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"If you wish, Your Grace," Miss Percival responded and turned to cross the room and take a seat where he had gestured. Watson followed her, careful not to get too close and make her feel uncomfortable. Dropping down onto the couch beside her, he quickly realised that it was far less spacious than he had anticipated, yet he was glad to see she did not look entirely pained by the fact that their knees were almost brushing.
"How has your day been, Miss Percival?" Watson asked after several moments of silence had passed between them.
"Lady Amy and I," she responded as if to remind him that they were there to talk of his daughter and not of her, "Have had quite the adventurous day today as I am sure you well know."
The governess’ eyes lit up as if she were remembering their slip in the mud and Watson could not help but chuckle as he too remembered it. Although the mud had been cold and soaked him through to the bone, it had been perhaps the most fun he had had in a very long time. In fact, he could not remember ever having laughed so much as he had when he and Miss Percival had sat staring at each other on their rears and up to their waists in mud.
"Adventurous would be one way to put it," Watson replied, still chuckling slightly to himself. "I feel sorry for poor Mrs Stevenson and the maids. It will take them days to get all of that mud out of our clothes."
"Yes, I do feel so terrible about that," Miss Percival admitted, glancing down and looking embarrassed, as if she could not look him in the eye. Then, when she glanced up at him again, there was a stern curiousness to her gaze, "Though it is Lady Florentia I feel most sorry for."
Watson was instantly surprised, not just at Miss Percival's words but also at her mention of Lady Florentia. He straightened up in his seat and cleared his throat before responding, "Why ever would you feel sorry for Lady Florentia?"
"It must have been quite the shock for her to see us looming quite so bedraggled," Miss Percival explained with a shake of her head. "And when we were approaching, she almost looked as if we were a couple of mud monsters coming to gobble her up."
At that, the two of them laughed harder and louder than before and Watson felt all the tension easing from his muscles once more. Even the mention of Lady Florentia could not keep him tense in Miss Percival's presence.
"I do hope that my behaviour today will not affect the chances of whatever is going on between the two of you," Miss Percival said as their laughter eased off and Watson clenched his jaw at the contrite expression that passed over her face.
"Miss Percival, the truth is…" Watson began. He paused and glanced down, searching for a loose thread or even a little lint on his trousers that he could use as an excuse not to look her in the eye as he said, "The truth is that I am not sure I am interested in continuing to court Lady Florentia."
"But Lady Amy was adamant that the two of you are going to marry!" Miss Percival seemed to blurt the words as though she had not meant to and as soon as she had said them, she clamped her jaws shut and pressed her fingertips to her lips, her cheeks flushing bright red in the light from the fireplace. "Forgive me, Your Grace. It was not my place to speak."
"Miss Percival, here is exactly your place to speak," Watson insisted, gesturing around the library. "Why do you think I invite you here every evening if not to speak?"
Miss Percival shook her head as if to argue and when she looked at him, he was sure he saw pain in her hazel gaze, "Your romantic life is not for me to comment on."
"My romantic life, though not directly your business, is in fact your business due to your close relationship with my daughter," Watson pointed out, never blinking as he spoke, hoping she would take his words utterly seriously. "And Amy is the very reason why I am not sure I should continue down this path with Lady Florentia."
"Lady Amy is acting the very same way that she would act with any woman you had chosen to court, Your Grace," Miss Percival protested. The instant she said the words, Watson began to shake his head. The moment he heard her say it, he had known that it was not true and when he looked her in the eye again, he could see that she did not believe it either.
"We both know you do not believe that, Miss Percival," he told her and watched her flinch. "I am well aware of the loathing my daughter has for Lady Florentia and I do not see it easing off any time soon, if ever."
Feeling despair and frustration threatening to overwhelm him, Watson leaned forward and placed his head in his hands, closing his eyes in order to regain control of himself. "I fear I am at my wits end, Miss Percival. I know not what to do."
There was silence for several moments and then Watson was surprised when he felt a hand land upon his shoulder. Her touch was warm and comforting and caused him to lift his head from his palms to look at her.
"Your Grace, all you have ever done has been for Lady Amy’s benefit," Miss Percival told him in a gentle tone. "I think that perhaps it is past time you did something for yourself."
The truth behind her words urged Watson to do something he never would have dreamt of several weeks earlier. Heart racing, he leaned forward. As he did so, his hand found Miss Percival's thigh and he squeezed gently even as he felt her leaning into him in response.
It is time I did something for myself,he reminded himself, lifting his free hand to cup her cheek, kissing her as though his very life depended upon it. Heat pooled in his loins, and he felt himself growing rock hard and uncomfortable in his breeches.
The scent of the governess enveloped him and intoxicated him, making him lean ever closer until she could do nothing but submit to him. With his hand still upon her thigh and his lips pressed against hers, he urged her down onto the couch on her back, feeling desire for her overwhelm everything else.
I should have opened the door,he thought momentarily before all sense of reason was swept from him the second he felt the governess’ fingers fumbling on the buttons of his dinner jacket. She quivered beneath him, kissing him back in a way that told him she most definitely was not thinking about how inappropriate they were being.
Deciding to take her words entirely on board, Watson lost himself in the feel of her warm body beneath his and his hands started to search for the hem of her gown so that he could pull up her skirts.
Feeling her hands slip into his jacket, Watson moved to allow her to pull it off his shoulders. Her touch was hot through his shirt, and it caused him to tremble with anticipation even as she started to work on opening it.
Finding the hem of her skirts, Watson slipped his hand beneath them, stroking his way up from the stocking that went well over her knee and travelling further still until he felt bare flesh beneath the palm of his hand. Gripping her thigh once more, he squeezed until she gasped with desire against his kiss.
It was in that moment, just as Watson felt himself going past the point of no return, that a raucous scraping, thudding sound on the window across the room caused them both to almost jump right out of their skin.
Watson was up in an instant, crossing the room with determination to see what had so frustratingly interrupted them. A whirlwind of thoughts rushed through his mind.
What if a servant had been spying on them or worse, Amy! What if Timothy had come back intending to see just how far things could go between a duke and a governess? What if some unexpected guest had come knocking and could not find a way into the manor?All these thoughts and more swept through his frantic mind before he reached the window.
