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Mina gasped. “It was most certainly not! Nor am I your sweet,” she hurriedly whispered.
He stood silent another long moment, gazing down into her eyes.
“Thank you for defending my honor,” she whispered, tears once again pricking behind her eyes.
“You are welcome.”
She sensed he wanted to say more, but he only held up his hand. “I would appreciate your help in cleaning these cuts.”
She nodded, unable to reply.
“Stay here, Mina.” He glanced around with a frown. “No. Though I trust I have knocked him out for a few hours, I do not wish you alone with him. Come along. We will be discreet, collect your coat and call for the carriage. I will send it back for the dragon and my sisters.”
A tight knot of tension eased inside, and she smiled tremulously, walking away with him, not trusting how safe and comforted she felt with the earl. Be careful Mina, be…she closed her eyes, closing out that small voice of caution, the one that had lived with her since her great mistake. The voice that had dictated her life since she was a girl of sixteen years. Tonight, she had ran the gamut of emotions…joy, trepidation, desire, fear….and now all she felt in the earl’s presence was comfort. Mina did not want to debate with her inner fears about why her employer should be comforting.
“Not tonight,” she whispered, softly into the night. And for the first time in a long time, Mina smiled.
