Page 59 of The Viscount in her Bedroom
She trailed off, and he heard the anguish in her voice.
“Forgive me, Louisa,” he said softly. “I never meant to let this go so far. You’ve been following me, and it’s made me think of you, and that kiss in my room—”
“Oh, I know it’s my fault. I have…led you on, as women have always been warned not to do.”
“No!” He rubbed his hands down his cheeks. “It’s not your fault. I was trying to say that it’s mine. I should have known better. In my experience—”
“And you have had so much more than I,” she said tiredly. “When you hold me, I don’t even know what to do with my hands, and yet you touch me so…” He heard her sigh. “I have to go. Will you be able to find your way—”
“Yes, yes, don’t worry about me. Have you forgiven me?”
“How can I not, when I was so complicit?”
He felt the swirl of sweet-smelling air as she passed by, heard the door open, and then she was gone.
Was she right? Was he attempting to seduce her because he thought she was easily available to him? That couldn’t be true—most women didn’t inspire him to uncontrollable passion.
But did he succumb because he thought she was more experienced than she was? Every rumor had said she’d been kissed, and the common consensus was that she was ready to take intimacy further. But nothing said she had—not until he had tried to seduce her. Her innocent reactions made him know for certain that no one had ever taken such liberties before.
Or she’d never let anyone.
Then why him? Did it still go back to her needing to find a husband? God, he wished he could find some way to ask her the truth.
He found his coat in a heap near the door and folded it over his arm. How did he look? He smoothed his hands through his hair. He had to fool anyone he ran into—especially his grandmother. He would not allow Louisa to be hurt by new rumors.
~oOo~
Louisa came down to dinner and treated Simon civilly, pleasantly. But he felt the wall she’d put up between them as if it were a physical thing. The next day she avoided him, and he found himself missing her company, missing the way she put him at ease. She and Georgie went riding in the afternoon, and Georgie hesitantly asked his permission. As if people couldn’t ride horses around him anymore!
He was in a frustrated, ugly temper.
That night, he found himself on the balcony, standing at the balustrade, feeling the cool wind in his face. The sounds of the night were haunting, soothing, but his restlessness wouldn’t go away.
And then he remembered that the balcony ran the width of the rear of the manor. Louisa’s room was at the far end. He went back to the manor until his hand could touch it, and then he started walking. When he reached the end of the building, he turned back one door. Her room.
He leaned his head against the glass pane, not knowing if she were awake or asleep. He just knew that he couldn’t leave things as they were yesterday. Though tempted to knock, he didn’t want to disturb her if she’d already fallen asleep.
Testing the handle, he discovered it unlocked, so he slipped inside. The room was warmer than the night, and smelled powerfully of Louisa. He kept his back against the glass door and waited. If she didn’t notice him, he would leave, assuming she slept.
“I think there’s a viscount in my bedroom.”
At the reluctant humor in her voice, he smiled with relief.
“Could he be here for nefarious purposes?” she asked. “Because I could have bashed him on the head with a heavy candlestick.”
“No, no evil purposes. I just…didn’t like the way we parted yesterday.”
“You’ve seen me—been with me several times since then.”
He wondered if she was sitting up in bed. When his mind began to imagine what she was wearing, he forcefully thrust that image aside.
“I may havebeen withyou,” he said, “but you were only…pleasant.”
“I’m always pleasant.”
“Too pleasant. You usually tease me about something.”
At that, she remained silent for a minute. He let her take her time.
