CHAPTER 10
QUIET LOVERS IN THE NIGHT
Ahalf-hour later
Making his way down the servants’ stairs as quietly as he could, Tom emerged into the first floor corridor, the candle lamp he held turned down so it only provided enough light to see a few steps in front of him.
The Aubusson carpet covering the wooden floor helped to drown his footfalls as he made his way past the door to the first apartment. On the other side of the next door, a lit sconce marked the entrance to the library, and he soon realized there was light coming from inside the room as well as from the sconce.
The library door was open.
Which meant someone was in the library.
He held his breath as he sneaked past and ducked into the drawing room across the hall. When he was sure he hadn’t been noticed, he moved to the next door—the apartment Anne mentioned—and pushed down on the door handle until he heard the faintsnickof the latch releasing.
Pushing on the door, Tom kept his hand on the edge of the carved wood panel until he was all the way into theapartment. He was careful to hold down the door handle until he was sure the panel was back in place before allowing it to latch.
With the help of his candle lamp, Tom could make his way through what appeared to be a salon. Without tripping over the furnishings, he made it to the only other door to discover it was open. Beyond it, another lit candle lamp was sitting on a nightstand.
No one was in the bedchamber, though, and given a fire hadn’t been set in the fireplace, it was chilly.
Relieved to find several pieces of wood in a cradle next to the hearth—he knew he shouldn’t be surprised since it was Anne who saw to the apartment—he went about starting a fire. The fledgling flame had barely caught the kindling when he realized he wasn’t alone.
“Thank you for doing that,” Anne whispered, turning to close the bedchamber door.
“Are you already finished with the countess?” Tom asked, surprised to see her so soon.
“I am. She only had me undo her hair and help with her gown,” she explained, sounding confused.
“Probably because she knew you had other plans,” Tom said, arching a brow.
She grinned. “I hadn’t thought of that,” she admitted.
“Did any of the other servants see you?”
“I didn’t bother going upstairs. They all knew I would be with her ladyship this evening, but still, I made sure to come here by way of the main stairs.”
Tom took her hand in his. “I think his lordship is in the library.”
“He is,” she agreed. “Graves set a fire for him right after dinner.”
Glancing around the bedchamber, Tom noticed she had already turned down the bed. “I haven’t been in a bed this sizesince...” He allowed the sentence to trail off lest he mention his late wife.
“Never for me,” she said, moving to sit on the edge of it. She gave it an experimental bounce. “The ropes are tight,” she murmured.
He joined her there, wrapping an arm around the back of her shoulders to pull her to him. “When I left you last year—after you kissed me so sweetly whilst I stood next to the coach—I was thinking about you all the way to London. Then you wrote to me so often?—”
“And you wrote back,” she whispered.
“—I promised myself I wasn’t going to ever leave you again. That is, if you still felt the same way now as you did then.”
“I do,” she whispered.
He chuckled softly. “I wasn’t sure until you found me on the stairs earlier.”
She dipped her head as a blush appeared. “You probably thought me fast.”
“The thought didn’t cross my mind,” he countered. “It only convinced me of the words in your letters.” He turned to face her. “I meant what I said about not leaving you,” he warned. “When I take her ladyship back to London after Twelfth Night, you’re coming with us.”
