Lured Into Sin By The Wicked Earl (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 7

  “May I ask you a question, My Lord?” she asked. He looked at her. She felt herself blush a little.

  “Of course,” he said.

  “What is it that you were working on the other day?” she asked, gesturing toward it with her chin. “When you had me help you?”

  They both turned toward the worktable which was still scattered with bits and pieces of things. She was also not to touch anything on the worktable. He would tell her when he was finished and then she would clean it, but not before.

  “I was…I am attempting to make a tool,” he explained. “I want to make something which will help many industries. Not just my own. I’m not quite sure what it is, just yet.”

  She nodded, going over to it. “May I?” She turned her face toward him. She was learning that this space was sacred for him. That he trusted her enough to let her in here spoke volumes.

  He raised an eyebrow, then nodded, stepping back to allow her to get closer to it. She lifted it. It was lightweight, nothing more than silver and copper wires, affixed to a bit of wood with a few nails. As she looked at it, he leaned in.

  She froze. She could feel the heat from his body, so close to hers. When he reached out, he cupped her hand in his. She stiffened, but then relaxed into his touch.

  It’s even better than I imagined.

  “You pull it like this,” he said, his breath warm against her neck. She closed her eyes, enjoying every second. With his other hand, he pressed something. She didn’t see it but felt it as he seemed to lean in toward her even more. She could sense his lips were just about to graze her neck in the tender spot just behind her ear. She leaned her head back against his shoulder. He exhaled, sharply, placing his hand on her stomach.

  She opened her eyes, then turned toward him. They were close enough, so that their bodies were almost touching. She breathed through her nose, smelling his scent which she was so intimately acquainted with, even though they had never been close like this before. Anything could happen in that moment. The thought caused a pleasant sensation inside of her like she was a rose, her petals opening as the sun warmed them.

  His lips were parted, his tongue darted out to lick them. Susannah swallowed nervously. She felt her want for him, it was a warm flash in the pit of her belly. He glanced away, as if he had suddenly remembered himself, then stepped back.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice choked. He cleared his throat awkwardly as he retreated about a step or two away from her. He covered his mouth.

  Susannah was disappointed but she pretended not to be.

  “I think it has a lot of promise,” she said, turning away from him to look at his work. She knew that her face was bright crimson. She waited while her heart rate slowed down.

  “Thank you, Susannah,” he said softly. Her heart hurt at the gentle tone of his voice. It was smooth, like honey.

  “I ought to get to work,” she said, keeping her tone as light as possible. She didn’t know what she wanted. She recalled what Lucy had said, what she had made Susannah promise.

  The truth was, she did not know Lord Malmore. She didn’t know that she could trust him. She needed to be smart, like Lucy had kept telling her to be. Here with him, alone, it was easy to forget herself. Everything that he did was attractive.

  She was looking over the edge of an abyss. One which might have a bridge which would get her safely to the other side. Or there might not be. If she took one step forward, there might very well be a long way to fall.

  “Do you mind if I stay?” he asked. She smiled, turning toward him. She liked that he was asking her. He was the Earl and he certainly didn’t have to.

  “It would be good to have you here,” she said, honestly. She began to work. He returned to his worktable. As she began to clean, she was overwhelmingly aware of everything that he was doing. She knew that if he hadn’t stopped, then she would have gone along with it. She wouldn’t have stopped to think about it. The prospect both frightened and excited her.

  * * *

  Adam sat at his worktable, horrified by his own behavior. Here, he had thought that he was going to merely speak to her. But the desire between them was undeniable. He had acted without thinking, feeling his own hunger to hold her close.

  She had melted up against him, like she belonged in his arms. It had been a recognition. Looking into her eyes, he had seen that she wanted him too. His mind had started working again, reason causing him to retreat.

  He pretended to work but he was so aware of every move that she made. She worked quietly, mopping the floors and then straightening what she could. It was agonizing. What was he supposed to say or do? Should he apologize? Then, there was the lurking thought: what if she was trying to lure him in?

  No. She wouldn’t do that.

  He didn’t know where the voice came from. He stared down at his own hands where they rested on the tabletop. They were work-hardened, stained with ink.

  He cursed himself for being so…he was not doing this for her. He was doing this for himself.

  She cleared her throat. “My Lord?”

  He turned to face her. She was standing on the other side of the room. He glanced about, finding that his lab was in order. It hadn’t looked this neat in years. He knew that he should have had someone cleaning it this entire time.

  “I’m finished,” she said.

  “It looks good,” he replied. “Thank you.”

  “Is there anything else that needs to be done?”

  “No. That’s all for tonight. I should apologize. I’m sorry for the way that I acted, before.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “There’s nothing to be sorry for, My Lord.”

  “I—” he began, but she stopped him.

  “I felt it, too, My Lord,” she said. “If you don’t want me to come anymore, I’ll understand.”

  He swallowed, knowing that she was giving him the opportunity to turn back. He should have taken it, and he knew it, but he couldn’t bear it. Having her so near all the time and then never seeing her would be impossible.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow night,” he said, his voice low. “At the same time.”

  She smiled at him, then picked up her cleaning supplies. She curtsied. Even though her hands were full, she did it with her usual grace. “Good night, My Lord.”

  “Good night, Susannah.”

  He turned back to stare down at the table, listening to the soft sounds of her footsteps receding into the distance. They faded, and then everything was quiet except for the sounds outside on the street. Adam knew that he would spend all of the next day waiting for when she entered his lab. Counting down the moments until he could have her to himself.

  What am I doing? No one is ever going to leave us be.

  * * *

  It was almost eleven o’clock when Susannah entered the room that she shared with Lucy. It was dark, filled with the soft sound of Lucy’s breathing. Susannah moved around as silently as she could, changing into her nightgown in the darkness.

  Her heart was still beating quickly after her encounter with the Earl. As she recalled the way that he had touched her, how she came alive at his touch…Her cheeks grew hot as she recalled everything.

  She had expected him to say that he would have someone else take over, Lucy, perhaps. But he hadn’t. He had said that he would see her the next night. She knew that he held all of the power. They weren’t equals. But he had apologized and had been sincere. In her gut, she knew that she could trust him, whatever happened. He would do what was honorable.

  The world was suddenly filled with possibilities. She knew that she could never be a proper lady and that this would amount to nothing in the end. She had never felt so alive before.

  “So?” Lucy asked, causing her to jump.

  “Did I wake you?” Susannah asked, pulling the pins out of her bun to let her hair down. She set them on the stand as she began to run the brush through her hair to untangle it.

  Lucy sat up in bed. “I was waiting,” she replied, “to see how
late he would keep you in there.”

  “Oh,” Susannah said. “That’s kind of you.” In the darkness, she couldn’t see Lucy’s expression. She wondered why Lucy was so distrustful of the Earl.

  Has he ever done anything?

  “Did he try anything?” Lucy asked.

  Susannah found that she couldn’t answer her friend. What she and the Earl had shared was secret. It was to remain between them. “No,” she whispered, adding another lie to her growing tally of sins. She felt the now familiar feeling of guilt raise its head.

  Lucy grunted. “He will. Mark my words.”

  “Hmmm,” Susannah replied. He had. Lucy had been right. However, Susannah had wanted him to. It had been mutual. Lucy seemed to think that it would be a moment of shame, but Susannah craved the Earl’s touch.

  She climbed into her bed, curling up onto her side to face the wall. Her mind was full of him. Her life had begun the moment that she had closed the door of her father’s house behind her. She had no idea where she was going to end up. But she knew that the Earl of Malmore was a part of her future.

  * * *

  The next day, Adam’s morning work was interrupted by another visit from Gerard. He swept into the lab without knocking. Adam jumped out of his skin when he suddenly asked, “I say, is it clean in here?”

  “Yes, I had one of the maids in last night,” he replied. He eyed his friend cautiously. Gerard was dressed in a neat blue frock coat, his top hat still on his head. He looked like he was on his way to a fancy ball. “What brings you here?”

  “I’ve received a concerned letter from the Marquess,” Gerard replied, still looking around the lab, as though Adam were hiding something in all of the cleanliness.

  Adam sighed, sitting back in his chair. The leather protested loudly. “In regard to?”

  “He would like to know more about this invention that you are working on,” Gerard said, raising both of his eyebrows as he finally turned his gaze toward Adam. “It seems that it’s keeping you so busy that you are planning to forgo the Season entirely.”

  “Oh,” Adam said.

  “Oh, indeed,” Gerard replied, putting his hands on his hips. He looked at Adam sternly. “Please do not make me lie to the Marquess for you.”

  “Whose side are you on?” Adam asked.

  Gerard shot him a withering look. “You know that you are my closest friend, Adam. There’s not a thing about me that you do not know. However, the Marquess is the nearest neighbor to Wrentbour Abbey. I must remain in his good graces.”

  Adam sighed. “Can you, perhaps, tell him that I refused to show you?”

  “I am not lying.”

  “I refuse to show you what I’m working on,” Adam said, standing up and turning toward him. “Get out of my laboratory this instant.”

  Gerard laughed, his eyes sparkling. He nodded, holding his hands up. “Very well. You have refused to show me!” He turned to leave. “At least come and have a drink with me?”

  “Absolutely not,” Adam replied, good-naturedly. “However, I will serve you tea in my drawing room.”

  “How gallant,” Gerard replied.

  The two friends left the laboratory. Mr. Howard was standing out in the hall wringing his hands anxiously.

  “I must apologize to you Mr. Howard,” Gerard said. “I did force my way into the laboratory.”

  “It’s all right, My Lord. You meant well,” Mr. Howard said, although he shot a nervous and apologetic glance at Adam.

  “Mr. Howard, if you could send someone up with some tea,” Adam said. “Lord Wrentbour and I will be in the parlor.”

  “Very good,” Mr. Howard said, bowing.

  As the two friends walked up the stairs, Gerard looked at Adam curiously. “Why are we not drinking?”

  “I need to keep my mind clear, old friend,” Adam replied. It was true. With his inhibitions lowered, he might not be able to keep himself from kissing her. He was so taken by her that he could no longer trust himself.

  * * *

  Susannah made her way up to the drawing room which was on the second floor of the house. It was three flights of stairs up from the ground floor, where the kitchen was located. Her hands shook slightly so she took calming breaths.

  She had not seen him that day. He had ensconced himself in his laboratory. She was nervous to see him, anxious to know whether he’d changed his mind overnight.

  However, when she arrived at the door to the drawing room, she heard an unfamiliar male voice, speaking on the other side. She balanced the tray against the wall so she could knock.

  “Yes?” Lord Malmore called out. The sound of his voice caused her heart to race.

  “I have the tea tray,” she said.

  “Come in,” he said.

  When she entered, she saw that Lord Malmore was not alone. His eyes met hers. He smiled at her, confirming that he had not, in fact, changed his mind. The weight of their shared secret stretched between them like a cord that joined them. He looked away then, at the gentleman sitting across from him.

  “Ah,” the unfamiliar gentleman said, half-glancing at her. “Cream and sugar.”

  Setting the tray down on the low table in between them, Susannah realized that she was expected to fix his tea for him. She scrambled to do so, pouring some out into one of the cups. Her cheeks grew warm. She fixed his tea, then handed it to him.

  “Thank you,” he said, accepting it. He eyed her oddly and she turned her gaze toward Lord Malmore.

  “For you, My Lord?” she asked in a low voice.

  “Just sugar, please, Susannah,” he replied.

  She nodded, then quickly fixed his cup. He took it from her letting his fingers brush gently against the back of her hand. Her eyes met his. The combination was both reassuring and electrifying. She felt her cheeks redden.

  “Susannah, is it?” the unfamiliar gentleman asked wryly.

  “Yes, My Lord,” she said, folding her hands. He made her nervous with the way that he was studying her. It wasn’t often that Lord Malmore had any guests. She wasn’t sure if this was normal. Lucy had promised her that she would be invisible.

  “Are you new?” he asked. He was handsome, but not like Lord Malmore. This gentleman had dark hair, which tumbled over his brow. His eyes were blue and his skin was pale. He seemed cold.

  The question surprised her. She nodded. “Yes, My Lord.”

  “Adam,” he said, turning toward Lord Malmore. “I didn’t know that you were hiring staff.” She wondered who he was.

  “Yes,” Lord Malmore said. “Susannah has come all of the way from Lidcote.”

  Susannah felt her cheeks heat up even more. She raised her chin and stood there. She hadn’t thought that she would have to withstand scrutiny. She wasn’t sure she liked this gentleman. He was frowning at her like she was something unpleasant that had gotten stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

  “Lidcote? Isn’t that all of the way up North? Certainly there were households nearby so that you wouldn’t have to come all this way,” the gentleman said.

  “My Lord,” she replied, daring to look him in the eye. “I wanted to come to London.”

  “What for?”

  “The city suits me, My Lord.” When she glanced over at Lord Malmore, he was smiling. She turned her gaze back to the unpleasant gentleman who was frowning even deeper.

  I didn’t know it was possible to frown like that.

  “You give your opinion very freely for a simple country girl,” he said, sipping his tea.

  “With all due respect, My Lord,” she said. “I don’t believe myself to be a simple country girl.”

  His eyes widened in surprise. He set his cup down on the saucer abruptly. He looked toward Lord Malmore. When she glanced over at Lord Malmore, he was grinning.

  “What’s the matter, Gerard?” he asked with a chuckle.

  “She’s quite opinionated,” Lord Wrentbour replied.

  “That’s why I hired her,” Lord Malmore said. He turned his gaze toward Susannah. She l
iked that he was pleased. “Thank you, Susannah. That will be all for now.”

  She curtsied, then left. As she closed the door behind her, she heard Lord Wrentbour mutter.

  “You would hire a maid who speaks her mind so freely,” he said. “Though she is pretty, I’ll give you that.”

  “Hmmm,” Lord Malmore replied. It sounded like he was trying not to laugh. She smiled to herself. She was looking forward to later that evening when she would be alone with him. It was a delicious thought, one which she would savor throughout the day.