A blossom of hope bloomed inside her. “She was standing roughly two yards behind you, her hand outstretched while clasping the letter.”
“What does she want?”
“I have no idea yet, but it stands to reason that she either wants to frighten me away or seek my help.”
Swallowing, he allowed his gaze to roam the room. “Is she here now?”
“I don’t believe so.”
He clenched his jaw and nodded. For the briefest moment his hand squeezed hers, then released it. He pinched the bridge of his nose then looked at her – really looked at her until she felt her cheeks flame. Dressed in only her nightgown and reminded of all it revealed, her inhibitions returned in full force.
“You ought to get back into bed,my lady.”
Angelica scrambled back to the safety of her blankets and hastily flung them over herself.My lady.The way he’d said it… Her heart raced in response to what it implied. Once she was comfortably settled, he returned to the chair by her side and sat.
“I hope you can forgive my initial reaction to what you have told me. Instinct commanded me to treat it as a deception.” He bowed his head, allowing his black locks to fall forward over his brow. “Thank you for making me listen – for standing up to me and what you believe in. You’re brave, Angelica. Most women in your position would have run screaming from this house by now.”
“Don’t think I didn’t consider it,” she muttered with a wry twist of her lips.
He started to smile, but seemed to remember something that stopped it from fully forming. “Then why have you stayed?”
Angelica glanced across at the flowers. “Because I’m starting to think this might be where I belong.”
His eyes darkened in contrast to the gentle caress of his fingers as they tugged a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “God, I want to kiss you right now.”
Her lips parted with surprise. “Moments ago you wanted to toss me out.”
“Can you honestly blame me?”
She thought about that. Seriously. Her lips quirked. “No. I don’t suppose I can.”
Warmth, the kind that brought to mind cozy evenings spent in front of an open fire, emanated from his eyes. “Loath as I am to leave your side, I should probably go. Mrs. Essex has—”
“Randolph.” Angelica clutched his hand. “I know she is one of your most trusted servants, but I don’t feel comfortable in her presence. She unnerves me.”
“If it is her beauty you’re concerned with—” a quelling look silenced her protest “—you may rest assured that it has never had any effect on me. It would, however, be dishonest of me to deny an awareness of it.”
“As comforting as that is for me to hear, it is not her appearance that concerns me but rather an unpleasant feeling I get whenever I’m near her.”
“And you are certain it isn’t because you fear she might tempt me, because I promise you, Angelica, you have nothing to fear on that score. Mrs. Essex is a servant, a young and attractive one, I’ll grant you, but a servant nonetheless, and I am not the sort of man who would ever cross the line that exists between us. Even if I were interested, which I am not.”
In her heart, she knew this to be true and yet the woman still intimidated her. Could she possibly doubt her judgment, and him, on account of her own insecurities? Maybe. She certainly didn’t relish the idea of having a housekeeper who would forever outshine her. People would wonder, would they not, about her reason for keeping Mrs. Essex in her employ? They would ask, as she had done, if she was Randolph’s mistress.
“If I stay and we marry, would you consider letting me hire a new housekeeper?”
“And sack Mrs. Essex?” Incredulity colored his words.
“I realize I’m probably being silly, but she and I would have to interact a great deal on a daily basis, and I simply cannot see myself doing so with a woman I do not like.”
“Angelica, she is a widow with no other means of support. If I were to let her go, do you honestly think she would find employment elsewhere when this is the only job she has ever had?”
It was a rhetorical question of course, because any reasonable person would know that no other household would hire a housekeeper with Mrs. Essex’s looks. Her presence would forever pose a threat to the lady of the house, effectively deeming her unemployable.
“Please trust my judgment when I tell you that she is a fine housekeeper,” Randolph continued. He raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her skin. “And you have nothing to fear from her in the least. My devotion is to you.”
His declaration melted Angelica’s bones until she felt like a gooey mess. “Very well,” she agreed when she was able to find her voice.
A smile spread across his face. “Get up and get dressed. I have a surprise waiting for you downstairs.” He stood, crossed to the connecting door, and gave it a rap. Rose entered with enough of a delay to assure Angelica that her mother had not been listening in on their conversation. “Tonight we shall dance,” he told Angelica, “and then there will be no doubt as to whom I have chosen.”
