A Midsummer Night's Kiss (Howertys #1)

Chapter 39: I Love You

She must have nodded off, because when Angel next looked around, Nathaniel was halting the horse outside Davenhall. Before his feet even touched the ground, the door burst open and his sisters poured out, followed by Mrs Grey and several servants.

"You found her." The Howertys' aunt looked at them, her eyes suspiciously moist. She turned to the servants. "They are both cold and muddy. Please prepare a bath immediately. We need to get them cleaned and warmed up."

A flurry of movement sent the servants scurrying to do as they'd been asked, leaving only the Howertys outside. Nathaniel helped Angel off the horse, and she was thankful for his strong arms around her as they walked inside. His sisters were shooting off questions in rapid succession, their voices overlapping, creating a cacophony of sounds.

Standing in the entrance hallway, Nathaniel kept an arm around her, probably a little tighter than necessary. It was as if he didn't want to let her go for fear she might disappear again. His movements were stiff, and he hadn't said a word despite the constant chatter and continued questions from his siblings.

Mrs Grey's voice cut through the young women's queries. "Enough girls," she said, and her clear voice brokered no argument. "Angel has been through quite an ordeal tonight and I am certain she and Nathaniel would like to clean up and get some sleep. You can find out all the details tomorrow."

"But—" Nick began, but immediately silenced after a look from her aunt. "Yes, Aunt Jane."

They each hugged Angel before walking up the stairs to their bedrooms. Mrs Grey lingered for a moment, her eyes taking in their appearances. Taking Angel's hands, she squeezed the cold fingers between her warm ones.

"I am so very happy to see you safe," she said. "We've had warm water prepared for when you return, so I imagine your bath will be ready any moment."

"Thank you." Angel smiled softly, grateful for the small favour. Getting out of her muddy clothes and cleaning up sounded wonderful.

Mrs Grey glanced up at Nathaniel, who had remained silent and simply nodded. "We will speak in the morning," she said, receiving a terse nod in response.

Taking Angel's hand, Nathaniel led her up the stairs to their bedroom. Two maids with buckets in their hands left the room as they arrived, having just finished filling the tub, and he closed the door behind them. Looking at the inviting tub with steam coming off it, Angel moved towards it, but Nathaniel's hand gripped her tightly and wouldn't let go. She turned around to look at him and was shocked to see him shaking.

"Nathaniel?" she said softly. "What's wrong?"

He took a deep breath. Then another. When he didn't seem to get enough air but was gulping like a drowning man, she reached up to touch his face. It seemed to bring him to his senses, and he pulled her close, circling her in his arms and burying his nose in her hair.

"I thought I'd lost you." His arms held her a little tighter, but he lifted his head to look down at her, fear still tinting his eyes. "Hell, Angel... When that carriage started down the hill, I thought I'd lost you forever. I've never been so scared in my life."

Her eyes were burning again, and she wiped away a stubborn tear. His hands slid down her body as if he needed to make sure she was still there.

"I never want to lose you, Angel. I don't know if I could handle it."

"You won't," she promised. "All I could think about tonight was getting back to you. Even when the carriage went down the hill and I remembered my parents' accident, it was all I wanted. I didn't panic because my need to get back to you was greater than my fear."