Page 33 of Elixir of a Duchess' Passion
Only then, as he started to tug them, did her body stiffen. All too late, he learned his error. She lashed out, gripping his hands in hers before he could make another move to continue. And though she pulled her lips from his, she did not remove her face entirely.
Barely daring to squint open his eyes, he saw hers still closed, an almost pained expression on her face. Something told him it was taking all she had in her not to continue.
“My Lord,” she whispered, and this time it was his turn to feel pained. He already knew well where this was going. And although he did not blame her, he could not say he liked it. “I believe I should be going.”
For just a second, Elijah wanted to jest that he had believed she was going to come up with some way to cure him with her body, but only the shred of rational thought that he had left stopped him. He bit the inside of his lip and instead said, “I think that would be best.”
Then, she fluttered open her eyes, looking at him as though she was stunned by his response. Maybe she truly was pained by his reaction.
When she stepped back, straightening up with her hands clasped before her, an almost professional air fell about her.
“I did not have a chance to look in the library as I had meant to earlier,” she admitted, stopping to clear her throat before she added, “would you mind if I did so on my way out?”
Elijah cringed at that, not because he did not like the idea of her using his library but because he hated the thought of her leaving afterwards. A part of him wanted to make her stay, even if it was only in one of the guest rooms.
“It is getting late,” he said with a sigh, “you ought not have still been here when Doctor Wallis left.”
He did not miss the way her bottom lip quivered slightly. Almost as though she did not like the thought of his dismissing her.
And though he knew he ought to have, he couldn’t help saying, “Perhaps you ought to take your time in the library, and I shall have a guest room made up?”
At that, Lady Belmont’s sparkling eyes grew wide, and she looked more beautiful than ever. Her usually guarded and professional manner became innocent, and she looked far more girlish than before, perhaps even blushing a little.
“I am a grown woman, My Lord,” she explained, shaking her head. The cool, calm, and collected nature returned to her quickly, though she did offer him a pleasant smile. “I thank you for the invitation, but I shall check the library and be on my way before Flit comes looking for me.”
Elijah had never been so jealous of a dog before. In fact, it was absurd to contemplate, yet here he was wondering what it would be like to be at home awaiting this beautiful creature’s return.
“I could not deprive him of your company.” Elijah sighed, shaking his head. The tension in the room that filled the air between them was so thick that Elijah thought if he reached out, he might actually be able to touch it, that it might actually shield her from his grasp, so much so that he did not dare to reach out at all. “I thank you again for your aid today, Lady Belmont.”
Feeling his cheeks grow hot, he bowed slightly, lowering his head and gaze to the floor. It still felt odd to think this small slip of a woman had managed to help him all the way back to his home from the fields where he had fallen from his horse. And yet, here she stood still, proudly accepting his gratitude.
“I would have done the same for anyone,” she assured him.
His stomach cramped at that, and for once, he was certain it wasn’t entirely due to his illness. The thought that he had not received any special treatment from her should not have affected him in such a way, yet it made him feel quite sick indeed.
Had it not been for the glint of denial in her eye, Elijah might have entirely believed her. He had to bite back the urge to tell her that.
“Good evening, Lady Belmont,” he said carefully, bowing once more.
“Lord Spurnrose,” Lady Belmont responded, curtseying low. Swiftly, she turned towards the door, and Elijah silently watched her go, wishing he could call her back to him, knowing they might both regret it if he did.
Chapter 18
Melissa needed to focus. She couldn’t allow herself to be overly distracted by what had just occurred in Lord Spurnrose’s chambers.
I should never have come back here,she thought, still unsure as to why she had hung about waiting for Doctor Wallis to leave. Lord Spurnrose was a grown man and more than capable of making his own decisions when it came to his health and treatment. Yet the thought of leaving him in the hands of a man who would likely try to fill him with addictive drugs or even cover him in leeches until he was so sick that he could barely move made Melissa almost frantic with panic.
She had half expected to find him even more in need of her help when she returned to his room, sneaking back into the house to avoid being confronted by his cousin all over again. A part of her had wondered whether the lord might accuse her of trespassing. Maybe he might even demand that she leave for the simple fact she was sticking her nose in where it was not wanted. It was not at all something she would usually do, preferring to live her quiet life until someone came knocking for her help. All she had ever wanted was to live her quiet life while helping those who sought her out. But with Lord Spurnrose, things were different.
The desire to help him was so profound that she could not ignore it. Nor could she ignore the feeling in her stomach as she headed for the library, thinking of how close she had come to succumbing to desire in the lord’s bed chambers. Had she allowed herself to, she may well have gone far further than allowing him to kiss her. Her lips still tingled now, and her hands worked absentmindedly to re-tie the lacings of the front of her gown.
She shivered, feeling slightly feverish with lust as she imagined how it might have felt for his fingers to touch the skin beneath her gown. She could practically feel his warm palms cupping her bare breasts as he kissed her deeply.
Stop it, Melissa!she scolded herself, making it into the library and clicking the door closed behind her. The last thing she needed right now was for Mr. Spurnrose to find her for a second time. He would not care for her intention to help his cousin any more than he had cared for her being in the house earlier that day.
She tried her hardest not to think of him or his cousin as she grabbed a candle from the desk and began to use it to search through the books on the shelves.
Having picked a few from their places, Melissa needed to free up her hands to look further. Lord Spurnrose’s library was even more resource-filled than she had anticipated, though from the layers of dust, she guessed that many of the books had been there long before he had taken up residence. For the life of her, she couldn’t imagine why anyone would have left such a treasure trove behind, but her heart clenched when she imagined the previous owner and how the old nobleman had died without an heir to inherit, leaving the entire estate to be sold on. Though she had not known him well, her father had, and they had been very good friends. It pained Melissa now to think they were both gone.
