Page 28 of Captivating the Earl (Lords and Ladies in Love 5)

She shook her head.

He chuckled. “Very well then, I will be downstairs.” He glanced at her bosom. “Since your gown buttons in the front, I assume you don’t need help getting out of your clothes?”

“No. A governess is not assigned a lady’s maid.” She grinned, feeling relaxed for the first time since she’d left the Wycliff estate early that morning.

“Ah, yes.” Hawk kissed her on the top of her head and left the room.

Lizzie eyed the lovely bath and quickly removed her clothes. A nice long soak would do wonders for her temperament.

Chapter Twelve

Hawk checked his timepiece and swallowed the last of the barely passable warm ale. Lizzie should have finished her bath, and the dinner for the two of them would arrive shortly. The entire hour he’d sat in the common room, he’d been plagued with visions of Lizzie in her bath.

Lizzie with slick, naked skin.

Lizzie with water dripping from her nipples. Were they deep rose, pale pink, or dark brown?

Lizzie leaning back, her breasts thrust forward as she dipped her silky hair into the water.

Bloody hell, if he kept this up he would be unable to walk from the room with any sense of dignity.

Now that he knew her real identity, and she’d gone from his cousin’s employee to a young, unmarried lady of the peerage, all the naughty thoughts he’d had about her no longer needed to be suppressed. On the other hand, because she was an unmarried innocent lady of the peerage, he still needed to keep his hands off.

After tapping lightly, he opened the door to their room. The tub sat in the center of the space. Her satchel lay open, with clothing spilled from it, but his eyes were immediately drawn to Lizzie standing in the middle of the room. A fine pale rose embroidered silk wrapper covered a matching nightgown. Her still-damp hair had been worked into a plait that hung down her back. Small toes stuck out from under the hem of her gown.

Bloody hell, but what that little bit of naked skin did to him.

She glanced down to her feet and quickly bent to tug on slippers.

It didn’t help. His cock stood at attention, ready to charge forward.

“Dinner should be here any minute.” He managed to get the words out despite his dry mouth and raging erection. “Won’t you sit, and I’ll check on it.” He had to get out of that room before he did something stupid.

Before he could escape, there was a knock on the door. Grateful for the distraction, he breathed a sigh of relief as one of the strapping lads carried in a large tray. “Just set it down there.” Hawk pointed to the small table in the sitting

room. As far away from the bed as he could get.

Once the youth left, Hawk waved at the table, and Lizzie took a seat. They shared the savory mutton stew, warm bread, and apple cake in silence. Lizzie fidgeted throughout the meal, and he wasn’t sure of the cause. Was it them alone together in a bedchamber, or what she faced with the summons from the Home Office?

“My lord, have you responded to the Home Office’s request for my presence?”

He smiled inwardly. Them alone with her dressed in a nightgown, and a bed nearby, was not her top concern after all.

“I have not. I was still considering what to do when I realized you had left Wycliff.” He wiped his mouth and tossed the napkin on the table. “I want to get you to Hawkins Manor where I can do a much better job of protecting you, and then I will write to the Home Office and think of a reason why I can’t bring you in right away.”

Her stiffened countenance relaxed at his words. “You mentioned there might be a connection between the severed saddle girth and the Home Office?”

“Yes.” He wondered how much to tell her. He needed to impress upon her that she was in danger but didn’t want to reveal too much of his concerns about the Home Office. He was under orders from the Secretary and needed to handle the situation with aplomb, lest he compromise their investigation. “What connection I cannot say right now because I am still trying to figure it out.”

Lizzie nodded slowly, and Hawk realized how very tired she must be. “I think it would be best if you had a good night’s sleep. It has been a long and stressful day, and we have many miles between us and Hawkins Manor.”

She covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. “Yes, I believe so.” She moved to stand and stopped midway, her eyes wide. “Where will you sleep?”

He gestured toward the bed in the next room. “You will sleep on the bed, and I will sleep right here.” He patted the sofa.

Lizzie eyed it dubiously. “That is hardly large enough for you. It will be quite uncomfortable.”

Hawk raised his eyebrows. “Are you inviting me to share your bed, my lady?”