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Chapter Seven
Bertram did not hesitate. He had beenwantingfor too long for that. However, the question of her presence in his study was not thrust to the back of his mind but continued to exist in collaboration with his desire. Even as he ran his hands down Letty’s body, he searched for any concealed contraband.
She seemed to be concealing nothing, her lush body yielding softly to his ministrations without hindrance. He took her lips again, already addicted to the taste of her, chocolate, cinnamon andhomein some inexplicable way.
Her body curved against his as if they were two halves of a whole, fitting perfectly together. It bothered him even as he reveled in it. In his work as a soldier, he had come across many people with nefarious intentions. He did not want to number Letty among them but her behavior was not innocent.
Tell me who you are. Just tell me and I shall forgive anything.
The words flashed across his mind, seemingly springing from nowhere. He pulled back, staring into her eyes and knew in his heart, that in other circumstances, he might fall in love with her. The thought scared him and saddened him, filled him with guilt.
Letty was nothing like his dearly departed Victoria. She was brash and loud, audacious and bold while Victoria had been peaceful and kind, quiet and submissive.
How can I love two such different women?
The thought was too mawkish for him and he suppressed it ruthlessly. Victoria had been his wife of five years while this woman was merely a sultry temptress whose body called to him. It was perfectly natural seeing as he had been celibate for the last two years.
Hardly life changing.
Even as his hips canted forward, brushing against the skirt of her uniform, he told himself it meant nothing as he tried to ignore the nearly painful ache of his tumescence. She made a low sound somewhere between a moan and a whimper and he was hard put not to pick her up, slam her upon the desk, fling her legs over his shoulders and plunder her depths until she was screaming her release.
He stumbled backwards instead, disconcerted at the ferocity of the thought, and the feelings behind it, his eyes wide and fearful.
“Get out,” he croaked.
She stared at him, seemingly frozen on the spot, her hands clutching the skirts of her uniform, the reflection of the candle flames danced merrily in the silver of her eyes, gone almost black with the depth of her arousal, her bosom heaving. His fingers twitched with the need to touch and that made his voice harsher than he meant to be.
“I said, get out!”
She took a stumbling step back and then another before whirling around and running out of the door. Breath heaving, he sat down heavily in the leather chesterfield.
“Oh God, what have I done?”
He looked bleakly into the empty room and suddenly his eyes fell on the desk, where a bunch of papers were haphazardly lying. His heart stopped as he slowly got to his feet and walked towards them. Picking up the one at the very top, he skimmed over it, still unable to believe his eyes.
His eyes skated over the desk, noting the placement of the other letters, his open satchel and the drawer, which he kept locked and was now open.
What?Why?How?
In his stupefaction, he was unable to reconcile what he was seeing with the woman who’d just been in his arms. He picked up one of his letters, reading it through again and then gasped, searching through the pages frantically to make sure every letter was still there. Even though he’d all but frisked the baker, he was afraid she might have secreted one of the pages on her person.
“Looks like they’re all still here,” he murmured, frowning as he thought hard. “I must have caught her before she could…”
What? What had she meant to do?
Hardening his resolve, he strode determinedly out the door, ready to track her down and find out the truth.
“Oh, there you are! We were wondering where you got off to.” He almost bumped into the Earl of Radnor who was lurking in the corridor. Stopping short, Bertram murmured a brief apology.
“I just needed to retrieve something from my study.”
“Oh? Well, you should return as the guests are getting rather restive in your absence.” He leaned in confidentially, “Lady Perrin and Lady Lancet are snipping quite viciously at each other.”
Bertram gave a distracted smile, his thoughts in a whirlwind. “Can’t have that, can we?” he murmured absently.
“No, we cannot.” Radnor fell in step beside him as they walked back to the drawing room where the rest of the guests were gathered. “If you have intentions towards Lady Perrin you should let her know soon, so that she feels less inclined to attack any other woman in your vicinity.” Radnor’s amusement rumbled from his chest in a low laugh.
Bertram grimaced, wondering what had possessed him to have ever entertained the notion of the Countess as his bride.
