Brendan came in, followed by Charles carrying a tray with covered dishes, a bottle of wine, and two glasses. He placed it on the table, bowed, and left.
Penny had dropped into a deep curtsy. Brendan looked amused. “Thank you, Penny. That will be all this evening.”
The maid put the gown she held on a chair and scurried out.
Laura drew in a nervous breath. “Are you so sure I shan’t have need of her?”
“I can undress you quite as well as Penny.” He walked over to her. “Better, in fact.”
The flutter in her stomach made her put down the brush with an unsteady hand.
He rested his hands on her shoulders, smiling at her visage in the mirror. “You intend to keep Penny as your lady’s maid?”
“Yes.” Laura turned to look up at him. Did he want someone more experienced for her than Penny? She would hate an overbearing French maid. And once she’d discovered the little maid had learned to read and write at the Parish school, she hadn’t hesitated to engage her. “I will train Penny to be quite competent. You’ll see.”
“I don’t care about the state of your clothes, Laura. It’s you who matters to me,” he said. “Must I wait until you have changed your gown before I remove it again?”
With a shiver of anticipation, she pushed back her chair and rose to face him. He had recently shaved and smelled of a musky soap. She curled her fingers, wanting to trail them over his smooth cheek. How tall he was. How splendid his red-and-blue silk banyan. Was he naked beneath it? With annoyance, she felt the flush rise up her throat and warm her cheeks. A smile brightened his eyes. No wonder he could read her like a book!
“I thought we might have a small supper here, unless you wish to go down for dinner.”
She moved closer to him, breathing him in. “No. That is a lovely idea.”
He enveloped her in his arms and rested his smooth cheek against hers. “You never lost faith in me, Laura,” he murmured. “That mattered more than I can say.”
“Once I saw the man I fell in love with emerge from the elusive demeanor he used to keep people at bay,” she said, moving back to look up into his face, “I could want no one else.”
“I couldn’t tell you. To see fear and horror when I looked into your eyes would undo me.”
She gave in to the impulse to stroke a finger over his jaw. “But when I learned of your secret, I felt the opposite, darling.”
He frowned. “Nor did I want your sympathy.”
“You had my sympathy, but love too, and a need to be with you. To face whatever might come, at your side.”
He kissed beneath her ear. “Sweetheart.”
Her heart thudded. She wanted him so much, she lost her breath. “Take me to bed, Brendan.”
“I am more than happy to oblige, Lady Debnam.” Brendan’s fingers worked to remove the buttons down the back of her gown. “Why all these infernally small buttons?”
She laughed breathlessly. “The buttons are an indulgence. For years, I required my gowns specially designed to be easily managed because I had no maid to assist me.”
“You havemenow.” He eased the gown off one shoulder and stooped to kiss the rise of her breast. Then he removed the gown. “But I would appreciate you keeping up the practice. No more of these tiny, pesky buttons.”
“I shall keep it in mind, sir.” With a sigh, she placed an arm around his neck, and with an open-mouth kiss, her tongue danced with his. “Your wishes will always be obeyed.”
Brendan drew away with a moan. “You lull me into a false sense of security, madam.”
“Should the wishes be reasonable,” she added mischievously.
“Aha!”
Her fingers pushed into his thick, silky hair, and she kissed him again. She could feel his arousal through the silk banyan, and she yearned to see him naked.
Breathlessly tearing his lips from hers, he buried his face in the warmth of her neck. “Laura!” He laughed softly. “We best go to bed. I don’t intend our first time to happen on the dressing table.”
With a surge of pleasure at her power to arouse him, she untied her petticoat. Dropping it to the floor, she stepped out of the pool of fabric and turned her back to him.
