Page 38 of Desperately Seeking Seduction

Father was farther down the hall, shuffling toward his guest room.

A shiver raced over her skin to be even this close to him again, and the fear that he’d notice her grew. She tightened her grip on the handle and opened the door silently, determined not to fall victim to her misplaced emotions and be discovered. The father she’d respected, adored, had wanted her dead once, after all.

She could never forget that, or trust that he could have forgotten what she was.

But watching him now, she saw he limped the whole way to his door, and as he reached for the handle of his guest room, she thought she heard him sigh in pain.

She leaned toward the sound, straining to hear him again.

But he straightened instantly, and as his head started to turn in her direction, perhaps aware that he wasn’t alone, Winston finally stepped into Lord Stratford’s room.

“What were you looking at?” Lord Stratford asked in a tone so unexpected, she jumped almost out of her skin.

Winston shut the door behind her. “Nothing.”

“Really? You had such an odd look on your face,” he murmured, getting to his feet, and trying to look past her. “George wasn’t lurking out there, was he?”

“I don’t believe so.” Winston made sure the door was firmly closed behind her, locking it for good measure. “It must have been your imagination.”

Stratford frowned at her. “Where were you just then?”

“The servants’ hall,” she said, moving away from the door.

Lord Stratford followed. “No, you were just here at the window. In this room, and then gone by the time I got here. It’s not been long enough for you to visit the servants’ hall and return in that time. I know. I timed the journey once when I was younger.”

“Why?”

“I wanted to know I could raid the larder and get back before one of my brothers noticed I was gone. I managed to make such a habit of it that Cook began leaving me a plate of biscuits on the kitchen table so I could cut down the time.”

She forced a smile. “I am quick on my feet, just like you.”

“No one is that quick.”

She shrugged, wishing he would stop pestering her about her movements. “Did you need something, my lord?”

“I saw you peeking out the window. You were watching me,” he murmured, a smug smile growing on his lips.

“So what if I was?” she said quickly, raising her chin in defiance. It had been reckless to watch her employer and definitely wrong of her to go to her father’s room just now. She didn’t really know why she’d gone or what she had hoped to find there. All she felt now was profound sadness when she thought of his solitary figure moving down the hall. She did not think him happy, not that he’d ever been a joyous man during her youth, either.

“I am glad you wanted to watch me.” Stratford eased forward a step and a look of concern appeared on his face. “How do you feel? Do you regret what we did this morning?”

“No. Did you expect me to?”

“I certainly hope not.” Stratford gestured to her. “Come closer.”

“Why?”

“Just come closer, Win. The time for distance and maidenly reserve is well in the past now.”

Winston agreed and moved the last step toward him. He reached for her face, and Winston assumed he meant to pull her in for a kiss. A kiss she was looking forward to experiencing again.

However, he only brushed his thumb across her cheek. He held it up for her to see. “A tear.”

Winston brushed at her face quickly, confused, and embarrassed. “There must have been something in my eye.”

“Are you sure that’s all it was?” he asked, and then pulled her into his arms and held her hips pressed tight against his. “It’s all right to regret the partial loss of your innocence.”

She didn’t know why he felt the need to comfort her about that until she pulled in a deep breath to deny any such regret, and it ended in a sob. Ordinarily, she did not cry. That was a sign of weakness in men, and a tactic used by women to manipulate their husbands.