She closed her eyes, remembering. How he’d made her feel. He’d gazed down at her after their breathing slowed, and lightly stroked her flushed breast, toying with a nipple, sending another flurry of sensations through her and drawing a mew of pleasure. “Did I hurt you?”
“No.”
He lifted the damp strands of her hair away from her cheek. “No?”
“A little,” she confessed. But it had vanished all too quickly in love’s heady dance.
“Have you ever been in love?” she’d asked him. Thirsting to know all about him while she had a chance.
He’d kissed her lips to silence her. “The past doesn’t matter. Only the future. You are my first and my only love.”
Enough!Olivia closed her eyes as a tear escaped. “Goodbye, my love,” she whispered into the quiet room.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dominic glanced atthe mail spread across his desk. Joseph Grant, the new secretary, would arrive today. He gave up his attempt to create order and pushed himself away from his desk. The urge to go to Olivia made it difficult to concentrate on anything else. But he considered it wise to leave her alone for a day or so. Not to rush her. While he thought of the right way to approach her. Not go off half-cocked as he was wont to do, but remain calm. But the way to appeal to her so far eluded him. Declaring his love wouldn’t work. Olivia knew how he felt.
Did the prospect of becoming a countess frighten her? Any woman not brought up for such a position in society would be understandably nervous. But they would not intimidate someone as determined as Olivia for long. Not once the hue and cry settled down. What concerned her most was how it would affect him. He groaned. Didn’t she know he no longer gave a tinker’s damn what society thought? His staunch friends would stick by him. And they would come to love her. He folded his arms, a little easier in his mind. This would form the substance of his argument.
Through the library window, Dominic spied a man walking up the path. Grant had arrived. Casting a relieved glance at the demanding correspondence awaiting his new secretary, Dominic rose to welcome him.
In the library, Grant hurried to shake his hand. “My lord. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“You walked from the village?” Dominic motioned to a chair.
“Yes, I came by the stage.”
“Coffee? We have much to discuss. Or would you prefer to settle in first?”
A slender man with a pale, scholarly face, Grant keenly eyed the library. “Coffee, thank you. I am eager to begin.”
“Excellent.” Dominic went to pull the bell.
When he finally escaped from the library, leaving Grant to settle in, he rode out along the river to see the Johnsons’ new barn. Mist rose off the water to drift through the trees, and the birds chirped around him. The beauty of this land tugged at his heart, but his spirits failed to rise. Where was she? Tomorrow, he would leave Grant to deal with a few matters while he searched for Olivia. He wouldn’t face another sunset without knowing where she was and if she was safe and well.
An hour later, he returned from the Johnsons’ to find Grant wading through correspondence with commendable speed.
Williams joined Dominic for luncheon in the dining room. They sat together at one end of the polished cedar table, long enough to seat over three dozen people.
“Are you pleased with Grant?”
“I am. A sober man, but personable. We’ll get on.”
“Excellent.” Williams eyed him. “I hear I’ve missed quite a lot while I was in London.”
Dominic carved off a slice from the joint of cold beef. “Yes, you have. I shall tell you all about it after we’ve eaten. Otherwise, it will spoil your appetite.”
*
Olivia woke, hertemples throbbing. She attempted to sit up to leave her bed but fell back woozily. Laying her head gratefully on the pillow, she closed her eyes.
A cool hand lay on her forehead. “Olivia.”
She opened her eyes. “Helen, I’m sorry. I must have drifted off.”
“You aren’t well. You’ve been asleep for most of the day. I’ve been worried. I called Dr. Manners.”
Olivia gasped. “Oh, no, Helen. What a dreadful nuisance I am.”
