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And from her continued insistence on escaping his presence whenever their interactions deviated the slightest bit from servant and master, she’d be a challenge indeed to coax into his bed.
Arthur drained his wine glass decisively and rose from his seat, waving his friends off with a distracted gesture.
Little Nora. He might have been blind to the treasure hiding under his nose and in his mother’s employ all these years, but by heaven, he wasn’t now. He was determined to see just how deep that fiery spirit of hers ran and what it would take to conquer her cool exterior and unleash the passion beneath.
* * *
The ringing of a bell was loud in the silence of the house, and Nora grimaced as she came to a stop. She’d only just finished the last of her duties for the Dowager, and she was eager to return home to Lydia. Besides, Scarlett would need to leave soon for her latest job, and she had no desire to leave her daughter alone or in the care of someone else.
The bell sounded again, and Nora bit her lip in vexation before turning on her heel and making her way back toward the Master’s quarters from which the summons came. Most of the servants, including the Duke’s valet and the butler, were either abed or at least retired for the evening, and the ringing sounded impatient.
She strode up the steps with brisk movements and made her way to the Master Suite. She essayed a brief knock and waited for the command before entering the rooms, only to freeze at the sight that met her eyes.
Arthur Russell, Duke of Bedford, standing in the middle of the room, with naught but a towel wound around his waist and another catching the water from his thick, tousled blond hair. Droplets of water glinted on the well-formed muscles of his chest and abdomen, the smooth, glistening lines of his broad shoulders and lean, muscular arms. Even as she watched, a droplet escaped the towel about his neck to glide down the plane of his pale chest, trailing down, down…
She tore her eyes away from the sight and dropped her gaze to the floor, though that was little better, given the view it gave her of his bare feet and legs. Long, lean legs with defined calves and muscled thighs, elegant and graceful as the rest of the man.
And that isquiteenough of that sort of thinking.
She shook herself and forced her thoughts away from the Duke’s lean figure and handsome face. She had enough to be thinking about and plenty of reasons not to be taken in by a good-looking aristocrat, however charming or enticing he might be.
“Did you need something, Your Grace?” She kept her face and voice as calm as she could.
“What?” His eyes flicked to her and widened in a surprise that she could not quite bring herself to believe was entirely genuine. Surely he knew what time it was. “Oh. It’s you.” He scrubbed his towel over his hair and flashed her a smile that she suspected was meant to be winsome. “Sorry about the... well, I rather thought it would be my valet coming, with my nightclothes. If I’d known I’d be in the presence of a maid…”
She swallowed back the temptation to accuse him of knowing exactly what he was doing. Even so, she could not hold back the stern disapproval she knew creased her brow and pursed her lips, nor the chilly tone of her next words. “Perhaps His Grace ought to forego ringing the bell as a summons if you cannot be bothered to consider who might be available to answer it.”
She expected a harsh rejoinder, perhaps even a sharp dismissal for her cheek. Instead, he laughed, a wry, deep chuckle escaping from him.
“Well, enough put, I suppose. But then, you cannot say you’ve not caught me in a compromising position before now. And I daresay these chambers do benefit from the presence of a pretty maid such as yourself.” His smile widened as he took a step toward her.
“That’s as may be, Your Grace, but if you’ve no need of my services…”
“Ah, I didn’t say that... my robe is over the door if you’d fetch it for me. And my nightshirt is in the wardrobe there, thank you.” Another smirk. “Though I’ve no objections to leaving it there if you’re so inclined…”
Nora ducked her eyes quickly and made her way over to the bathing chamber door, tugging the robe down with abrupt movements. In few moments, she had a clean nightshirt whisked out of the wardrobe door and laid out over the nearest chair. “Is there anything else, Your Grace?”
“Well, I can think of a few things... things I’d not ask my valet for if you take my meaning.”
“Perhaps I do, perhaps I do not. However, if that is all you required of your valet, then it is surely all you require of me.” She dropped a quick, perfunctory curtsy. “Excuse me, Your Grace, but I must be getting home.”
She didn’t wait for his dismissal, far too uncertain she’d get it in his current mood. She was of no inclination to encourage further flirtation on his part. Nor was she interested in risking a dismissal and loss of her position if she was forced to give a sharper refusal.
She left the room as quickly as she dared, breathing a sigh of relief when he did not call her back.
Perhaps she could persuade the Dowager to find her duties that would let her avoid the upper rooms and the Duke’s preferred locations. It would take little time, she suspected, for him to turn his eyes to other pursuits and other women.
* * *
Arthur watched the door shut behind the maid in bemusement. It was possible that he’d been a little too overt in his efforts to charm her, but he’d thought making his intentions plain might serve better than attempting subtlety.
Well, it had been some time since he’d attempted to woo a woman of the working class rather than a lady of thetonor a paid companion. He hadn’t thought his skills had suffered much, but it was possible the little maid was a bit shy, at least in this matter.
Still, she’d shown spirit before he’d tried to flirt with her. Admonishing him about failing to recognize propriety and issuing a summons without ensuring it would be answered by the proper individual.
In a way, he was rather pleased she’d refused him, even if it was vexing that she’d run from him yet again. He had wanted a challenge, after all. What better than a maid who refused to be amused by his flirtation and seemed determined to avoid any association with him?
With a sigh, he turned to dress for bed, contemplating his next plan of enticement. He’d have to think of something different from his usual approach, it seemed.
