Her heart stuttered, and she stared at him, almost frightened by what he suggested. This meant he was making a public show of courting her.
“James?” she breathed, hunger crawling through her for this man. “What are you saying?”
“I will call on you tomorrow at your aunt’s house. We will speak more then.”
A burst of happiness darted through her heart. “Yes.”
He kissed her forehead. “Let me not keep you here too long, lest your mother or aunt starts looking for you. I only needed to tell you of my intentions for tomorrow and this,” he said with gruff tenderness, cupping her cheeks to tilt her head up and softly kissing her.
He moved his mouth downward, gently kissing her chin, drawing a light laugh from her.
“So ticklish,” she whispered.
James kissed the hollow of her throat and teased his teeth over her fluttering pulse. Then he lifted his head and brushed his mouth against hers. He threaded his fingers through her hair and melded her mouth more firmly to his, deepening their kiss with exquisite thoroughness, wild passion, and sensual greed. She twined her hands around his neck, holding him close, returning his kiss with all the aching emotions inside her heart.
I am falling so deeply in love with you, James.
Their mouths parted, and she whispered, “My aunt and mother have departed early.”
He arched a brow. “They left you alone here?”
“My aunt felt a terrible migraine coming on, so my mother went home with her. They will send the carriage back for me. I could stay with you longer.”
“I’ll not tup you here,” he said, his tone warm with desire.
Elizabeth felt the heated length of his cock through their clothes, hard, pulsating against the soft pad of her belly. She smiled at his restraint. “I want to stay with you but not for tupping. We could play chess by the fire or watching the stars in the garden—”
“Good heavens! What is this?”
She gasped, her eyes widening. James straightened, positioning himself protectively in front of Elizabeth as she slid off the desk. Her face heated with embarrassment and shock. His calm demeanor was a stark contrast to the chaos erupting in the doorway.
“What is the meaning of this?” the voice screeched again. “Elizabeth?”
She moved from behind James. Her mother’s eyes were wide with disbelief, her expression vacillating between shock and dismay.
“Mother?” Elizabeth’s voice was a mix of confusion and plea. “I thought you and aunt had left—”
“We have been waiting to leave,” her aunt interjected, her tone high-pitched and frantic. She dramatically pressed a hand to her chest, her eyes darting accusingly between Elizabeth and James.
“We had to ask the duchess for help when we could not find you, my dear. I recall you said you had a terrible headache and wondered if you had gone to lie down. This was the only door that was locked, so Her Grace had to ask the housekeeper to assist us with opening the door. But I never imagined you would be caught … in atrystwith the duke!”
Elizabeth felt a creeping sense of unreality wash over her as the room seemed to spin. The disapproving stares from the group in the doorway, led by her visibly upset mother and the stern-faced duchess, made her feel like she was trapped in a nightmarish tableau. Had she and James been so caught up in each other that they did not hear the opening of the door?
“Ah, you were the one with the headache, hmm?” the duke said mockingly, focusing his sharp gaze on Elizabeth. “How interesting. Now I understand the insistence that you wanted to stay.”
She stared up at him, uncomprehending, then pain bloomed in her heart.
“No, I—” Elizabeth started, her voice trembling slightly, not sure how to begin explaining without exacerbating the scandal.
James turned toward everyone, his voice calm and authoritative as he addressed the room. “Ladies, I assure you, your concern, while appreciated, is unwarranted. Miss Armstrong and I were merely discussing some literary interests in a place free from the noise of the ball. Any misunderstanding is regrettable.”
His composed explanation did little to alleviate the tension in the air. The duchess, stepping forward with an air of authority that befit her status, spoke sternly, “This is most irregular, James. You must understand how this appears to everyone involved.”
Elizabeth, gathering her wits, added hurriedly, “Yes, I apologize for any concern I caused. It was never my intention to worry anyone or create such a misunderstanding.”
Despite their attempts to clarify the situation, the damage seemed done. Whispers and murmurs filled the room as the duchess nodded grimly, her expression softening slightly as she looked at Elizabeth.
“This will go no further than this room,” the duchess declared sharply, stepping further into the library with an air of command. “There need not be any sort of scandal.”
