When she reached him, he bowed low and reached for her hand, ungloved in the privacy of her home. He kissed it, lingering. “Mistress.”
Ignoring the pulse of heat low in her belly, she tugged on her hand. “Did you run here?”
His breath sniffed in before he released it and straightened. He was blushing, and his free hand held what appeared to be a book.
She peered at it as she sat, choosing her preferred rosewood armchair. He chose the settee, and she tried to ignore him tucking the item half under his leg.
“I, ah, might have hurried. I brought you something.”
Ack. How did he manage to be sweet, sinfully beautiful,andpossibly submissive? She slid her gaze to the sofa beside him, but she stayed silent, attempting not to appear too eager. Internally, she berated herself. She should not covet his gifts, even if they were books. ’Twould only encourage him.
He slid his hand into his jacket and produced a piece of paper, passing it to her.
Opening it, she read the line at the top noting its source, then the poem. She pressed her lips together at the last few lines in an effort not to grin, feeling his eyes on her. How on earth he kept finding new tokens perfectly suited to her, she had no idea. Once again, his choice was spot on.
“Thank you, William. I confess, I am not familiar with Catullus. This is lovely.”
He grinned. “There is a whole book of his poems. They were passed around at university, as they are too racy to be taught in our classes.”
“Yes, I can see why the administration might have decided that.”
“Sadly, I’ve only seen copies in Latin. Which led me to think…” His hand dropped to the tome and drew it out an inch at a time.
She followed his hand’s path without blinking.
He held it out, face up. A Latin primer.
She gasped. This was better than any poetry, any science that led to better investing. This was a door to a whole universe she wasn’t privy to.
“I dug this out of a crate from secondary school.”
She glanced up at him, then back to stare at the book he held, still silent. Her lust for knowledge—which would be far more available by learning Latin—might equal her lust for this magnificent specimen of a male in his prime. She flicked her gaze up again.No, probably not, but it is a…close?…second.
“Ahem.” He cleared his throat, then swallowed, glancing from her to the book then back. “I thought you might like it, and I could help you with it as you wish whilst I am here…?”
She wanted to snatch the book to her, to ensure he could not change his mind. But as the mature adult here—her imagined snort sounded a lot like Belle again—she would mind her manners.
“What a thoughtful gift, William.”
Drat!Her voice caught. Indeed, it was the most thoughtful gift she could have imagined, and she suspected no other man, of any age, would have thought of it. She pressed her lips together, biting her tongue to try to avoid crying. She daren’t weep in front of him a second time or he’d never kiss her again. Wait, she should not want that. Heavens, her emotions and thoughts were in turmoil with this lovely but oh-so-young man.
Her eyes slid shut to hide from him, but one tear escaped, rolling down her face. Embarrassed, she whirled away and sniffed.
William set the book down on the table in front of them and leaned in to offer his handkerchief, questioning, “Mistress? Did I upset you? I beg your pardon. I will take it away, ’twas clearly a mistake.”
“No!” She turned back and slapped her hand down on the book, her voice and arm like whips.
His back jolted straight, although he continued to hold the linen out. “Oh. Of course not, ’tis yours to do with as you wish. Er…if not the book, then may I ask what made you cry?”
She drew the book into her lap greedily before accepting the handkerchief to dab at her face. “I was not crying. I simply got something in my eye.”
“Oh. Right, then. I am glad. Uh, not that you got something in your eye, but that I didn’t upset you…” He blushed.
It was just what she needed. She giggled a bit at his clear discomfiture, and, when he gaped at her abrupt turnabout in emotions, giggled again.
“Does that mean you do like the book? I can help you with it. It was ever so hard at first. There are many interpretations for each word.” Gone was the reserved knight of the evening before. The eager puppy was back.
Yum.
