Emma made me do it

Chapter 15

After a few days of travelling, Kat and Eric arrived at a large castle in Scotland. It was nighttime and the sky was dark, so they were led to their room by the servants in silence. They hadn't talked much the whole trip and rather had travelled in the carriage with both their noses in books, looking up only to tell the other some vital information and it was all rather awkward. Kat found that she missed the flirtatious banter of their conversations before their marriage and hated that an uneasy silence followed them wherever they went.

She had come to the conclusion that they both knew they had a duty and it was left unfulfilled. Or rather Lord Eric and Lady Katherine Hartfords duty. Kat did not have anything to fulfill as she was not Lady Katherine Ainsworth and she was merely just passing through the past to get back to her home in 2019. Well that's what she told herself anyway. Every now and then she caught herself gazing at Eric as he read his book with his high cheekbones and dark eyebrows that matched his curly brown hair and his dark olive green eyes, she had to admit they would have very handsome children and that maybe it wouldn't be too bad if they did consumate the marriage....

But then she would snap herself out of it by quickly looking back out the window and scolding herself under her breath. She knew that she could not become attached to anyone here because then it would be harder to leave, she already felt sad at the idea of leaving everyone here.

So when they were led to a large room with an almost as large canopy bed in the middle, they both looked at each other and then at the servant again but before they could say anything the servant had left. Up until this point, the inns that they had stayed at while travelling had all offered them separate rooms, which Kat found odd but she never said anything because she was too tired.

Kat went behind the screen in the corner of the room to change into her nightgown but found she had trouble taking off her stays and so she knew she had to ask Eric for help. She popped her head out of the side of the screen and with a red face and small voice she said:
"Um, excuse me Eric but I... Uh..."
She cleared her throat.
"I need help with my stays."

Eric raised his eyebrows at her but sighed and put his book down on the bed and made his way over to her.
"Surely you should be able to take your own stays off. I know many a lady who can do it without any assistance from a maid, especially front facing ones. "
He stood in front of her and began working at the laces on her stays.

Kat rolled her eyes.
"Well you have to remember I had an accident where I lost my memory a while-"
She paused and tilted her head at him.
"Since when did you see ladies that took their stays off."
Eric burst into laughter as if he knew she would ask that question, but purposefully didn't answer it and instead focused on unlacing the last bit at the top of her stays.
"Ugh I see how you were having trouble with this."
Finally after a bit of man power they came unlaced and she could finally take her stays off.
"Who laced them this morning?"
Eric asked.

Kat smiled mischievously.
"I did."

Eric rolled his eyes.
"Of course you did."

Kat shrugged the stays off her shoulders and they fell on the ground so that she was just in her chemise and as she did so, Eric quickly turned around and cleared his throat before moving to his trunk on the other side of the room to grab his own nightgown. Kat rolled her eyes again and chuckled at his bashfulness and then ran towards the large bed and leapt into it, snuggling into the comfortable feather mattress.

Eric emerged in his nightgown and cleared his throat again, he seemed to be doing that alot.
"I shall sleep in the chaise lounge here."
He sat down on the lounge situated at the end of the bed and put all the cushions on one side. Kat scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"The bed is big enough that you will not be forced to accidently touch me." she said in a mocking tone. She patted the space next to her and moved over to the left side of the bed.

Eric looked at her cautiously.
"Your not using this as a chance to take advantage of me are you?"

Kat rubbed her temples in mock frustration.
"Oh you are full of yourself."

Eric laughed and blew out all the candles before getting into bed.