A Crown in Ash (The Ostler's Boy Book 3)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Hooves and wheels and a whinny woke me. Askar stirred in the bed, but I had to shake him awake to leave his hold.

"Mm," he moaned. "What is it, love?"

"Uh," I slipped out of the blanket and hurried to the window. Outside, I saw the castle's carriage as it climbed the cobblestone and flashed its embroidered horse curtains at me. Thankfully, they were still drawn.

I started to search the room for our scattered clothing, racing to get ready, dressing, grabbing my shoes, throwing Askar his, and scouring for anything else.

"Hair! Shit!" I cried.

I stumbled to his mirror and quickly sewed my waves into a messy but passable braid.

"Are you alright?" he asked, glancing at the shirt he'd caught.

"My parents are here," I told him. "Get dressed. Immediately."

He started snickering, and I groaned at him for it.

"It isn't funny," I croaked. "My father will absolutely filet you if he finds us like this."

"They can't get in until David lets them in," he said. He sat up and pulled on his clothes.

"Propriety has never stopped my mother before," I insisted. "How do I look? Do I look like I've been fornicating with you all night?"

He arched a brow. "You have been fornicating with–"

"Your Grace!"

"No, heh." He fastened his belt and put on his shoes. "You look beautiful."

"Oh, my God! They must have driven through the night to get here," I moaned.

Something red caught my attention, and I stopped to look at it on the bed. There was a small stain that had been left behind. It was crimson red. Blood. The Duke followed my eyes to it.

He glanced at it, then found my waist, pressing a kiss to my neck. "Don't worry about that," he said. "I'll have one of the maids replace the linens. Do you need, like, another petticoat? Is that what women wear?"

"What?" I sobered. "I'm sorry; what did you say?"

"It's okay," he told me. "Don't be embarrassed. It's easy to remedy. My cousins have all had their bloods here. Do you need a petticoat? I can ask my mother if she has one for you?"

In some part of my body, I felt relieved. In another, I felt confused. "But the... the vomiting?"

The muffled voices of David and the staff were somewhere outside our door, deep into the estate. I bit my lip.

"Sorry," I whispered.

"It's alright," he reminded me. He pressed a kiss to my lips, but I barely felt it. "The vomiting could have been a number of things. Stress. Weather. Running. Fasting for too long. Though I am relieved, I'll say. I suppose this eliminates the concerns we had, yes?"