, she snuggl
ed
her derri
è
re against his awakening erection
.
He smile
d
as she wiggled her firm little bottom against him again
.
He reached out
and c
aught that gorgeous bottom with his hands and held it still. When she thrust it back, fully against him, his hands moved to her hips to hold her stationary
against him
and
keep his Lady’s derrière
from tortu
ring his hardening cock further.

He fell asleep with a
pleased grin
upon h
is face.

Libby felt like eating a bit of porridge for breakfast.
She ate
a good portion
, and
d
rank a little broth
.
S
he
managed to eat
a
small
piece of bread
.
They each
drank
a cup of tea
.

“Still not very hungry, I see
.”
Micah watch
ed
her as he took a bite of a cinnamon bun
.
Since waking,
he
longed
to kiss Libby
.
He did not know why he was suddenly so
preoccupied
with the thought
.
Thus far
Micah
refrained
from kissing her
.
They needed to get on the road
.
He needed to get her
safely
to
Horethorne Hall
.
“
Mm
m
, t
ry a bite of this
cinnamon bun
, Libby, it is very good
.”
Micah held his cinnamon bun near
those
beautiful,
rosy,
red
lip
s
he
obsess
ed
over since the moment he
left their
bed
.