Page 21 of Once Tempted

He turned slowly, rather stunned by his train of thought, and stared at Minerva Chase.

Four and twenty years old, hair like molasses and a figure he longed to hold against him. Sensible, accomplished, intelligence in abundance.

He liked Minnie. They were friends, and he hadn’t thought of another woman since he’d started talking with her. Even when he’d been blatantly offered female companionship, he’d refused to be tempted into another woman’s bed.

He moved toward her now and sat at her side, the knots in his stomach suddenly unraveling, but his heart was beating wildly.

Frederick could take Minnie away from her brother…if he married her.

She’d have a home of her own to manage as she pleased and a man she seemed to like kissing. Yet, it was hard to tell what she thought of him still. Especially when she didn’t seem to try to flirt with him. Something had to be done about that. “Have you written to apply for the position yet?”

“No, I only saw the advertisement tonight, but I planned to write to her this evening and send off a letter in the morning.”

“When will you tell your brother about your plans to avoid Cornwall?”

“I won’t tell him. Not straight away. He’ll only think I’m writing to an acquaintance when he sees the letter to be franked in the morning, and forget about it. And when I have the position, I will leave for Cornwall and divert the carriage to my new place of employment instead. I could tell him that I was invited to visit her estate for a while. He should have no reason to suspect I won’t be coming back until it’s too late.”

“No, he won’t,” Frederick agreed, heart sinking as he pictured future events unfolding. Minerva would slip away quietly, and no one would see her again.

Humphrey was so caught up in his own pursuits that he might not discover the truth until his sister was long gone.

Frederick was about to lose Minerva.

But then again, he’d never really had her. He’d not tried to claim this woman for the sake of a friendship with her brother. Though he could have claimed Minnie's innocence the first night of the house party. She’d expected it, and he’d disappointed her then.

He raked a hand through his hair, aghast at the realization of what was about to slip through his fingers. He was almost as slow as Humphrey when it came to matters of the heart, it seemed. He’d not acted, and it was almost too late!

Almost, but he still had tonight. He glanced at her now, and nodded. “Are you tired?”

“Not really. I still have my letter to write.”

Frederick wanted to spend every possible moment alone with Minnie, and her secret room was the perfect place to begin his true seduction of her lovely self. He had a goal, unshackled by any wager.

For the first time in his life, he had honorable intentions for a lady he wished to seduce.

He offered her the tea and when she refused to take a sip, he gulped it down quickly. “Would you like some help with the wording of your letter?”

“I think I can manage on my own.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, I am sure.”

“I think I should help. I cannot permit your brother to consign you to the boredom of Cornwall when there is a far more exciting alternative in store for you. Come on,” he insisted, grabbing her by the hand and tugging her up to her feet. “Let’s go to your secret room before your brother finds us alone together here.”

“I do have paper there,” she agreed, keeping pace with him easily.

“I was certain you would have. You’re a very resourceful woman,” he noted, checking that they were unobserved before ushering her into the hidden stairwell and patting her on the bottom as she passed him by.

“What’s gotten into you?” she gasped, stopping on the bottom step of the stair. “Can’t wait to be rid of me, too?”

“You will find out shortly what I can’t wait for,” he teased, shutting the door and then pulling her against him. He couldn’t see her face, but he could feel her softness against his body.

Minerva was delightfully distracting when she was close. He had her alone again, and soon he would put his heart on the line, tell her he’d not been able to stop thinking about her since before their kiss.

If she didn’t want him or his attentions, he’d make a gracious exit and wish her well in her employment. But if she responded in the way he hoped, well, who knows what pleasures might come by evening’s end?

He controlled his hunger ruthlessly and urged her up the stairs to her secret chamber ahead of him. The fire was lit already, the kitten sleeping in front of it where Frederick had left it after dinner, and it took only a moment to decide this was where it should happen.