Page 30 of An Unwilling Earl
They arrived at Jacob’s townhouse, and Mrs. Smith met them in the entryway to gather Jacob’s coat and hat. She hesitated to reach for Charlotte’s tattered top hat, but Charlotte wasn’t about to give away any of her clothing.
“Miss Morris will be staying here for a bit, Mrs. Smith,” Jacob said. “I apologize for the short notice. Please prepare the yellow room for her and draw a bath for her as well. As hot as you can make it.”
Mrs. Smith nodded, although her lips were pinched, and it appeared she had much to say on the matter.
“She still doesn’t like me,” Charlotte said as she followed him down the hall.
“She’ll adjust.”
Just like a man to oversimplify something so complicated. He obviously didn’t understand how the female mind worked. But Charlotte understood that she was trespassing into Mrs. Smith’s territory. It was up to Mrs. Smith to take care of Jacob, and in her mind no one else should do it. Charlotte wanted to tell her that she was very ill equipped to take care of herself, let alone Lord Ashland. Mrs. Smith had nothing to worry about.
“Let me show you around,” Jacob said.
Charlotte touched him on the arm to get him to stop. They were in a darkened hall, closed doors on either side of them. “I’m only here for a short while. Not nearly long enough to consider this my home. In fact, if you’d like to make things look more proper, you can put me in the servants’ quarters. I won’t mind at all.”
They were standing very close. Jacob was much taller than she, and he seemed to tower over her, looking down on her. There was really no room to step back as the hallway was narrow. For some strange reason her breath caught, and her gaze snagged on his lips. He just needed to lower his head a few inches and their lips would touch.
Jacob seemed to notice this as well for his gaze was fixed on her mouth, and he was standing extremely still, as if afraid to move.
“Charlotte,” he whispered as he lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers.
They were warm and soft, and in the back of her mind Charlotte registered that this was her first kiss ever.
Shameful!
Her aunt’s voice suddenly intruded, and Charlotte jumped back, bumping her head against the opposite wall, her hand flying to her tingling lips.
Jacob reared back and closed his eyes. “Charlotte,” he said, pained. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean… It wasn’t my intention…”
“It’s all right,” she said. “It was nothing.”
He opened his eyes to look at her, and she could tell she’d hurt him when she said it was nothing. But itwasnothing. It had to be nothing. There couldbenothing between them. He was helping her get to America. That was all.
He cleared his throat and looked away. “Right. Nothing. But I do apologize. I told you I wasn’t bringing you here for those intentions and then I…I…”
She touched his arm. “It’s all right, Jacob. I don’t believe you brought me here under false pretenses.”
His shoulders sagged. “Right. Let me show you the rest of the house. And, no, you will not stay in the servants’ quarters. You’re welcome for as long as you need a place to stay, and you are a guest.”
“I’ll just be here long enough to establish a new identity and then I won’t be a bother anymore.”
He was looking down at her again, in a way that made her think that maybe he wanted to kiss her again, and she felt an answering need deep inside. She wanted to kiss him, too.
“Is that what you really want, Charlotte? A new identity?”
“I don’t have any other options.”
“If you would tell me the real reason you left your aunt’s house I might be able to find a different resolution for you.”
She bit her lip and looked down at her hands, surprised to find them trembling. What a relief it would be to tell him everything, but was that the right thing to do? And what if she was wrong about everything? Not just Jacob, but everything else? “America is the right resolution for me.”
He looked up at the ceiling and blew a breath out. “I know there’s more. I wish you would trust me to let me help you.”
“Helping me get to America is all the help I need.”
“Have you thought about contacting your mother’s family?”
“They made it perfectly clear that they did not want my mother and by extension, me. So, no. I’ve never considered going to them.”
