They reached the end of their rows and stopped at the fountain, facing each other in the brightly lit space. Thick snowflakes fell beyond the panes of glass above them, but within, the air was heavy with warm humidity.
A soft sigh escaped her lips, attracting his gaze. They were full and smooth, despite having been chapped only days before. The abrupt need to know their taste gripped him. Would she be sweet, tart, or would she, perhaps, carry the flavour of the mysterious floral fragrance that hovered around her?
Hell. Turning his head away, he bit the inside of his cheek to quell the last of his desire before returning his attention to the woman. And caught her watching him. Her gaze lingered on the narrow bit of exposed neck below his ear, and along his beard. Her breath quickened, and Leo dug his fingertips into his palms in an effort to control the rush of triumph that rippled through him.
They were too close together, scarcely more than an arm’s length apart, but he could still feel the heat from her body, could smell her unique floral scent…Christ.
This was ludicrous. He hadn’t even come close to growing aroused since life had changed so drastically and Lizzy had come into his care, and yet this woman had him—
The door slammed open, and brusque footfalls entered. Leo swiftly stepped back, putting distance between himself and Miss Smith, silently urging the thrumming of his pulse to calm.
“Oh!” a woman gasped. “I’m right sorry, I am, Master Leonard. I didn’t realize that the conservatory was occupied.” Leo internally cringed at Mrs. Talbot’s use of his childhood name, and silently hoped that Miss Smith hadn’t noticed. “I just come in to add more fuel to the fire, as it were.”
With another internal rebuke at his reckless behaviour, Leo smiled at the older woman. “It is quite all right.” He swiftly made the introductions. “Miss Smith is to be Elizabeth’s new governess, and Mrs. Talbot is our housekeeper.”
The women greeted each other and Leo gritted his teeth, despising the position he’d put himself in.
“Oh dearie,” Mrs. Talbot was saying. “That uniform is a far sight too small. I’ll see to it that material is ordered at once.”
“You’re too kind.”
The housekeeper smiled. “It might be some time, mind, due to the weather…”
The women continued their conversation, but Leo scarcely took notice.
He felt ill. They oughtn’t be alone in a room together again, he and Miss Smith, for Lord knew, she stirred something within him that he shouldn’t feel.
CHAPTER5
The muffled pitter-patter of paws on carpet followed Juliana as she traversed the wide corridors of Woodhaven Hall. The tapers were lit, lending a warm glow to the grand space, but even though she could see, she was at sixes and sevens as to where the blasted deceitful Mr. Notley was.
Irritation and ire skittered over her nerves, sparking fire in her neck and across her chest. It had taken three days, but she’d come to realize what he’d done.It was inevitable, her mind whispered.Men will always disappoint you if you let them.
She glanced over her shoulder to eye the curious spotted greyhound. “The footman mentioned the library. Do you happen to know the way, Kitty?” The dog wagged her tail, her tongue lolling to one side, and Juliana gave the beastie an idle scratch with her free hand as she continued on.
In the three days since she’d begun lessons with Elizabeth—and since she’d last seen Mr. Notley—Juliana had come to realize that the little girl, while in dire need of aid in her speech, was uncommonly advanced in her letters, maths, Latin, and, surprisingly, geography. What Juliana had witnessed during her interview was merely evidence of the poor girl’s desire for affection.
Her heart gave a sharp twist. What Miss Elizabeth Notley required was a mother, not a governess. And Juliana was most decidedly not that woman.
She and her greyhound shadow passed an empty, darkened room, and a chill swept over her. Woodhaven Hall must cost Mr. Notley an outrageous sum to heat in the winter, for with the high ceilings and grand windows, the drafts were unmistakable. She wondered how many maids it took to keep fires burning in the commonly used rooms. Come to that, she’d never before considered what it must take to keep her own home—
No, she corrected herself. It wasn’t her home any longer. Jasper had seen to that.
Her brows drew together in a frown as she thought of her brother. Jasper had grown from an affectionate child into a protective young man. And yet, after the death of their father, he’d seemingly changed in the course of a day. Gone were their nightly games of chess, their conversations, and the smiles that he’d once offered so readily. He’d turned sour since the duke had died, always grumbling and snapping in constant irritation.
If only he’d have spoken to her, and notsoldher to Viscount Rivers.
She had known that their inheritance had somehow been squandered, because Jasper had become so parsimonious that nearly all of their meals consisted of potato—and the rare pigeon. But she’d naively assumed that the estate’s income would save them from insolvency, and that, perhaps, she could lend her aid by pursuing her interests and meeting with Grace Huntsbury.
The sparse collection of her mother’s jewels, and the allowance that she’d saved, had been gathered just after her father’s death. She’d succeeded in hiding them from Jasper—to protect them from being sold, and to prevent him from discovering her intentions. He would be furious, undoubtedly, but maybe he would come to see that she’d done it forthem.
With a mental shake, she continued along the corridor, around a corner, and down yet another set of stairs.
In the three days since she’d been alone with Mr. Notley in the conservatory, Juliana had not left the confines of the nursery or her bedchamber. She was embarrassed by her open perusal of him, and she’d been busy performing her assessment of Miss Notley’s knowledge and abilities.
During that time, she’d come to two clear conclusions. First, her desire for Mr. Notley, if not a hindrance to her goals, was certainly inconvenient; and second, Mr. Notley was hiding something. She ought to have known.
It was for that reason that she’d stolen out of the nursery after Elizabeth had fallen asleep that evening, and had gone in search of the dastardly man. Locating him, as it happened, was rather more difficult than she’d thought, for she’d all but entirely forgotten the location of the library in the labyrinth of a building.
