“I think you quite enjoyed losing some of that control,” he whispered, making her shiver again. “I know I certainly did.”
Deborah opened her mouth, willing her mind to work, to tell him no, but she found she could not even breathe.
“Have a pleasant evening, Miss Hunt,” Cedric called over his shoulder as he headed toward the door, “And please, let me know if you need assistance with anything else. I think I might quite enjoy being your helping hand.”
Deborah continued to gape at him, even after he was gone. Then, as the maid entered once more, it was as if her lungs remembered how to breathe, and she pulled in a deep breath.
“Are you alright, Your Grace?” The maid asked as Deborah pulled in several more deep breaths.
With Cedric gone, her mind finally began to work again, and she quickly agreed.
“Just fine,” she replied, then pointed to the dead insect on the floor. “A fly of sorts became caught in my dress is all.”
The maid tsked her as she looked down at the dead thing and kicked it.
“Nasty creatures,” she sighed, chasing after it with a kerchief. “Wish we could be rid of them altogether.”
“Indeed,” Deborah murmured, but as the maid helped her get ready for bed, she was not sure if she had meant the insects or men.
CHAPTER NINE
“Oh, do please come in,” Cedric invited, a confident smile on his face.
His eyes found the clock on his mantle, and he chortled. He’d only left Deborah two hours ago, and already she was coming to him with a change of heart. He had expected a little more fight from her, but her willingness to come find him did nothing to dampen his desire for her.
He lounged back in his settee as the door opened, spreading his thighs wide as his hands came to rest along its back. Then his smile slipped- if only a little- as he saw that it was not Deborah who had come to his chambers.
“Oh.” He said, silently telling himself that it was not disappointment he was feeling, but surprise.
“Good evening, Your Grace,” Mrs. House, his housekeeper, greeted politely as she curtsied.
“Good evening, Mrs. House,” he replied politely, then got up. He went to the small table and two chairs by his fireplace and pulled one of them out for her.
“Have you come to discuss Adeline?” He asked.
Mrs. House nodded.
“Sit, please,” he encouraged.
The mother hen, his housekeeper, gave him a curious look as she slowly walked toward him.
“You were expecting someone else,” she mused, “Your new bride, perhaps? Congratulations, by the way.”
“Miss Adeline has told her dolls that she is quite beautiful,” she added as she took her seat.
“Miss Adeline is correct,” Cedric agreed pleasantly, going to the chair opposite her, “However, we are not here to discuss my new wife, are we?”
Mrs. House’s smirk widened, as if she knew he was avoiding the subject.
“No, Your Grace,” she agreed, then bowed her head respectfully.
“Tell me, Mrs. House,” Cedric bid, folding his hands together, “How is Adeline?”
Several members of his staff took turns watching over his niece, albeit without her knowledge. Her ill temper kept them at arm's length, but Cedric had devised a way to keep an eye on her at all times. It felt wrong, at times, not offering the girl the privacy she so obviously craved, but it was necessary.
“This afternoon and evening she was quite tired,” Mrs. House answered, getting right down to it.
“Should I be worried?” Cedric asked quickly.