“Edward! Come quickly! Lily wants to show you a frog she has found.”
The sound of Emily’s voice splashed over Edward like a bucket of cold water. Miss Clifford let out a startled squeak and quickly tried to scramble off his lap. Edward reluctantly set her on the seat next to him, knowing they could not be caught in such a compromising position.
They shared a look, and while Miss Clifford did look stunned and mortified with her pink cheeks and wide eyes, she also appeared disappointed. She could not hide it from him, though he was certain she would rather he did not realize it.
“I will go first,” he murmured. She nodded, and he pushed off the bench to climb out of the vehicle. Once he was out in the open air, he turned back to offer his hand to Miss Clifford to assist her. She paused at the carriage’s entrance and stared down at his hand for a moment before she hesitantly reached out and took it.
That heat shot up his arm again, but he tried to ignore it as he assisted her to the ground. Though he did not really wish to, he released her hand as soon as she was steady on her feet. They shared another lingering look before he forced himself to turn away from her and hurry off toward his sister and niece before he gave into temptation once and for all.
Chapter 18
As they rode up the long winding drive to the country manor later the next day, Victoria could not decide if she was more nervous about meeting the Duke and Duchess or was just still anxious about being so near Lord Harford.
She decided it would make more sense for her to be nervous meeting Lord Harford’s parents. If she admitted to being anxious around him, she would have to admit to herself that it was because she harboured some sort of strange emotions for him.
When the carriage came to a stop in front of the manor, Victoria waited for everyone else to exit the vehicle before she dared to move. She did not want a repeat of the night before when she had ended up in his lap, and their lips had almost…
She stopped the thought before it went any further. Once she was the last one in the carriage, she moved to exit it. She half expected to find Lord Harford standing with his hand extended to help her, but a liveried footman was waiting for her. There was a stab of disappointment deep in her belly that she tried to ignore as she gave the man her hand and let him help her to the ground.
Lord Harford, Mrs Radcliffe, and Lily were standing with an older couple who Victoria assumed were the Duke and Duchess.
“Mother, it is so good to see you,” Mrs Radcliffe declared, moving into embrace the older woman.
“It is so good to see you as well, my darling,” the Duchess replied, squeezing her daughter tightly to her. “Oh, I have missed you.”
“We were quite happy when you wrote that you would be joining us here,” the Duke said in his deep voice. He was an intimidating figure. Tall and broad-shouldered with a thick grey beard and piercing blue eyes, the Duke’s gaze swept over his children and landed on her. She had met him before, briefly, but she still felt like some sort of interloper. As if she were not supposed to be there, intruding on their happy family reunion.
To her surprise, though, the Duke gave her a kind smile and said, “Good to see you again as well, Miss Clifford. I hope you are doing well.”
Victoria was stunned by his greeting, but before she could come up with a suitable reply, the Duchess looked up at her and gave her a bright smile as well.
“Oh! You are Miss Clifford? It is very good to meet you.” The older woman hurried over to her. The Duchess was a lovely woman with dark hair streaked with silver and kind green eyes. She was quite petite compared to her husband and son, much like her daughter.
Victoria dropped into a hurried curtsy and replied, “Oh, it is an honour, your Grace.”
The Duchess laughed softly. “My, but you have rather impeccable manners. Impressive, I must say. Please do not feel as though you must uphold the highest standards of decorum here, though. Out here in the country, we are not quite so formal.”
Victoria felt a sense of relief at that. It was not always the easiest thing for her to maintain the strict decorum of an employee working in a fine house, as she had not been raised to be a servant. Being able to relax somewhat would be a welcome change.
“Come, let us all go inside and get settled,” the Duke declared. “You can all get settled in your rooms, and Miss Clifford can meet with Mrs Howard to get a tour of the house.”
Victoria inclined her head. “Yes, your Grace. Thank you.”
“Let us go then,” Lord Harford said, glancing back at Victoria. She felt her cheeks heat instantly and dropped her gaze, not wanting to appear flustered in front of Lord Harford’s family.
Suddenly, Lily rushed to Victoria’s side and took her hand.
“Miss Clifford! Are you happy to be here?” the little girl asked.
Victoria gave the child a gentle grin. “I am, Miss Lily. Very happy. Are you?”
Lily nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Mama said there is a pond that we can play at. And horses! Lots of horses!”
Victoria chuckled. “That is very exciting indeed, Miss Lily. I am certain we will have a very good time here.”
When Victoria glanced back up, she found Lord Harford, Mrs Radcliffe, and their parents watching her and Lily. Mrs Radcliffe, the Duke, and the Duchess were gazing at her with varying expressions of admiration. Lord Harford, however, was staring at her with a much different type of emotion. I was darker…hungrier…and it made her heart race.
What was he thinking, staring at her like that when they were standing with his family?
