Page 21 of A Naughty Proposal for His Winter Countess
Pairika, an order of female diabolic beings, are known as “sorceresses, witches, or enchantress. The goddess of idolatry and seduction, patroness of the concubine, maiden, and bewitchment.
What had her curiosity sparking was how the page had fingerprints and dark lines under the word, enchantress. What significance did that entity have with Daniel that he would be pressed to come back to see it over and over again?
“My apologies for making you wait,” Daniel said from the doorway, “I had some business about the school that I had to take urgent action with. Welcome to my humble home, Miss Johnson and Miss Bradford.”
Turning with the book in her hand, Harriet noticed that he was only in his vest and shirtsleeves and curtsied. “My Lord.”
Nodding, Daniel smiled, “I’ve sent for refreshments.”
Taking a seat near her Aunt, Harriet said, “You have a lovely collection of books, My Lord. Have you read all of them?”
His eyes skimmed the books in the rows behind them, “Some of these, yes, as they are spillovers from the ones in the library. I tend to place the newest additions here instead of the library where they will get lost.”
“What books are you most fond of?”
Again, his eyes glanced at the shelves, “Mostly text, matters of fact rather than fiction. I don’t see sense in subjecting myself into a world that does not correlate with the reality we live in.”
“I happen to think the other way,” Harriet replied. “Fiction is a clear mirror of the reality we live in, only twisted a bit to enhance the best or worst parts of our world.”
“Name one instance?” Daniel dared as a tray of tea and watercress sandwiches came into the room.
“Macbeth,” Harriet replied while serving her aunt a cup of tea, “A man hungry for power and a woman mad enough to help him gain it. Tell me that is not the reality of our time?”
A debate began between the two, with Harriet keeping an eye on her aunt, who was bound to nod off soon. They kept the argument going until Aunt Barbara had gone from nodding off to fully asleep. When she was, she stopped and looked at Daniel, who nodded and stood.
Following him, she grasped his hand as he led her down the stairs and to a room below them. He closed the door behind them and said, “How long do you think she’ll sleep for?”
“Hours, if she’s let alone,” Harriet said. “Now, before we get into my lessons, I have to ask…” she opened the book and pointed to the page, “what significance does an evil creature from a lost time have for you?”
Daniel reached over, took the book, and closed it, “That’s for another time. Have you thought of how to gain an air of submission yet?”
“I haven’t,” Harriet replied, while looking around the room. “As I said before, submission doesn’t come easily to me.”
She felt his eyes following her as his gaze was burning. “I don’t have a model to mimic either.”
“Hm,” Daniel’s pondering hum had Harriet turning to him. “Have you ever read books by Madame Alléchant, Dame Rousse, or Anon Ashworth?”
Her face threatened to turn pink. “Ashworth, yes. Why?”
Daniel’s felt oddly pleased that his supposition was right. What he thought about the young lady reading such salacious material was another matter. “I’m sure one of those ladies had to have a submissive nature.”
“On the contrary,” Harriet replied, “the women were all strong-natured—”
“Until?”
Now, her cheeks warmed with the memory of some of the racy scenes, “They submit to Lord Lucifer’s seduction.”
“Good,” Daniel said, pushing off the wall. “What you need to do is hold that in your mind, and mimic it. What was the most submissive you’ve seen one of the women?”
Thinking back to the number of books she had read, Harriet remembered a heroine, and her mouth dropped at the oversight. There had been a lady who had gone to the owner of a gaming hell because she had fallen on hard times. She learned that she liked to be…er…subjugated there.”
“What did she do?” Daniel pressed.
“She kept her eyes down and her voice low,” Harriet replied, while doing the same. She tilted her head down a little, lowered her eyelashes, and pursed her lips.
The angle of her head was perfect, but she still looked tense. “Drop your shoulders,” he ordered. “Don’t look so tense. Remember, these men are professionals at seeing resistance.”
Harriet struggled a little, then lost the stiffness in her shoulders. Daniel nodded to himself, but then reached over and grasped her chin. His fingertips were callused and rough, a stark contrast from most of the Lords she knew, and just like his kiss, the feel of his touchburned.
