Suddenly, Lord Harford gripped her skirts and began to inch them up her legs. As if she had been smacked, she snapped out of the lust-filled haze that had overwhelmed her. This was going too far. She had to stop this. She did not want to…not in the least…but she could not let him think that she was the type of woman who would let herself be compromised so easily. Even if it was with a man she desperately wanted.
Pulling her lips away from his, she placed her hands on Lord Harford’s chest and pushed against him.
“I should go,” she insisted breathlessly.
“Are you certain?” he asked her, catching her off guard with the bold question.
Blinking at him, she hesitated only a moment before shaking her head.
“Yes…yes,” she replied in a firmer tone. “This…this is highly improper, my lord. I cannot let this continue.”
“But you want to, do you not?” he questioned in a low growl that sent a shiver rushing up her spine.
“It does not matter,” she whispered, slipping out from the circle of his arms. “I must go.”
She feared he might try to stop her, but he did not. She made it to the room’s door and paused, glancing back at him.
“I had a very good time today, my lord,” Victoria said in a soft tone. “I am glad you were able to join us. I do not know if I said that before, but I want to make sure that you know that.”
He gazed at her for a long moment before giving her a small smile. “I am glad to know that, Miss Clifford. Very glad indeed.”
She could not stop her smile, but she turned away before he could see just how happy his words made her. Hurrying down the corridor to her own room, Victoria was overwhelmed with a flurry of emotions. She felt guilty for engaging in such behaviour, as she knew it was not how a lady should behave, but she was also thrilled and full of wonder.
Lord Harford wanted her. He might even like her. She was not certain, but she felt optimistic. Hopeful, even as she told herself she should not get ahead of herself. It was just a kiss – a spectacular, mind-numbing kiss – but she was still the nanny to his niece, and he was still an aristocrat who was above her station now.
She could not forget such important facts…but she could not keep herself from grinning at the same time.
Chapter 22
As he lay in bed that night, Edward stared up at the ceiling, his mind racing with thoughts of Miss Clifford. He was so baffled by his behaviour when it came to her. He had spent the rest of the day following their trip to the village thinking about their kiss and the effect she was having on him.
He had been so determined to stay away from women…still was, he thought. Yet, how could he go from wanting nothing to do with women to wanting to kiss Miss Clifford whenever the opportunity presented itself? It did not make any sense. It was not logical!
Yes, she was beautiful and had a certain charm about her that drew him in. At the same time, she infuriated him as no woman ever had before. She pushed him past the point of his control, which he hated, yet if he was honest with himself…he found it rather thrilling.
There was another thought that tugged at the back of his mind, however, that he could not seem to shake. Those letters he had seen in her satchel. She had been so secretive about them. At the time, he had not thought much of them, but now as he considered all the reasons he had given himself to avoid falling for a woman, he was troubled by the memory.
She was hiding something. She had to be. Why else would she have been keeping those letters a secret? And they never went to the post office, so how did she send them?
That is when he recalled her sudden need to buy ribbons. Surely she had not lied about that to post her letters in secret, had she? If not, then when else would she have mailed them?
Edward was so confused. He did not know what to think of Miss Clifford. He wanted her badly, but he did not trust her. Where did that leave him?
Unable to quell his troubling thoughts, Edward continued to stare at the ceiling and let them run free until he finally fell into a restless, dream-filled sleep.
***
Emily
These two are going to drive me to madness with their ridiculous behaviour.
Since she had realized that Edward and Miss Clifford were drawn to each other, Emily had determined to keep an eye on them to see how things progressed. She had had high hopes that they would be more open with their desires after their trip to the village together.
By all accounts, it seemed to have gone well. She had seen them upon their return, bringing a sleeping Lily into the house, and had kept a safe distance so that they did not realize she was aware they were home.
The following morning, she had woken with a great sense of anticipation for the day and how her brother and Miss Clifford would be around each other. So far, however, she was quite…disappointed.
It was obvious that Miss Clifford was doing her best to avoid being around Edward, and Edward, in turn, was not going out of his way to be near Miss Clifford. As the day progressed, Emily grew increasingly frustrated. What was the matter with these two? Did they not realize their mutual attraction, or were they intentionally trying to ignore it?
