As though she’d sensed that he’d awoken, she brushed the hair off her face, stretched, and opened her eyes. “Did you sleep?” she asked.

“Aye.” The last time he’d slept so soundly might have been when he and Edmund had gone swimming in the lake as boys. They’d jumped and splashed in the water till their fingers and toes shriveled and their lips turned blue. When they were finally too exhausted to float, much less swim, they dragged themselves out of the water, collapsed on the sandy ground, and napped for hours. “We should go swimming next week,” he said.

Sophie shot him a curious look and rubbed her eyelids. “I wonder what time it is,” she said worriedly. “I need to be at the house when the hackney cab arrives.”

Reese reluctantly pushed himself to sitting. “I don’t think it’s very late yet, but we can make our way back and check the time. I’ll round up something for us to eat, too.”

She sat up, spied the quilt covering her legs, and frowned. “You gave me your blanket?”

He shrugged and scrubbed a few blades of grass from one cheek. “I’m used to sleeping on the ground. I didn’t want you to be cold.” He stood, and though he longed to help her to her feet, he settled for taking the quilts and shoving them under an arm.

“That was very thoughtful.” She shot him a grateful smile as she slipped on her shoes and tucked a blond curl behind one ear. “But the whole point of my being here is to help you sleep.”

“Right,” he agreed, even if the reminder robbed a little of the glow from the morning. She was only there because they’d made a deal. She’d wanted the use of his building one night a week, and he required her help to fall asleep. She was the sort of soft-hearted person who probably routinely rescued stray mongrels and broken-winged birds. He’d essentially taken advantage of her good nature and begged for her help, knowing it would be nigh impossible for her to refuse.

That was the reason she was there, the reason she tolerated his company—for now. He couldn’t let himself forget that.

She scooped her wilted flower crown off the ground, letting it dangle from her fingertips as they strolled back to the house in comfortable silence.

He took her through a back entrance and led her to the main corridor, where the grandfather clock confirmed they had half an hour before the hackney cab was scheduled to return.

“Why don’t you take a few minutes to return to your room and freshen up?” he suggested. “I’ll see what I can find for us to eat and meet you in the dining room.”

“Perfect,” she said, placing a hand over her belly. “I’ll return shortly.”