It was an awkward thing, and almost immediately Alistair hated himself for it. For all his wild ways, he'd never truly enjoyed chasing the skirts of those chaste and refined. There was always a fear to push too far, too quickly, and that was without the extra considerations of becoming involved with ...

Even before his travels, Alistair hadn't been one to sleep for half the day. He would read until his eyes grew heavy, or once he got older and his interests shifted somewhat, he would stay up to drink and carouse, but ever would he wake not long after the sun rose. Or, during the depths of winter ...

So far she had yet to spasm or slap him, which both seemed like an improvement over the last few times he had dared to touch her. Of course, any thought was quite derailed by the very serious warning. Alistair did his best to resist; stared at her with a matching seriousness.

Then, nose tip ...

With how hard his heart was beating in his chest, she surely had to be able to hear it. Eppie was a very direct woman, and yet it still shocked him to hear the words – his words, damn him – coming from her mouth.

He had not fully regretted them, even after doubting himself when he'd pushed the ...

She startled like a deer or rabbit caught unawares, and immediately Alistair stepped back, hands raised in placation. Some of it was also self-preservation; Eppie was many things, but particularly graceful with her long limbs was not among her talents.

The question, though, had Alistair's ears and ...

Alistair was slower to realize the machinations of his host; still, he'd come to the correct realization before Eppie clarified, and was quite at a loss of words. In retrospect, the behavior itself didn't surprise him. Duke did not seem the type to do things by half, or have much patience for ...

He watched, bemused, until the dark took her – the woman feeling her way through the darkness, when she might as well have asked him along, or simply borrowed the lamp. It was enough to prompt a quiet sigh; clearly things were to be, if not as bad as the day prior, still an awkward endeavor ...

The explanation drew a laugh from Alistair. So far the conversation had been much more easy, with none of the missteps and pregnant pauses of the day before. It was all too easy to forget himself; to forget that it had even happened, and might happen again. Undoubtedly that was why he replied, tone ...

It was a genuine surprise that she played along, taking his hand and allowing him to treat her like the lady she was – at least in that brief moment, before they were setting off and he was left to follow like a schoolboy trailing after the schoolmarm. (Not the most apt comparison, but one that did ...

It hardly mattered if he was or not; the idea of eating, however quickly, while Eppie sat and waited was an unpleasant one. So, he shoved the last bite of toast into his mouth, chased it with the last few swallows of just-barely-cool-enough tea, and nodded. "I am." Wiping his hands upon his napkin ...