“Ye’ll sleep better than ye have in yer life,” he murmured, a smirk curving his lips.
It was absurd to want to kiss him, absurd to be drawn in by such overt seduction, absurd to let him get away with invading her private domain because he was handsome and the touch of his hand on her neck felt exquisite. Yet, she stayed still, playing along with his game to see who would relent.
With this, as with the occupation of the manor, Anna vowed it would not be her to give up first.
Just then, a light knock came at the chamber door, though it echoed as loudly as a gong crashing in Anna’s head. A warning bell to bring her back to her senses.
“Your Grace, I have your tea ready,” Katherine’s sweet voice called from the other side. “Are you awake?”
With that, Jeremy’s spell broke. Mustering all of her strength, Anna pushed him away from her, though she knew that her shove had nothing to do with his courteous step backward. She couldn’t have physically moved him if she’d tried.
“You willneverset foot in this room again,” she hissed, cursing herself for rather liking the feel of his warm chest under her palms. Adding a last strike, hitting that hard muscle, she turned and marched for the door.
Katherine stood outside, balancing a tea tray on one hand. “Is everything well, Your Grace?”
Anna kept the door partially closed so that her dear friend and lady’s maid would not have to spoil her eyes with the sight of a half-naked duke. Nor did she want to worry Katherine when she was handling the situation. Mostly.
“I was just dozing in the chair,” Anna replied, annoyed that Jeremy’s presence was making her lie to someone she cared for. “Let me take that, and you go on to bed. You must be exhausted.”
Frowning, Katherine handed the tea tray through the relatively small gap in the door. “I thought I heard voices.”
“I was just talking to myself,” Anna replied. “Mulling over the day’s events to gain some perspective. You know I find it easier to ponder things if I speak them aloud.”
Katherine chuckled. “Yes, I suppose I do.” She paused. “Do you want to talk about it? I don’t mind sitting with you for a while. This situation… well, it’s a worry to us all, not knowing what might happen.”
“There is no need for concern,” Anna assured, meaning it. “I am certain that all of this is temporary, just a resting spot for the Duke before he moves on to the other estate by the sea.”
“But that estate hasn’t been kept for years,” Katherine said, as Anna fought to school her face into an expression of calm. She hadnotwanted Jeremy to find out about that particular issue.
“The townhouse, then,” Anna said.
Katherine frowned. “That is likely in disrepair, too.”
“Well, since my former husband’s considerable fortune has fallen neatly into the brute’s hands, I am sure he canbuyanother pleasant estate for himself if he wishes,” Anna said with a strained smile. “He could probably buy two.”
The sweet lady’s maid seemed to relax. “Yes, I daresay he could. If it were me, I’d probably start afresh.” She paused, her brow crinkling for a moment. “This house has too many ghosts in it.”
“I shall be sure to tell him of that,” Anna said, aware of the Duke’s eyes on her.
She could not sense where he was in the room, but she could feel the heat of his focus on the back of her neck, right where his hand had touched her. As if that brief, risky contact had created some kind of connection between them.
“Now, truly, you go on to bed. It is so very late, and I shall not forgive myself if you stay awake any longer,” Anna urged. “We can speak at length tomorrow.”
Katherine mustered a brave smile. “Good night then, Your Grace.”
“Good night, Katherine,” Anna replied fondly.
With a shy dip of her head, the lady’s maid turned and walked off down the hallway toward her private room. Preferring to have her friend nearby, Anna insisted that Katherine take one of the guest chambers for herself a few weeks after Robert died, though she could only imagine what Jeremy would have to say aboutthat.
As Katherine disappeared, Anna suddenly became aware of that intense presence behind her, stealing the air from the room once more.
“Ye know I am not going anywhere,” Jeremy said in a low voice.
Anna turned and smiled her sweetest smile. “We shall see about that.”
Leaving the door open for him, she breezed past his imposing figure and headed for her bed, climbing beneath the rumpled covers. The pillow smelled of him, as did the coverlets, infused with that fresh, rainstorm-scented perfume of the world: earth, iron, woodsmoke, and cut grass.
“Find yourself a suitable room and sleep in it,” she remarked from the comfort of her now empty bed. “If you so much as think of lying beside me, I shall scream so loud that it will wake the entire household.”
