7
Sofia dripped her way up the back stairs to her chamber expecting to find Mary waiting for her, but the room was empty, nothing put away, and she felt a flicker of annoyance. She'd brought Mary with her after having known her for only two days and now it seemed she'd changed her allegiance to Annabel whom she'd known for years. This was only to be expected, she supposed.
Instead of being cross she decided Annabel should keep Mary for herself and she and Colette would have whoever was appointed. It was fortunate indeed that the lake water had been clean as there was no water in the jug on the washstand for her to use.
She collected her discarded garments and took them into the dressing room along with her portmanteau. There was a towel rack with three fluffy white towels hanging ready upon it and she snatched up one of them.
She dropped her wet shirt and into the laundry basket and replaced it with her petticoats and a bodice which held her bosom in place, with the addition of the shoulder straps it also acted as a gentle kind of corset.
She owned but three gowns each worn with the same underwear but only the one she'd discarded to ride was wearable. If Mary had been doing her job the other items would have been unpacked and the girl would have pressed the creases out of the other two so Sofia could appear for dinner in something fresh.
Despite having been pinned under a cap her hair was rather damp. Dinner was in forty-five minutes so she'd leave it loose for half an hour in the hope that it would dry enough to be put up again.
Her hairbrush was on the dressing table in the bed chamber and she returned there. After brushing it for five minutes, quite long enough in her opinion, she thought she'd walk through and find out exactly what Mary was doing.
As she entered the sitting room, which was next door to her, there was a sharp knock on the door and before she could retreat, it opened and the earl stepped in.
He took one look at her with her hair loose and from his expression was horrified to have found her so unkept.
'I beg your pardon, Sofia, I wish to speak to you but obviously not until you've finished your toilette.' His tone was curt, his expression cold.
'My hair's too wet to put up. I don't object to you seeing it loose so I don't see why you should feel uncomfortable. I was expecting to see you but hoped I could eat my dinner before you roared at me.'
She dropped onto the nearest chair as her knees were wobbling and she'd no wish to collapse in an undignified heap in front of him. He really was the most terrifying individual when he was angry.
'Do sit down, I cannot abide a gentleman who looms over one, especially someone as large as you.'
Hardly a conciliatory remark but her response to being scared was to fight back.
He flicked aside his coat tails – she couldn't help but admire his appearance, he was the epitome of a wealthy gentleman from the tip of his black hair to the toes of his highly polished Hessians.
'I know why you're here; it's to tell me how appalling my behaviour was, how you didn't give me permission to ride your precious stallion and I have nothing to say in my defence. I knew I was doing something you would have forbidden me to do, but I fell in love with Lucifer and he with me, and I couldn't resist just one glorious ride.'
He was staring at her in a most particular fashion and she wasn't sure if it was approval, the reverse, or just plain bemusement. Perhaps she'd better remain silent until he spoke. After several agonisingly long minutes he shook his head and then smiled at her. Her stomach lurched; a wave of heat travelled to a most unexpected place. She wasn't sure exactly what was happening between them.
'I'm never lost for words, but you've managed to achieve what I and anyone who knows me would have considered an impossibility.' He raised one finger. 'This is why I'm dumbfounded by your statement. One, Lucifer is famous for his filthy temper. He's bitten me several times and never in his life has he showed the slightest affection for anyone until today.'
Sofia wasn't sure if she should answer so nodded and remained silent.
He then added a second finger. 'Two, I provided you with the clothes you needed to ride, unwisely I didn't issue any particular instructions as to which horse you could take, so I can hardly castigate you for borrowing my stallion.'
This was going far better than she'd dared hope.
There was a glint in his eyes and she wasn't sure if it was amusement or something she didn't recognise. He added a third finger to the other two he was holding in front of him. This was all very strange.
'Finally, Sofia, I must apologise most profusely for removing my clothes. A shocking thing to do and I think you might consider yourself compromised...'
She was on her feet shaking her head vehemently before he could continue. 'Absolutely, quite definitely not. There was nothing I saw that I haven't seen before when the men were working in the fields. Unconventional behaviour, perhaps, but nothing more.'
She stopped and drew a shuddering breath holding up a hand to stop him interrupting.
'Don't even think for one minute that you have to make me an offer. If you did, I'd refuse so please don't embarrass either of us by doing so.'
She was pinned where she was by the intensity of his slate grey eyes. With exaggerated slowness he pushed himself to his feet. Then in two strides was standing barely a foot in front of her.
'If you'd allowed me to complete my sentence, Sofia, I'd have told you in no uncertain terms that as far as I was concerned the incident was closed and would never be mentioned again.'
He was so close she could feel his heat but for some reason couldn't reverse away from him. Now it was she who was incapable of speech.
