Page 16 of Aurelia

“You are a naturalist, as well?” Aurelia asked.

“No, no, not at all. My interest lies in taxidermy.”

“Arthur was with Lady Crewe and I on our last expedition,” the earl explained. “He is an expert taxidermist.”

Mr. Montgomery smiled at his cousin, giving Aurelia his profile, which was as perfect as his face. “I had wanted to accompany Crewe for years, but the time never seemed right.” His full lips suddenly pulled down at the corners. “I was there when Lady Crewe’s death and my cousin’s injury occurred, so I was able to help out when it came to preserving some of their work.”

“Arthur’s assistance was priceless and he took prodigious care of me when I was wounded,” Lord Crewe said.

The other man blushed. “I was pleased to be of use.”

Again, the door opened, and this time it was a maid bearing a large tray.

“Ah, excellent,” the earl said. “Let us have some tea and then you can go to your rooms and relax before dinner. Put the tray on low table, Sally,” he instructed the maid, and then turned his disconcerting gaze back to Aurelia, his eye glinting with humor, which appeared to be his default expression. “Will you pour, Miss Burton?” he asked, his tone almost… caressing.

“Of course,” Aurelia murmured, grateful for something to occupy her hands while his smile and attention muddled her wits.

Chapter 4

Aurelia hadn’t really known what sort of reception she would receive at Castle Crewe—she was just an employee, after all—but she had never hoped for luxury such as this.

Her chambers were situated in one of the newer extensions of the castle, which must have been added in the mid-to-late seventeenth century.

The bedchamber was huge with an adjacent dressing room that held a second fireplace, the sort of room conceived with entertainment in mind, during a time when many aristocrats invited guests to enjoy their toilette.

The bed was a masterpiece of Restoration excess and required a wooden stepstool with three steps to climb up to the mattress. It was a guest’s room, not that of an upper servant like a governess or tutor.

The room occupied a corner so the view was spectacular and she could see Balcrewe which was huddled against the cliffs and hugging the small bay. To the north she could see Andrew’s Cove and the section of beach where the boys had attacked Miss Clifford.

And down below, in that cavernous library, is a man who unsettled you more than anyone you have ever met. And also fascinated you more…

Aurelia disliked admitting it, but the accusation was true. This position was supposed to be the one that established her in the world of scientific illustration. Her name would be on the artwork in Lord Crewe’s books. It was the opportunity of a lifetime.

It was not the time to become infatuated. Especially with a sophisticated, jaded, and experienced rake like Lord Crewe, who would not be interested in a naïve rustic like herself, in any case.

Her instant fascination for him was disquieting. Aurelia would need to avoid him as much as possible. That shouldn’t be terribly difficult as painting was a relatively solitary activity. She wouldn’t need to consult him about much if she had access to his journals.

Aurelia firmly thrust the earl from her mind and turned to the lovely, but far too large, armoire—one of four in the dressing room—and began to unpack her bags.

There certainly wasn’t much. She had given her books to her sisters, along with most of her other trinkets. Although she had been the only Bellamy daughter to have a Season and the wardrobe to go with it, over the years she had refashioned many of her garments for her younger sisters. It hadn’t seemed fair that she was the only one with ball gowns and carriage gowns and so on. And thus, she’d created small, but respectable, wardrobes for the others while retaining ample clothing for her own needs. Not that any of them had needed fancy clothing these past few years, buried as they’d been in the country. But it was nice to know she could clothe herself decently to dine at a lord’s table.

Once she’d slipped on her primrose evening gown, she sat at the dressing table and unplaited her hair. Her fingers worked without thought as her mind returned to Lord Crewe’s library earlier. Aside from the effect of the man himself, the knowledge that there were hundreds of paintings to be made excited her. There would be work for months—almost a year! And his terms in the letter had been generous. After only five or six months she should have enough money to afford a deposit on a modest property for her siblings if they were to lose their home. No longer would she be dependent on her father.

Yes, taking this position had been an excellent decision. Her mother might have disowned her, her reputation was already beyond redemption, and working alongside an infamous rake would be fraught with temptation, but she would finally stand on her own two feet.

A knock on the door pulled her from her pleasurable thoughts and a maid opened the door. “My name is Ruby, Miss Burton. I’m here to show you to the dining room when you are ready.”

Aurelia paid attention to her surroundings as she followed Ruby. Having grown up in an ancient house, Aurelia was accustomed to grandeur and wealth, but this was a castle, not just built for habitation, but for defense and to demonstrate the power of the lord who occupied it.

As magnificent as the winding stone staircase and ancient corridors were, the building was not comfortable and the wrap she wore could not cut the gusts that all but howled through the corridors.

Ruby stopped in front of massive wooden doors, the thick timbers held together by age-blackened metal straps and nail heads the size of large coins. She opened the right-side door and Aurelia entered a room that might have come out of a Shakespearean play. The rough-hewn wood table that sprawled beneath an exquisitely timbered ceiling could have easily seated twenty, but only four places had been set at the end.

Four?

Aurelia wondered who the fourth would be.

“His lordship will be down soon, miss. He and Mr. Montgomery would have been here already but for—” Ruby broke off and bit her lower lip. “If that will be all, miss?”