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Chapter Seven
One benefit of having grown up in many grand houses and having run her own house was she knew a surprising amount about being a maid. Most of her duties revolved around keeping everything clean and tidy and the earl was hardly the messiest of men so even with a relatively small number of staff, her duties were not as vigorous as they might be, had he been the rakish sort, who held balls and dinner parties and entertained ladies all the time.
She had to admit, it was rather refreshing.
Chastity paused to eye the bland landscape on the wall in front of her. The house held few family portraits save for one of a woman she assumed to be his mother. He had no siblings apparently and not even any close cousins. One would have thought he had been married at least once—much like herself—but no.
If he ever had love affairs, they were so secret that not even Charlotte, the most talkative of the maids, knew of one. He was, she supposed, the very epitome of a recluse. But did he feel no pressure to marry? To sire an heir? How baffling he was.
Of course, she had seen for herself he was not entirely immune to the opposite sex but she did not want to think on that. Or how it made her stomach flutter. After all, it likely meant nothing.
The door behind her opened and she jumped and swished a cloth over the picture frame as though it was the most important job in the world to her.
“Come with me.”
His voice rumbled through her, the timbre of it far too inviting. She stilled her hand and sucked in a breath when fingers latched around her wrist.
She tugged briefly before relenting, like a woman whose fate was sealed.
She had successfully avoided the earl for several days, but she could not delay speaking with him forever, especially considering he was her employer—in two ways she supposed. He might not be paying her to investigate Julian, however, Lord Kendall had been tantamount to her pursuing this investigation and he had declared her answerable to him.
Not a position she relished. It had been a long time since she’d been under the rule of a man. But it was necessary to securing her sister’s happiness.
He pulled her into the library, shut the door, and turned to her. She forced her attention upward. Whatever she did, she must not think on what she had seen the other morning. She must not think on it.
Must. Not. Think. On. It.
Oh look. He had hair. A fine thing to look at. She fixed her attention there. Wild and untamed, it looked as though he had been shoving fingers through it. What she had come to learn, however, was that he preferred a wilder look, entirely at odds with the usual ‘gentleman in residence’ look.
Forgoing any nod to civility, the hair on his jaw had grown to a lengthy stubble, shadowing and contouring his sharp features. What would the bristle feel like? She bunched her hands at her side. What did it matter? He might look better undomesticated than any other man she had known but it certainly did not give her reason to wish to touch him.
Had she forgotten how much of a feel she’d endured that morning in his bedroom already? She hardly wished for a repeat of that. Men were an utter waste of time and space in her experience and while Cassie might have found happiness with one exceedingly rare one, Lord Kendall was certainly not one of those uncommon specimens.
“We will not be disturbed,” he assured her and strode over to the library table, resting against the dark leather top with his arms folded.
A slight flutter beat in her chest.
“You can meet me here in future,” he explained further. “Should you wish to discuss the investigation.”
“Oh! Yes. The investigation.”
“A little more appropriate than my bedroom I think.”
“Indeed.” She looked down to the polished parquet floor.
“I wanted to, uh, apologize for the other morning. I understand why you have been avoiding me.”
Chastity met his gaze and offered a quick flash of a smile. If he thought her some meek mild debutant who could be frightened off by a mere arousal, he thought wrong. Though she had been avoiding him she supposed...But that was beside the point.
“I am a widow, my lord. I am not unfamiliar with men and their...predicaments. Especially in the morning. It is my understanding that it is quite common at that time of day.”
A dark brow lifted. “Yes. Precisely. A mere unfortunate natural predicament.” He gave a slanted smile. “I am glad you understand.”
“Is that all?” She gestured to the door. “I have duties to attend.”
“How are you finding it? Being a servant? Quite a drop from being a duke’s daughter I should think?”
“I am not afraid of hard work.”
