Amelia handed me the glass, her lips pressed in a grim line. “He claims his grandmother is sick.”
“Claims?” I nodded as I relaxed deeper into my seat. The wine was smooth, and the tartness rested pleasantly on my palate. Oliver had let it slip that his grandmother was sick. I prayed her illness wasn’t serious. “You don’t believe him?”
Amelia lowered her lashes before raising them again. Resignation rested in her stare. “I do. I’m obviously disappointed by the delay, but if Lady Gwendolyn is sick, Oliver should be by her side.”
We stared at each other for a long moment, a tension building between us that wasn’t there seconds before. “It might be wise for us to go down to the cream sitting room next to your father’s study.”
“Wise, probably. However, we are in a sitting room already, and if we leave, there’s a chance I will run into Mother, something I’ve avoided doing all day.” She licked her bottom lip, drawing my eye to the plump flesh. Her skirt hugged her hips as she sauntered over to one of the chairs upholstered in cream. Humor underlined her words, her eyebrow lifted in challenge. A spark of her old self emerged, wearying my steadfastness further. I had avoided being intimate with a woman for fear of falling in love with her. I was already in love with Amelia, and in a way, she posed an unforeseen danger.
“You know what I mean. You being here is quite scandalous. What would Oliver say?” I sat in the seat next to hers and stretched out my legs. When I was married, Sally and I often sat thus. After her death, I avoided the room whenever possible.
“Until Oliver proposes, he has no right to chime in.” Amelia stared into her glass, her delicate jaw clenched. The strain over his proposal was palpable. “He’s raced down this track before without making the finish line.” She released a heavy sigh and drank deeply from her glass. Her slender throat worked, the creamy quality of her skin prominent in the lamplight.
Amelia had no idea about the demons that drove Oliver and his decision or mine. I had to be careful with my answer else I give anything away. “You were in mourning.”
“You needn’t defend him. I am well aware of the circumstances.” The spark of rebellion dimmed. She rolled the now empty glass in her palm and stood, moving over to the sideboard once more. “While a part of me understands, the other part is anxious to get this over with.”
“You must have patience.” I understood how hard it was for her and for him. Being in the middle had placed me at a disadvantage. Both had taken me into their confidence, and I wasn’t at liberty to tell her what I knew. It would make it much easier if I could disclose all. Or perhaps not. Amelia would be shocked to learn that Oliver and I had kissed—well, we’d done more than kissed. It was a moot point. She could never learn of our affair because it was beyond the realm of an innocent lady. “He will propose.”
“What if I decide not to accept his offer?” She poured another glass. Color enhanced her cheeks, and there was a reflective look in her eyes.
She rarely imbibed in more than one sherry. The overindulgence in the wine explained her bold behavior. All the more reason for me to call a halt to this insanity. I stayed in my chair and said nothing to dissuade her. The truth was I didn’t want to put an end to our conversation. This was the most relaxed I had been all day.
“I would say you were speaking out of turn. You love him, and he loves you.” Marriage to me had meant the opportunity to share my life with a woman through the good times and the bad. Sally had been a good wife. There were times when we argued, but no marriage was faultless. “He will ask for your hand, and you will marry him.”
Amelia resumed her seat, sitting sideways in the chair. She tucked the long train of the robe around her bent legs. The robe had come loose at the bodice, showing more of her cotton gown. I averted my gaze from the enticement. “I’m not sure it is wise. Please hear me out.” She put up a staying hand to halt the words that rested on the tip of my tongue. “If he couldn’t live without me, it makes sense that he’d make a formal request of my father the secondmymourning period was over and not wait the entire year.”
“You know how meticulous Oliver is. He wanted to be respectful to your parents.” I swirled the wine in my glass, studying the ruby liquid. It was easier than watching her lovely face twisted in anguish. If our situations were different, I might reach over and take her hand. Alas, I wasn’t at liberty to do so.
“He is troubled by something but is reluctant to share it with me.” She leaned over the arm of her chair, the movement pushing her breasts high, and the material strained at the bodice. “Before he went to university, he told me everything. Has he said anything to you about what’s bothering him?”
“What we discuss is between the two of us. I’m sorry. I have to keep his confidence.” I dangled the glass between my fingertips, trying to keep my mind on track and not stare at her tempting body. We were talking about Oliver, her soon-to-be fiancé, and my lover. Common decency said not to think of either of them in such a manner. Yet I was a degenerate, therefore, past redemption.
Amelia traced her thumb down the stem of her glass, her slender fingers curled around it. “I love him, truly I do. It just, well, today was difficult, and his proposal gave me something to look forward to after, well, after today.”
“I understand.” Each word echoed my own sentiments. I had arranged to have a night with him because I needed to forge ahead of today and look toward my future. The mantel clock ticked down the seconds, and a light pattering of rain hitting the window added to the intimacy of the room.
“I suppose I am overreacting a bit.” She reached over and laid her palm on my wrist. With a tilt of her head, she seemed to make up her mind. “Regardless, I will pay a call on Oliver tomorrow and see how his grandmother fares. Will you come with me?”
“If you wish.” I rested my elbow on my chair arm and met her regard. Face to face, I realized my mistake the second hereyes dropped to my mouth. Our conversation centered on her engagement, which was not an unusual topic for us. The big difference was our intimate setting. A servant could enter the room at any moment. Except my valet had been given the night off. There would be no reason that another servant would enter unless I called them.
This left me alone with Amelia.
Pretty, appealing, charming Amelia.
A woman I was finding very hard to resist.
