Page 239 of From Rakes to Riches

“You said that before, and yet here we are.”

Satisfied that he could stand without displaying the crux of his desire now that his erection had somewhat waned, he stood. “Please forgive my lapse in judgment. I shall resist temptation in the future. I told you what I am.”

Her gaze moved over him, stirring his cock once more. “A rogue. A rake. A scoundrel. A reprobate.” She spoke with soft deliberation, and it was sweet poetry. “Yes, I can see what you are, and contrary to what you may think, it isn’t bad.” With a flick of her skirts, she turned and left the study.

“Christ,” Tobias murmured as he sank back down onto the settee, his body deflating with unquenched lust.

Not only did he want his ward, but he was also now beginning to consider if he could actually marry her. The question was whether she would consider it too.

16

After a night of sleep in which torrid dreams awakened her several times, Fiona spent the morning feeling agitated and uncertain. She’d managed to keep herself together while in Tobias’s presence, but as soon as she’d reached her room, she’d collapsed against the door in a quivering mass of unsatisfied desire.

As she lay in bed, she’d closed her eyes and recalled the book she’d found in her father’s library. Complete with detailed drawings, the treatise outlined ways in which men and women gave and received pleasure. She’d been horrified when she’d first found it, and then over the years, she’d returned to it as her curiosity had grown. If not for that book, she wouldn’t have had a clue about what might happen with Tobias. As it was, sheknewwhat could have happened, and she was wholly disappointed when it hadn’t.

It also meant she knew how to provide herself with at least a modicum of relief.

He’d opened her eyes to what she was missing, to what marriage could bring. She’d been foolish not to consider this physical aspect and the fact that it was directly tied to themagnetic pull she felt toward him. It was desire, pure and simple, and she’d never felt it for anyone else, including Lord Gregory.

Frowning, she finally emerged from her room and immediately found Prudence in their sitting room. Seated at the small round table near the windows, she looked up from the newspaper she held. “Are you feeling all right today?”

“I didn’t sleep well.” Fiona didn’t want to tell her what had happened. She wasn’t sure she agreed with Tobias that it was shameless, but it was most certainly improper.

“Were you able to speak with Lord Overton about our encounter with Lady Bentley?” Prudence knew Fiona had gone downstairs for that purpose. Thankfully she’d been abed when Fiona returned.

“Briefly,” she said. “Apparently, he did court her, and she did choose Bentley over him. He did not, however, attempt to kidnap her.” Fiona rolled her eyes.

“Of course,” Prudence murmured. “I noticed you were downstairs for quite some time.”

There was no question, but Fiona heard her curiosity quite loudly. “I went to the library to spend some time with the maps.”

The butler stepped into the sitting room just then. “Pardon my intrusion, ladies. Miss Wingate, if you are free, your presence is requested in his lordship’s study.”

A wave of heat spiked through Fiona, followed closely by a crisp burst of anxiety. What could the earl want? Would it be awkward to be with him in the place where they’d embraced so intimately the night before?

“I’ll be right there, Carrin,” Fiona said, brushing her hand over the back of her upswept hair.

After the butler departed, Prudence said, “You look fine. Actually, you look very pretty.”

Darting a glance toward Prudence, Fiona dropped her hand to her side. “Thank you.” And blast because Fiona didn’t want anyone, including Prudence, knowing that she cared what she looked like in Tobias’s presence.

Tobias.She really oughtn’t call him that, even in her head.

Fiona walked downstairs, her pace altering between fast with anticipation and sedate with trepidation. By the time she reached the study, she felt as if she’d taken a few laps around the house.

As she stepped over the threshold, she nearly tripped. Tobias wasn’t there.

His secretary, a round-faced gentleman with dark, receding hair and a warm smile, stood from where he sat in a chair beside Tobias’s desk. “Good afternoon, Miss Wingate. Thank you for coming to meet with me. Will you sit for a moment?”

She glanced toward the settee but didn’t want to sit there. Instead, she took another chair on the other side of Tobias’s desk. “I didn’t realize I was coming to see you, Mr. Dyer. Carrin only told me that my presence was required in the study.”

“I see, well, my apologies. It wasn’t my intent to surprise you. With the deadline for his lordship’s marriage in ten days and his lack of a bride, I thought we should discuss the specifics of your inheritance.”

Her what? Fiona stared at him as words utterly failed her.

“Now, the twelfth is a Sunday, so the property will officially transfer to you on the thirteenth. The property does have a steward who was hired by Lady Overton, and you will likely wish to retain him, at least for a while?—”

Fiona held up a hand and finally managed to push forth speech. “What inheritance are you speaking of? I am not aware of a property or anything else, for that matter.”

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