“She tried to perform the same duties for Emmeline, but since my wife was seldom in residence, there was little to occupy Mrs. Amberly’s time. She developed a great fondness for Catherine when she was an infant, so eventually Mrs. Amberly became Catherine’s and later Ian’s nursemaid.
“When the rumors started and the other female servants left, Mrs. Amberly was the only one who stayed. She took on the role of housekeeper and cook because there was no one else to perform the tasks. Over the years, she has more than earned my support and, dare I admit it, even my regard.”
“I admire your loyalty,” Isabella said softly.
Damien shrugged. “Any man of honor would react the same.” Though he acted nonchalant, Isabella could see that her words pleased him. He tilted his head and smiled faintly at her. “I admire your inner beauty. And your passionate nature.”
Momentarily stunned by the abrupt change in the conversation, Isabella found it impossible to respond. Damien’s eyes moved over her, and she sat very straight and very still. She could hardly breathe.
He leaned across the small table. Gently, he lifted a long curl from her shoulder and brushed the wisps of stray hair away from her face.
“What am I going to do with you, my darling Isabella?”
The emotion in his voice brought a rush of tears to her eyes. Suddenly she longed to place herself inside the circle of his arms, curl herself against his broad chest, and rest her head against his strong shoulder.
Love me, her heart cried.
He kissed her instead. A brief, tender kiss that teased and hinted at passion and romance. Her heart swelled with longing and she made no protest when Damien tugged insistently at the top of the sheet she wore until it loosened. He then slipped his hand beneath the fabric and stroked her naked breast.
“Your skin is so soft. Softer than the finest silk.”
“Oh, Damien.” She pressed herself boldly against him, a tantalizing combination of innocence, bravado, and desire.
His eyes fixed on hers, and this time she recognized the undisguised hunger that sprang into them. Her heart did a strange flip-flop when she realized she shared that hunger.
“Take me to bed,” she whispered.
Their joining was slow and passionate and filled with heat. When it was over, Isabella’s body felt fully sated, yet the yearning ache Damien had kindled in her heart grew stronger. He held her tight as he drifted off to sleep, and she felt strangely grateful to be lying in his arms, burrowed close to his warmth and listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing.
The hour grew late. Isabella felt herself falling toward sleep wondering with both excitement and fear what the coming dawn would bring.
Chapter Fifteen
The heavy velvet bed curtains were drawn tightly closed, and Isabella awoke to a world shrouded in darkness. Sleep left her momentarily disoriented, but when she realized she lay in the earl’s bed and not her own, her body stiffened.
Not daring to utter a sound, she cautiously reached out an arm and gingerly felt along the mattress. Slowly, Isabella inched her fingers over to the far side of the bed, eventually discovering she was alone.
Tentatively, she rose to her knees, parted the bed hangings, and peered out. Half expecting the earl to be prowling around his bedchamber, Isabella felt oddly disappointed to find the room empty. Both her clothes and his lay scattered in wild disarray by the cold ashes of the fireplace, and memories of the previous night invaded her mind.
Her behavior had been wanton and bold, and she knew the complete, shatteringly beautiful acts of love they shared would mark her for eternity. She regretted none of it. Yet anxiety and doubt flashed strongly within her. What would happen next? Would they continue to be lovers?
Damien had implied that he intended to continue this. new, intimate side of their relationship. But how long could she hide her feelings of love from him? Would she be able to sustain a physical relationship while struggling to conceal the depth of her emotional attachment? Did she even want to?
Realizing that just because she was in love with him did not mean he would ever return her love already brought a pang of remorse to Isabella’s heart. Was she willing to settle for so little? Did she dare to dream there would ever be more?
Doubts continued to flood her mind, plaguing Isabella as she left the bed and went in search of her garments. She had no desire to linger naked in the earl’s bedchamber.
Quickly she donned her gown, in her haste forgoing all the underthings. A final glance around the room confirmed that she had successfully removed all traces of her presence—until her eyes rested on the bed.
Although they had first made love in front of the fireplace, there were streaks of dried blood marring the pristine white sheets. The marks of her lost virginity were plain to read.
With a sharp intake of breath, Isabella whipped the sheets from the mattress and tucked them under her arm, along with her undergarments. Creeping soundlessly across the hallway into her bedchamber, Isabella decided to simply hide the evidence in her room. Let Damien explain to his valet why the bedding had mysteriously disappeared.
Despite the late morning hour, Isabella dressed unhurriedly. She longed for a hot tub to soak her strained and quivering muscles in, but she was loath to arouse the staff’s suspicions. She might not regret her actions, but she was not eager to broadcast her indiscretion to the entire household staff either.
Isabella arrived at the dining room just before the clock struck the eleventh morning hour. She suspected the children were already running about the estate and fervently hoped the earl was off on business as usual. She was not prepared to face him. Hopefully, spending the night in bed with the governess was no cause to disrupt the earl’s normal routine.
Catching the breath of nerves in her lungs, Isabella opened the dining room door and gracefully stepped inside. The earl sat waiting for her amid a collection of dirty breakfast dishes. He was reading a newspaper and did not notice her quiet entrance. Isabella’s heart somersaulted at the sight of him. He looked somber, rather distant, and utterly handsome.
