“Yes, well, I will leave you to your work.”
Yet, he stood there, studying her.
And she could not look away from him.
Chapter Six
Why was hesimply standing there when he should leave? Caroline had explained her purpose, and he appreciated the fact that she wanted him to have clearly written documents for his meeting with her father in the morning, and he was hungry, but he could not make his feet move.
He also should have closed and secured his banyan to shield his chest and abdomen, as would have been proper, but he did not and only because of the high color in Caroline’s cheeks when she first viewed him. Though she first looked at the papers before her and then at his face, her eyes did eventually stray below his chin. That was when her eyes darkened and if he was not mistaken, her breaths grew a little shallow as her plump lips parted.
While she might project being the proper daughter of an estate manager, and only wanted to assist her father, she was also a woman who had known intimacy, and perhaps she missed what a husband and wife shared in the privacy of their sleeping chamber. And, given she was a widow, it was acceptable for her to take a lover, if she wished.
Did Caroline want or need a lover?
The appreciation in her dark eyes also had an effect on him and Sterling was grateful that he was wearing trousers and that he was shadowed, shielding the stirring of his own desire for Caroline.
How long had it been since he engaged a mistress?
Good God!It had been over a year. He had last seen his mistress amonth before he sailed from England, the same day he had terminated their agreement as he did not know how long he would be gone. No wonder the need for intimacy and release rose so quickly.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t had the opportunity to bed various women during his travels, but Sterling had always shied away from unfamiliar women and certainly avoided courtesans and light-skirts. After all, he did not want to be afflicted with an uncomfortable consequence of coupling.
“Lord Wyndham, did you have further questions?”
Her inquiry penetrated the fog in his mind and Sterling cleared his throat. “No. That is all. I will now leave you to your work.” This time he did leave the office and made his way to the kitchens.
He should not be thinking about taking a lover, especially not Caroline. It was improper! He was the employer of her father; therefore, she was his responsibility much like a servant would be and he would never seduce a maid, therefore, he could not seduce Caroline.
He first set a pot of water over a flame so that he could brew tea, then rummaged through the larder and came away with jam, then found the bread that remained from the day before. As he cut a slice, his mind wandered to his encounter with Caroline.
If she needed time to prepare the reports, her father could have asked for a later meeting.
Were they afraid of his reaction if he had?
Did Hallaway think that he would refuse and demand an immediate meeting?
Or maybe Hallaway didn’t want him to know that his daughter assisted him.
If that were the case and given that most men were proud and tried to hide that they relied on the assistance of a female, Sterling decided that he would not mention the matter to Hallaway.
As he slathered the jam on the bread then prepared a cup of tea,Sterling recalled how enticing Caroline had looked bent over the desk with her full breasts pressed against the bodice of her gown, nearly spilling over. Yes, it was the fashion and, on most women, it would not be something he spent much time thinking about, yet his eyes had been drawn to her bosom.
Except, Caroline wasn’t dressed fashionably. Her dresses were light cotton, likely due to the oppressive heat, and without any decoration of ribbons or lace. Simple and practical, which he supposed was appropriate for her rank.
He swiped the crumbs from the counter and set his empty cup in the sink before he snuffed out the candles in the kitchen.
There was no need for Caroline to keep working. He could reschedule the meeting with Hallaway to later in the day tomorrow, which was what Sterling intended to tell her, except when he returned to the office, Caroline was gone and the lights had been extinguished.
He entered slowly and stopped at the desk. In the center and to the right was the report. To the left were the ledger pages for the last quarter.
As it was unlikely he could sleep again, Sterling lit candles and settled in the chair to begin his review of the report written in Caroline’s neat penmanship. He had not reviewed any reports or accounting for nearly a year because he had been traveling and wondered if anything of import had been contained in them.
Sterling shook his head. He could simply ask tomorrow what those reports had contained.
With those thoughts, he opened the drawers in search of parchment, but instead found a ledger labeled in his father’s hand. Why would anything from when his father lived her still be kept in the desk?
He withdrew it only to realize that the estate accounting had been added to the back providing a history of accounting from when his father was the estate manager through last year.
