“Such outspokenness in any servant is unaccountable.”
His face made anvils look woolly and soft. His words were clipped and glowed with the white-heat of a forge fire. He loomed over Adeline, resembling a far-Eastern potentate more than a respectable English gentleman.
“Her Grace, the Dowager Duchess, does not agree, it seems. She permits, no…she encourages me to speak my mind.”
“My mother has foolish notions. I have no interest in knowing what is on your mind.”
The words hung between them, hotter than the fire that smoldered in the grate. She expected him to roar, to unleash the famed temper which Cordelia had warned her of. Instead, he stepped closer, his presence filling the space, his gaze fixed on hers as though testing how far she would flinch. She did not move.
“Do you think,” he said quietly, “that you can stand against me?”
“I think,” she returned, pulse quickening though her voice held steady, “that you mistake me for someone you may influence and dominate.”
The corner of his mouth twitched, as though she amused and infuriated him in equal measure. His hand lifted suddenly, and a single finger pressed against her lips.
“Enough.”
The audacity of it struck her like a slap. Without hesitation, she bit him.
He hissed in surprise, jerking back. For a moment the mask of command slipped, revealing a flash of something raw. Eyes wentwide, lips parted. She glimpsed the anger of a barbarian prince from the Russian steppes.
What have I done? It goes beyond propriety. A moment of absolute madness. I bit him!
“I am sorry but…” she began.
Then, with a swiftness that stole her breath, he leaned close, so close she felt the heat of him, and his teeth grazed her ear in a fleeting nip. Adeline froze. Shock rippled through her, silencing even her indignation. He seemed as startled by his own daring as she, his eyes dark and unreadable. Another glimpse beyond the dark, impenetrable wall. Brief. Tantalizing. A stolen vision of a man far more complex than his outward appearance. The moment stretched, taut and unbearable, until the door opened once more.
“Ah, there you are!” Cordelia’s voice, warm and oblivious, broke the spell. She swept in, smiling. Her presence was as natural as sunlight.
“Winston, my dear boy. I see you have made Miss Wilkinson’s acquaintance.”
“So, Mother, you have burned your house down?” Winston said with bite.
“The upper stories of the house have been badly damaged. Nothing of my doing. I do not think.”
Cordelia took a seat.
“Has Adeline been demonstrating her skills?”
Adeline blushed, and Winston seemed speechless for a moment. Cordelia waved a hand indolently at the room with its pianoforte, shelves of sheet music, violins, flutes, and even a harp.
“She plays the pianoforte,” Cordelia said proudly.
“Yes, I do,” Adeline said, just to have words to speak.
“She could teach Louisa,” Cordelia said as though the thought had just occurred to her.
“Louisa has a governess for that,” Winston replied.
“Does she? I am told that you dismissed her today,” Cordelia said.
Winston was left flat-footed. Adeline watched him for his reply, hoping it seemed the simple attention given to one about to speak. His profile was handsome, chiselled rather than grown. He was as cold and proud as a marble bust. As strong as one too. Adeline felt her pulse rising, her breath quickening at his proximity.
She wanted to distract herself and tried to focus on Cordelia’s conversation. But she was too aware of Winston’s masculine presence. He loomed in the periphery of her vision, bringing a flush to her neck and quickness to her breath.
“Yes, I did, and she will do without for the time being,” Winston said.
Adeline glanced at him, enough to show she was listening politely. His eyes met hers, in that moment. Adeline felt heat rise in her ears, of all places, and feared they must be bright red. She smiled politely but found her eyes reluctant to leave his. They were magnetic, his presence alluring. He might be on the other side of the room, and Adeline would still feel like he stood beside her. Cordelia suddenly cleared her throat. Adeline almost jumped. She controlled herself with superhuman effort to look back at Cordelia calmly.
