to wash your face, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“Rip off some material from that petticoat. You don’t need two of them out here.”
Katherine bent down and grabbed hold of the cloth, pulling. She swallowed a curse and tried again but with her hands tied together it was impossible to get any leverage. She only succeeded in tearing off a useless bit of lace.
Jack pulled out his knife. “Mind?” he asked.
“No,” Katherine said, seeing no other alternative.
Jack bent down at her feet and took hold of the cloth, using his knife to cut a length from the hemline. He handed it to her and she muttered her thanks.
“You ought to take the damn things off,” Jack said. “Those two layers of petticoats are going to get heavier and hotter by the hour.”
“Thank you for the suggestion, but I’ll keep my petticoats,” Katherine said. She dipped the cloth in the water and began wiping the dust from her face and neck.
What she wouldn’t give for a bath. She hadn’t thought of that either. People didn’t take baths everyday here. One couldn’t simply run water for a bath or turn a knob for the shower. One had to pump the water or bring it in from a well like this one. Then you’d have to heat it up over a fire and lug it to the tub, bucket by bucket. She supposed she hadn’t really given the whole venture as much thought as she should have. Nor had she actually read everything Miss Adjani had given her. She’d skimmed the pages, not really believing.
“All right, come on,” Jack said, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her along.
“Where to?”
“We’re going to rest for a while,” Jack said. “Until later when it gets cooler.”
“But where?”
“The hotel.”
“What about your horse?”
“I’ll bring him in.”
“What? Inside the hotel?”
“Sure, why not? There’s room and no one lives here anymore. I don’t think anyone is going to object, do you?”
“No, I guess not.”
Inside the hotel it was cool and dark, sunlight filtering in through the dust-filmed windows and providing a dim outline of a huge empty room. A long bar ran down one wall, thick with dust and dead insects, and a crooked door led out back, but otherwise the place was empty. Whatever furniture had been there was gone now, either carted off or part of the litter in the streets.
Katherine sniffed as she stepped further inside; the air was stale, and smelled like . . .
“See?” Jack said, pointing to the floor with a grin. “I’m not the only one who’s brought his horse in here.”
Katherine wrinkled her nose. Jack unbuckled the saddle and removed the bridle, laying them both over the bar. He tossed his saddlebags and her valise to the floor then motioned toward the stairs. She took them one by one, careful to gather her skirts up away from the heels of her boots.
At the top of the stairs was a long landing with a number of doors opening off it. Jack pointed to the first one they came to. The room was bare and completely covered in dust. The mere act of opening the door had disturbed enough of it to float about the room and make her cough. And as soon as she stepped inside she walked straight into a cobweb hanging from the ceiling.
“Ugh!” Katherine shoved the sticky webbing away, hoping to God there wasn’t a spider crawling on her now.
“Sorry if this isn’t what you’re used to,” Jack said.
“No, you’re not sorry,” Katherine said. “In fact, I think you’re enjoying this. But why? Do you enjoy making people uncomfortable?”
“No, just you,” Jack said evenly, the coolness of his own eyes matching hers.
“Why? What have I ever done to you?”
Jack stared at her for a minute then began to unbutton his shirt. Katherine took a step back, her eyes widening.
“Don’t look away,” he said in a steely voice. “I want you to see what you did.”
He took off his shirt and pointed to his shoulder where a ragged scar stretched across the taut skin. It was starkly white in
“Yes, but—”
“Rip off some material from that petticoat. You don’t need two of them out here.”
Katherine bent down and grabbed hold of the cloth, pulling. She swallowed a curse and tried again but with her hands tied together it was impossible to get any leverage. She only succeeded in tearing off a useless bit of lace.
Jack pulled out his knife. “Mind?” he asked.
“No,” Katherine said, seeing no other alternative.
Jack bent down at her feet and took hold of the cloth, using his knife to cut a length from the hemline. He handed it to her and she muttered her thanks.
“You ought to take the damn things off,” Jack said. “Those two layers of petticoats are going to get heavier and hotter by the hour.”
“Thank you for the suggestion, but I’ll keep my petticoats,” Katherine said. She dipped the cloth in the water and began wiping the dust from her face and neck.
What she wouldn’t give for a bath. She hadn’t thought of that either. People didn’t take baths everyday here. One couldn’t simply run water for a bath or turn a knob for the shower. One had to pump the water or bring it in from a well like this one. Then you’d have to heat it up over a fire and lug it to the tub, bucket by bucket. She supposed she hadn’t really given the whole venture as much thought as she should have. Nor had she actually read everything Miss Adjani had given her. She’d skimmed the pages, not really believing.
“All right, come on,” Jack said, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her along.
“Where to?”
“We’re going to rest for a while,” Jack said. “Until later when it gets cooler.”
“But where?”
“The hotel.”
“What about your horse?”
“I’ll bring him in.”
“What? Inside the hotel?”
“Sure, why not? There’s room and no one lives here anymore. I don’t think anyone is going to object, do you?”
“No, I guess not.”
Inside the hotel it was cool and dark, sunlight filtering in through the dust-filmed windows and providing a dim outline of a huge empty room. A long bar ran down one wall, thick with dust and dead insects, and a crooked door led out back, but otherwise the place was empty. Whatever furniture had been there was gone now, either carted off or part of the litter in the streets.
Katherine sniffed as she stepped further inside; the air was stale, and smelled like . . .
“See?” Jack said, pointing to the floor with a grin. “I’m not the only one who’s brought his horse in here.”
Katherine wrinkled her nose. Jack unbuckled the saddle and removed the bridle, laying them both over the bar. He tossed his saddlebags and her valise to the floor then motioned toward the stairs. She took them one by one, careful to gather her skirts up away from the heels of her boots.
At the top of the stairs was a long landing with a number of doors opening off it. Jack pointed to the first one they came to. The room was bare and completely covered in dust. The mere act of opening the door had disturbed enough of it to float about the room and make her cough. And as soon as she stepped inside she walked straight into a cobweb hanging from the ceiling.
“Ugh!” Katherine shoved the sticky webbing away, hoping to God there wasn’t a spider crawling on her now.
“Sorry if this isn’t what you’re used to,” Jack said.
“No, you’re not sorry,” Katherine said. “In fact, I think you’re enjoying this. But why? Do you enjoy making people uncomfortable?”
“No, just you,” Jack said evenly, the coolness of his own eyes matching hers.
“Why? What have I ever done to you?”
Jack stared at her for a minute then began to unbutton his shirt. Katherine took a step back, her eyes widening.
“Don’t look away,” he said in a steely voice. “I want you to see what you did.”
He took off his shirt and pointed to his shoulder where a ragged scar stretched across the taut skin. It was starkly white in
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