‘Robert?’ She squinted, trying to make out his face in the darkness.
‘You’re awake?’ There was no mistaking his deep voice, though it sounded oddly distant.
‘Yes.’
He hesitated, as if trying to decide whether or not to come inside, before the draught from the door made the fire splutter and he seemed to make up his mind, closing it firmly behind him.
‘You should get warm.’
She swung her legs off the bed and hurried across to the fire, moving aside the rack where her clothes were drying. ‘I don’t know where Nancy is.’
‘She’s sleeping elsewhere.’ He followed her to the fireplace. ‘She says the cottage is ours for tonight.’
‘Just ours?’ She swung around and almost collided with his chest, breath hitching as her lips pressed inadvertently against his bare skin. She’d forgotten that he’d been shirtless beneath his overcoat. Now the smooth contours of his body looked even more rugged in the firelight, glistening with a combination of rain and sweat, tasting vaguely of salt.
He seemed to stiffen, though the severity of his expression didn’t waver. ‘Just ours.’
‘Oh.’ She tried to move away and found that she couldn’t. Between his body and the fireplace she was effectively trapped. ‘Would you like something to eat?’ She cleared her throat nervously. ‘There’s some bread somewhere...’
‘I’ve eaten.’ He took another step closer, resting his hands on either side of the fireplace behind her. ‘We need to talk, Ianthe.’
She backed up against the chimney breast, vaguely alarmed by his sudden close proximity. What was the matter with him? He was probably just tired from the rescue, but his stern voice and even sterner expression reminded her of the first time they’d met. They were the look and tone of a man about to lose his temper.
‘What about?’ She inched her chin up defiantly. After all, she was tired, too! Whatever was causing his bad temper, if he thought he could take it out on her then he could think again. How dare he corner her as if she’d done something wrong?
‘What about?’ He looked incredulous. ‘Are you seriously telling me you don’t know?’
‘I don’t know why you’re so angry, no! We’re all all right, aren’t we? I don’t know why you’re acting like we’re not.’
‘Because you shouldn’t have gone off on your own!’ His voice rose to a shout. ‘Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? What might have happened?’
‘What?’ She blinked in shock. She’d gone to get help—had actually found help—and this was the way he reacted? This was her thanks?
‘You went off on your own in the dark!’
‘To get help!’
‘You could
have been hurt!’
She caught her breath at the unfamiliar note of anguish in his voice. Was that why he was angry then, because he’d been worried about her? Because he cared about her enough to be worried? The thought made her pulse start to flutter excitedly.
‘But I wasn’t hurt.’ She placed a placatory hand on his arm. ‘I’m all right.’
‘It was still a bloody stupid thing to do. If you’d fallen then we’d have had to spend the rest of the night looking for you. You could have endangered more lives!’
Her pulse faltered again. So much for caring. He was angry at her for not being sensible enough!
‘You should have waited for me, Ianthe.’
‘It was almost dark!’ she shouted back at him furiously, raising her voice to meet his. Even if it had been a reckless thing to do, he had no right to attack her for doing what she’d thought was right—what had turned out to be right.
‘That’s not the point.’ He seemed in no mood to back down. ‘You don’t know these cliffs.’
‘Somebody had to go and find help!’
‘Not you!’