She was right. Whatever he had looked like in that moment, ithadbeen because of her. He had allowed himself to forget his responsibilities. He had allowed himself to forget almost everything, and he’d simply relaxed into the pleasure of being with her. Looking into her eyes, seeing what she was like when her guard was down—that had been because of her, and it was the closest to his true self he had been in a very long time.
Of course she had found that version of him appealing. It was real.
And he knew that he had to back away. He had to be very careful with this situation. He was teaching her how to be charming, and to an extent, at least, it had already begun to work—but he couldn’t afford to allow himself to become charmed by her. That wouldn’t serve either of them well. It wasn’t what either of them needed.
Even as all these thoughts played through his mind, she was gazing into his eyes—she certainly had learnedthatlesson quickly and well. The brown of her eyes was warm, but the green gave her sparks of mystery and excitement, and all he wanted was to take her in his arms.
Where had these feelings come from? He shouldn’t be doing this. He shouldn’t be thinking like this. It was a mistake. And yet, he was already reaching out for her, unable to control his desire…
A floorboard creaked.
Someone was moving about the manor, and they were far too close.
Seth jerked away from Lady Lavinia. They couldn’t be caught. They couldn’t be discovered here. “You should go,” he whispered. “You should return to your room.”
“Your Grace?—”
“Quickly, before someone decides to come poking around.”
She nodded, holding his gaze for a moment longer. Then she turned and hurried toward the door. She was gone before he had a chance to rethink what had just happened, before he could process the fact that what he really wanted was to call her back to him.
And then Seth stood in the library, alone, staring at the shelves of books and wondering what had just happened to him.
He couldn’t be falling for Lady Lavinia. That had never been a part of the plan. And if it came to pass, it would create all sorts of trouble—for himself, and for her as well.
He was going to have to be more cautious moving forward. If he was going to teach her to be appealing, he would have to make sure he didn’t fall victim to her appeal.
CHAPTER 20
“Now, today while we ride, I want you to think about posture,” Seth said, keeping his voice low so the people walking down toward the stables on either side of them wouldn’t overhear their conversation. “Keep your back straight. Keep your chin up. Don’t slouch, and don’t cast your eyes downward. Remember that you are a beautiful young lady, and everyone should see that when they look at you. If they don’t, it’s their own fault.”
“I’m not very good on horseback,” Lady Lavinia confided.
“You don’t need to worry about that. Plenty of people aren’t very good on horseback, and many of them are here. You’re not trying to impress all these people. What we’re hoping for is that there isonegentleman out among the crowd who will see you and become enamored of you.”
“And you think seeing me on horseback will lead someone to become enamored of me?”
“One never knows what will do it. Come into the stable, I’ll help you find a good horse.”
“Good morning, Lady Lavinia,” a voice spoke up.
They both turned. The voice belonged to Duncan Ellis, Viscount of Hennington, a gentleman Seth knew casually. They had interacted on several occasions, and he had always been pleasant and easy to talk to, though Seth wouldn’t have called him a close friend.
“I wasn’t aware you had been introduced to Lady Lavinia, Lord Hennington,” he said.
“Oh, I haven’t had that pleasure,” Lord Hennington said. “I asked a friend for your name, my lady, and plucked up the courage to come and speak to you.”
That was laying it on a bit thick, Seth thought. Lady Lavinia was lovely, to be sure, but she wasn’tintimidating.How much courage could it possibly have taken to come and talk to her?
But then, maybe it had. Maybe Lord Hennington didn’t feel confident in his ability to charm ladies. There was no denying that he looked a bit shy right now. Seth had the feeling he was wishing he could be alone with Lady Lavinia, but Seth wasn’t going to simply walk away and leave them together. That wouldn’t be right…would it?
But then, what would be wrong with it? It wasn’t as if they werealone. There were dozens of people all around. They didn’t require him as a chaperone right now to keep things proper. And Lord Hennington was no Lord Routhecamp. He was a perfectly decent man, more than capable of showing Lady Lavinia a good time.
She’s trying to gain the attention and interest of eligible gentlemen, and now one is speaking to her. I ought to allow that to happen.
Why couldn’t he bring himself to do it?
He looked at Lady Lavinia. She wasn’t looking back at him. Her attention had turned to Lord Hennington, and she looked pleased and happy. Her cheeks were pink. As he watched, she raised her hands as if to fidget with the gown she was wearing. Then she seemed to think better of it and lowered her hands again.
