With a gentle splash, Chloe rose from the bath. The letter she had perused countless times was now beginning to curl at the corners. She lit a candle by the mirror and held the piece of paper out to dry, taking care not to singe it with the flame. The creak of the door opening resounded behind her.
“You need not attend to me today…” Chloe began, expecting her lady-in-waiting, but her cheeks flushed when she saw Damien entering the chamber, clad only in his robe. “Your Majesty.”
The bathing chamber at Castle Verdier was a relic of an older time, especially when contrasted with the grandeur of the palace. Chloe reached for the robe resting on the worn chair, but Damien stopped her.
“Stay where you are.”
“Have I been here too long?”
“Tradition once held that couples should share the intimacy of a bath.”
Chloe had never heard of such a practice; clearly, Damien was toying with her.
“Whoever said such a thing?”
“I seem to have forgotten their name.”
