When Ellen finally saw the glow of Amelia’s paraffin lamp in the bay windows, she started crying all over again.
Mark tucked her under his arm more tightly. “I’ve got you. We’re here.”
She squeezed his hand with her numb fingers and took the final steps toward safety.
“Is it too hot for you?”Mark turned the brass handle off, and the hiss of water through the pipes stopped. He knelt over her in just his filthy shirtsleeves and trousers.
Ellen sank into the porcelain bathtub, bare arms wrapped around her belly. She closed her eyes, but images of the hut and crashing roof flashed through her mind. She opened them again, shivering.
“Shite, it’s too cold. I’m sorry, I’ll try again.” Mark leaned forward for the hot water handle again. Ellen reached up and snagged his arm. Water trickled off her and onto his forearm, turning the white linen translucent.
“It’s perfect,” Ellen whispered, releasing his arm.
He furrowed his brow, peering down at her as he rested both forearms on the edge of the tub. “Are you sure? Because Dr. Hart said?—”
Ellen turned to face him, curling onto her side below the hot water. “Mark,” she said gently.
Mark’s eyes trailed down her naked body, and she knew the moment he caught sight of her bruised and torn wrists and ankles, for his nostrils flared and murder shone in his eyes. She hastily tucked her bruised feet, rope scrapes and all, out of his sight.
After they’d returned to the dispensary, Amelia had examined them, treated them with antiseptic that stung so badly Ellen had to blink back tears, then wrapped Mark’s chest as tightly as she could to secure his ribs.
By then most of the searchers had trickled back to the dispensary to regroup, and they'd cheered to see Ellen, wet and bedraggled and exhausted, on a stool by the stove. Mark stood behind her, making sure the blanket draped around her shoulders never slipped.
Seeing everyone’s relieved faces nearly brought her to tears again, knowing these people cared for her. And they’d promised to take care of O’Malley. Ellen didn’t inquire as to what “takecare” meant, she allowed Amelia and Mark to bundle her into a hired hack. She’d shivered all the way home, trying not to lean against Mark and cause his side more pain. Once at their home, they both had looked at the slick steps, then each other, and burst into mournful laughter. Then her laughter turned to tears, and Mark had gingerly wrapped an arm around her, tucked her close, and they took the stairs one at a time.
Ellen had wanted to collapse in bed, but Mark insisted Amelia had ordered a warm bath for her before sleep. And that was how she found herself naked and bruised, trying to relax in a bath while her husband fretted over her, his knees probably aching from the tile floor.
“I just want you,” Ellen said honestly, and the chill surrounding her heart slowly thawed under the weight of his hot gaze.
“You have me,” he swore. “Always.” Pain lines bracketed his mouth, his eyes bloodshot. A massive bruise was blooming on his left cheekbone.
“I want you with me now,” she said, and placed her wet hand over one of his.
Mark eyed her, then stood in one fluid motion, the braces loose at his hips swinging. Only the tiny grunt betrayed how it hurt to move. His hands went to the buttons of his shirt, and he quickly undid them, stripping his ripped and stained shirt to reveal his muscled chest, swathed in white bandages.
“Oh,” Ellen faltered at the sight. “You probably shouldn’t get those wet.”
Mark was toeing off his shoes, then stripped his socks with a wince from bending over. “My wife wants me with her, and I do what my wife wants.”
He meant it, she realized. He’d always meant it. From that late October afternoon he stepped back into her life, he had put her and her needs before him, his family, and his own desires. He’d really been willing to disappoint everyone just to give her what she needed.
Ellen’s eyes grew wide as he unbuttoned his muddy trousers, then shed them altogether. His cock hung heavy between his thighs, thickened with arousal but not full mast. His bollocks swung as he bit his lip and stepped into the tub behind her.
“Your bandages!” Ellen squeaked, sitting upright and scooting forward to make room for him.
“You matter more,” Mark got out in a huff, sitting behind her. Water splashed over the rim of the tub. His legs extended on either side of her, and Mark set his hands on her shoulders, pulling her back to recline against his chest.
Ellen hesitated, unwilling to cause him pain. But Mark was insistent, and soon Ellen had her head lolled back against his shoulder to peer up at him. “I love you,” she whispered.
His body tensed, then he looked down at her in delighted surprise. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing you say that.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “And I love you.”
“Thank you,” she said hesitantly, searching for words. “I spoke rashly this morning, and it was....not only unkind, but untrue. Of course, you felt obligated to do your duty. But you’ve never given me a reason to doubt your care of me.”
He hummed behind her. “At least in the last few months.”
She allowed a small smile.
“I am sorry, though,” he said after a pause. “I shouldn’t have hidden it from you. It’s just...at first I thought I couldn’t tell you until we’d returned to at least a civil partnership, if not friendly. It’s not something to spring on a person. I was still wrapping my mind around it, too. And then I thought—I couldn’t put that on you.”