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One by one, she rushed up the steps, then flew into her room, shutting the door quickly behind her. She stood in the darkness, panting and gasping for breath. But she knew that time was not on her side so turned on a light and took a fast look around her. Her dress still lay untouched in the middle of the floor. She knew by that that Clarissa hadn't entered the room while she had been gone. That came as a surprise to Eugenia, but a welcomed one.
As she flung her walking suit and petticoat aside, Eugenia's mind was working on her story—what she could tell Clarissa. She stopped and eyed the bed. Yes, she could feign illness. She could say that she'd been in bed all day. And was even too ill to have supper with Frederick. She hurried to the bed and pulled the bedspread down, then mussed the bed, so that it would appear as though she had been in it all day. She only hoped that Clarissa hadn't taken a look inside.
After all her clothes were hanging on hangers inside the closet, Eugenia withdrew a chemise and lay it across the bed. She knew that she had to take a bath. The aroma of smoke had clung to her more than she had thought. Even her hair. It reeked of the smoke.
Hurrying on into her private bathroom, she began to run water into her tub, stiffening when she heard a loud bout of laughter surfacing from the other side of the wall. And then the soft voice of Clarissa.
She climbed into the water, relishing in its warmth, but still listening. Frederick and Clarissa were continuing to talk. Eugenia couldn't help but wonder further about their relationship. Surely sex entered into the picture somewhere. How could a woman help a man with his bath without touching his…
Eugenia scooted farther down into the water, thinking about Drew and blow he had made her feel. So alive once again and so full of need. With trembling fingers, she circled a breast, remembering his fingers there, arousing in her the most desirous feelings. She could still feel the aching between her thighs. She moved her fingers on downward and touched where she ached, shutting her eyes, moaning, her own touch teasing her feelings of needing to be fulfilled. But a movement beside her drew her to a startled halt. When her eyes opened, she found Clarissa standing beside her, watching her with dancing, knowing eyes.
Eugenia grabbed a bar of soap and a washcloth, knowing that her face was as red as it had been the day it had been sunburned so badly.
"Something I can assist you with, Eugenia?" Clarissa said in a mocking tone of voice.
Eugenia hated the way Clarissa's eyes were traveling over her exposed body. Eugenia was well aware of her two round globes half-floating on top of the water, with soap bubbles clinging to them like lace. Only the darkened nipples were safely hidden. "No, Clarissa," she mumbled.
"When you didn't leave your room this afternoon, I had only to think you were asleep," Clarissa said, still watching. "Are you ill?"
Eugenia's gaze swept upward. "Yes, Clarissa," she answered quickly. "And I still feel too ill to eat. Will you please make excuses for me to Frederick?"
"Whatever you say," Clarissa said. "Come, let me help you out
of the tub," she added, lifting a bath towel from a gold towel rack.
Eugenia frowned darkly. "I can manage," she said flatly.
"No, I insist," Clarissa said. "You might feel faint after your bath. Frederick will be angry with me now for not having checked on you earlier. Come, let me help you back to bed."
Knowing that she was fighting a losing battle, Eugenia arose from the water and stepped out onto the carpet. She was glad when the towel was wrapped around her body, but she knew that she hadn't been mistaken when she had felt Clarissa's fingers linger too long on her breasts as she had wrapped the towel around in front of her.
"And now your chemise," Clarissa said, handing the white lacy morsel to Eugenia.
"I'm all right," Eugenia pleaded. "You can go on to your other duties."
"Frederick would be angry if I left the room before you are securely in bed."
"Oh, okay," Eugenia said. She let the towel drop to the floor and quickly pulled the chemise over her head.
"Now see? It was all so easy," Clarissa said, guiding Eugenia by the elbow toward the bed. Eugenia cringed inside as Clarissa's fingers touched her flesh knowingly once again. This being the first advances that Clarissa had ever made toward her, Eugenia knew that it was because Clarissa had caught her in the midst of touching her love spot, and knew that Clarissa must think that she probably did that all the time. In reality it was the first time. And it had even come as a shock to Eugenia, now that she thought about it, that she could even do such a thing that could bring pleasure to her own body. She realized she was blushing again when Clarissa brought a blanket up to place beneath her chin.
"Now, if you ever need me for anything else, I'm always willing," Clarissa said, standing beside the bed, her dark eyes almost pleading as her fingers worked at the white collar of her dress. "Sometimes it's best to have sexual release. Even with another woman."
Eugenia turned her head away and shut her eyes. She could vividly remember Madam Valerie's tongue and fingers, and what they had aroused in her. She didn't want it to happen again. Ever. She wanted Drew. Only Drew.
When she heard the door shut quietly, Eugenia opened her eyes and checked the room to see if she was truly alone. Then she had the long wait, until she would hear the carriage leaving once again. She only hoped that in the meantime, Frederick wouldn't bother to check on her.
The aroma of smoke filled her nostrils once again. She sniffed noisily. Then her fingers went to her hair. She hadn't had a chance to wash it. She sighed heavily. If Clarissa hadn't had her mind elsewhere, she most certainly would have noticed the smell. It was quite strong.
Hurriedly, Eugenia went to the bathroom and splashed some rose water over her hair, then began a slow pace, back and forth, waiting and watching. She had to get Drew to safety.
* * *
Chapter Ten
The two shadows against the snow moved along, making their way toward the back door of The Towers. Eugenia shivered in the cold, only having wrapped her loose cape around her chemise. "We must hurry," she whispered, watching the lights in Clarissa's room. She only hoped that Clarissa had retired for the evening. After Frederick's departure from the house, Eugenia had waited impatiently for noises to cease throughout the house, knowing that only then Clarissa would be in her room.
"I hope you know what you're doin'," Drew growled, watching around him for any quick movement.
