Robert picked up a wooden spatula and handed it to Victoria. He then motioned for her to stand at the stove and take hold of the pan’s handle. “Now the trick is to flip part of the egg mix over, so that it seals properly.”
She screwed up her face. “I haven’t the foggiest idea what that means.” Her skill set revolved around eating food, rather than preparing it.
He shifted behind her once more and laying his hand over hers, helped to guide the spatula under the edge of the omelet and fold it over at the middle.
“Oh, I see what you mean. That’s very clever.”
Victoria was still mentally flipping the edge of the egg mix over in her mind as Robert removed the pan from the heat, thencarried it over to the table and set it on a wooden board. “The board helps to protect the table,” he noted. He really did know his way around a kitchen.
“What else can I do?” she asked, feeling less than useful.
He nodded in the direction of a nearby shelf. “If you would like to collect some plates and a couple of forks for us, we can eat while our creation is still hot.”
She really liked the way he said our creation, as if she had actually played a part in making the omelet. He was being kind. A wave of regret washed over Victoria. She’d been foolish and petulant in writing all those letters to the newspaper and then arguing with him at the dinner party.
I have no right to be telling this man anything about food. My experience is nothing compared to his. I am just a fraud.
Forcing her thoughts of self-rebuke away, she gathered the plates and forks and set them on the table, watching with barely restrained excitement as Robert dished up the food. Her hands were shaking at he passed her a plate, and in a warm voice which sent shivers down her spine, he said, “Take a seat and I shall join you in a moment.”
He served up the other part of the omelet, then after picking up the pan, he disappeared through a doorway on the other side of the fireplace. When he returned a few seconds later, he gave her an easy smile. “Since your Mama has never let you into the kitchen at Mowbray House, I doubt you have ever seen a scullery either. That’s the room next door where I wash and store the dishes and pots.”
She had to ask.
“Why don’t you have any servants to prepare your food? I mean you are a duke. I would have expected a house full of people, yet you appear to live alone.”
He pointed his fork at her plate. “Eat your omelet while it’s still warm.”
Victoria forced her disappointment down at his misdirection and took her first bite of the food. It was hot and tasty. For something which had only a few ingredients in it, the eggs and chives made for a delicious late-night snack.
They ate in silence for a time, Victoria keeping her gaze on her plate. All the while she chided herself for not holding back her inquisitive mind.
Foolish girl, you crossed a line asking him such a personal question.
When her omelet was all gone, she rested her hands in her lap and waited for Robert to speak. A moment later, he picked up her plate and rose from the table. She watched him head into the scullery once more, before he quickly returned.
Their eyes met, and to her relief, there was only a gentle warmth on his face. He didn’t seem angry.
Thank heavens.
She really didn’t want him to tie her up again.
Robert moved from the other side of the table and came to where Victoria sat. He bent his knees, resting on his haunches before her. He took a hold of her hand. “Thank you for the omelet, Victoria, it was the best I’ve ever had.”
Her cheeks burned. He was being nice. He brushed his hand over her hot cheek and smiled. “You are a most unusual female, Lady Victoria Kembal. It’s a rare thing to meet a woman who knows her food.”
She blinked long and slow as a thrum of need began to pulse low in her body once more. At that private spot between her legs that she touched when she was alone in bed.
“You have a little bit of egg in the corner of your mouth,” she murmured, pointing to a speck of omelet. He idly brushed at his lips but missed the mark.
“Here let me,” whispered Victoria, her pulse beating hard in her throat. She reached out and brushed at the spot with herfingers. Robert opened his lips, and the tip of her thumb slipped with ease into his mouth. She was still in two minds as to what to do, when she sensed the pressure on her hand. He was sucking her thumb, ever so gently.
If this was wrong, she didn’t ever want it to be right.
The thousand reasons why she shouldn’t be here with this man fell away, yielding to the one reason that truly mattered. Because she wanted to be here, with him. For this quiet moment to become a memory she would always treasure.
Victoria leaned forward, cupping Robert’s chin with her free hand. The soft hair of his five o’clock shadow settled against her skin, and she sighed.
His eyes flashed to hers and she felt herself falling into their blue gray expanse. She went willingly.
