Must do better today.
She lowered her gaze in deference but was distracted by his muscular thighs flexing in perfectly fitted breeches. His scuffed boots – well-worn and far too abused for a high-born lord – were impossibly large.
He must have very big feet.
And that scent!Invading her mind with thoughts of green spaces, clean air, freedom. Making her wish for things that could never be. It was maddening. The wrongness of it spiked her ire.
‘As your housemaid, it seems reasonable you would find me here. In your study. Lighting your fire, my lord. Unless you wish to work in the frigid cold, or complete the task yourself?’ She lifted her gaze and offered him the flint and steel, her eyes catching on the firm line of his jaw before briefly flitting to his sharp amber eyes flashing with some mysterious emotion as undecipherable as the letter in her pocket.
Blast. Not better at all. And now I’ve likely inspired his anger. Getting sacked will not help me complete my mission.
Yes, she had a letter. But not all of them, which is what Constable Sweet required. And the seal if she could find it. Forthat, she needed to maintain her employment with the Marquess of Stoneway. Therefore, she must shut her mouth and make amends. Not necessarily in that order.
Dropping her hands, she fiddled with the flint. ‘I jest, my lord. Of course. I shall finish here and leave you to your solitude.’ Not risking another glance at his annoyingly handsome face, she crouched next to the fire and struck flint against steel, hoping the tinder already stacked beneath the coal would catch the spark quickly so she could escape.
‘You don’t like me much, do you, Miss Smith?’ The marquess stepped closer, his scent surrounding Penny like an embrace blending with the lemon oil she used on the hearth.
Penny sucked in air as she struck the flint once more, relieved when the tinder smouldered, then flamed to life. She blew on it gently, coaxing the coals to take the flame and glow with their own heat. After a few moments, she stood, carefully placing the flint and steel back in the decorative box and setting it gently on the mantle so as not to scratch the wood.
She couldn’t possibly answer his question. Evasion was her best option. ‘What a curious question, my lord. Why on earth would you care one way or the other if I like you? I am your servant. My role is to meet your needs. Quietly and unobtrusively. How I feel about you, my work, the weather, or any other thing matters not a whit, nor should it.’ She kept her gaze on the mantle, refusing to look at him.
He took another step closer, his hand almost brushing her skirt. It wasn’t a rare thing for maids to suffer the unwanted attention of their employers. But Penny had avoided such situations in the past with quick reflexes and even swifter wit, ensuring escape without offence. A delicate balance.
Inexplicably, and quite infuriatingly, she found her body doing the unthinkable. Instead of creating an opportunity for flight from this most dastardly lord, she leaned in his direction.
What the bloody hell am I about?
Her thigh tingled where his hand hovered only inches away. For a mad moment, she imagined feeling the heat from his fingers seeping through her simple cotton dress and touching her buzzing skin.
‘Quiet and unobtrusive. Two adjectives I’ve yet to see you display, Miss Smith.’
Penny clenched her teeth to contain a blistering reply as his fingers flicked against her skirt.
He took her silence as an invitation to continue talking.
Of course. Pompous bastard.
Not that the arrogant blockhead needed her permission. As lord of the household, he could say whatever he damn well pleased whenever he bloody well wanted.
‘Are your thoughts less valuable because of your station, Miss Smith? Your opinions less worthy of consideration?’ The gruffness of his voice caused something secret and soft to unfurl low in her belly even as his words further stoked her anger.
Penny held her breath and tried to count to ten. She managed three.
Insufferable man and his insolent questions!
She wasn’t sure what was more infuriating. His presence, or the way his presence affected her.
‘Your question is ignorant, sir. Or perhaps intentionally unfair.’ She shouldn’t have said it. But it was true. More to the point, it perfectly highlighted the reason Penny was in her current situation. Because lords like Renquist didn’t value all humans equally. Only opinions from the wealthy were worthy. His question mocked her reality.
He rocked back on his heels. ‘Ignorant? Unfair? Surely these are unjust accusations.’
‘Hardly.’ Penny fiddled with the waistband of her apron and avoided his gaze. She tried and failed to regain a sense of innercalm. She needed to remain aloof, but it all felt so impossibly personal.
He bit his distractingly well-shaped lip. ‘Please, Miss Smith, explain yourself. I confess, you have me desperate to hear your justification for claiming I’m either a fool or wilfully cruel.’
‘You shouldn’t rule out the possibility of being both.’ The words escaped before she even knew she’d formed them.
Bloody hell. Do Iwantto get fired?
