Truly a Wife (Free Fellows League 4)

Apparently not enough, if Miranda thought … The woman was old enough to be his mother and married to boot … “I don’t dally with other men’s wives, Lady Miranda.”

“I’m delighted to hear it,” she retorted. “But you were shot, Your Grace.”

Daniel made a face at her.

“Please, tell me you weren’t dueling over a point of honor.”

“I wasn’t.”

She blinked at him, all wide-eyed innocence. “Over some other woman then?”

The corners of Daniel’s mouth turned up in a small smile. “Fishing?”

“How does one manage to get shot while fishing?”

“I didn’t,” he replied.

“You said …” Miranda began.

Daniel cut her off. “I said you were fishing. For answers.”

“You aren’t going to tell me, are you?” She asked the question, but Miranda already knew the answer.

“I don’t think so,” he replied.

“Do you think that’s fair?” she demanded, knowing she sounded like a petulant child but unable to keep from asking. “After everything I did for you last night?”

He slowly turned his head from side to side. “No. But fairness has nothing to do with it. We have a history together. I cherish our friendship, Miranda, and I appreciate the help you’ve given me.” He paused to take a breath. “Indeed, I don’t know what I would have done without your help, but accepting your help doesn’t obligate me to share every facet of my life with you. Or mean I want you to share every facet of your life with me.” He glanced down at the sheet covering him and offered her his most charming smile to take the sting out of his words. “I’ve few secrets left. And a man’s entitled to keep a bit of an air of mystery about him.”

Miranda fought to keep from doubling over at the pain he inflicted so thoughtlessly, fought to keep from retaliating in kind, but failed. “I’ll rememb

er that the next time your body’s wracked with chills or you’re burning up with fever. I’ll remind myself that I’m under no obligation to share my body heat or anything else with you.”

“Share your body heat …” He’d experienced his share of childhood bumps and bruises and endured the aftereffects of too much drink on more occasions than he cared to remember, but Daniel had never been ill. He hadn’t suffered more than the occasional head cold since he was a child. He found the idea that he’d endured fever and chills without knowing it remarkable. “I’ve never suffered from fever or chills.”

“You did last evening.” She ran a hand over her hair in an effort to smooth the tangles and blushed. “Off and on throughout the night. I dosed you with willow bark and did everything I knew to do to ease your discomfort, but …”

He lifted his eyebrow in query. “Willow bark doesn’t agree with me.” As a treatment for a hangover or anything else.

“Would that I had known that before you spewed it all over me,” Miranda answered wryly, recalling the damage he’d inflicted on her green silk dress.

Daniel softened his voice. “You must be exhausted.”

She shrugged her shoulders once again and focused her attention on the pink rug to keep from seeing the look in his eyes. “Yes, well … I slept a bit.”

“With me?”

“One does what one must to help a friend,” she replied awkwardly.

“I suppose so,” he agreed, “but sharing your body heat …” He wrinkled his brow in thought. “You’ve gone above and beyond the bounds of friendship, Miranda.”

“Like you said before, Your Grace, I only did what any other wi … friend … would do.”

Daniel thought about his friends. Would Jarrod or Colin or Griff or Jonathan or Alex have crawled beneath the covers while he was suffering chills and shared their body heat with him? It was possible. But only if his life or theirs had been in danger… A man would lay down his life for his friends, but … “A female friend, perhaps,” Daniel replied. “I’m not so sure about the male ones.” He ran his fingers through his hair, then flashed Miranda a wicked smile. “At any rate, waking up to find a female friend sharing her body heat is a pleasure. Waking up to find a male friend doing the same doesn’t bear contemplating …” He shuddered at the possibility. “At any rate, I don’t know how to thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me, Your Grace. As you pointed out so eloquently, our friendship doesn’t obligate you to me in any way.” Miranda turned and hurried out the door before she made a bigger fool of herself by bursting into tears.

Daniel realized he’d hurt her the moment the words left her mouth. “Miranda …” he began, trying to stop her, trying to make amends.