Page 46 of The Lord's Compass
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Ferrington. I am Lady Faith, but you may call me Faith if you wish.”
“That is very forward of you,” he said with a wink.
“Some might say that I am too forward a woman,” she said. “But someday, a man will come along who appreciates that.”
“What a lucky man he will be,” he said. “You may call me Eric if we are going to be on such familiar terms.”
“Very well, Eric,” she said. “I do hope we can be good friends.”
“I would like that,” he said. “Perhaps we could spend more time together.”
“That sounds agreeable.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow it is.”
He took her hand in his, lifting it until he pressed the back of it against his lips.
Somehow, the gesture was nearly as sensual as anything they had ever done together before.
It was a new start. And she was looking forward to the next chapter.
CHAPTER15
Eric missed having Faith in his bed.
What surprised him was that what he missed the most was simply her presence. Her lemony scent wafting over him. Her soft touch on his face. Her hair tickling his nose. Her cheek pressed against his chest in the morning.
But he had promised himself that this time, they would go slow. They would do this right, come to know one another and, in the process, he would teach Faith that she was worth loving. As long as she was willing to take the steps to trust him.
He had, however, slept lightly and with the door between them open to ensure that she didn’t receive any more unwanted visitors overnight.
A chill crept over him at the thought of her alone with someone in the room. He was still slightly shivering from it when he walked through their connecting door the next morning.
“Good morning,” he said cheerfully, finding her face down in her bed, the blankets pulled up over her head. For as productive a woman she was, she was not particularly pleasant first thing in the morning.
“Mpphf,” came the noise from beneath the pillow as he sank down on the bed next to her, rubbing her back to gradually wake her.
“Today is the day we are going to find our clue,” he said confidently. “Then back to England, we shall go.”
She flung her arms up before stretching her entire body from top to bottom, and Eric had to look away so he didn’t focus on the way her nightgown strained over her bottom.
Slow, he reminded himself. Instead, he stared at the wall across from the bed, his eyes trained on the painting. Or was it a painting? It looked more like a map. An oddly shaped map.
He stood, walking over to it as he studied it with his hands in his pockets.
“Faith?”
“Mmmhhmm?”
“Has this always been here?” he asked, lifting a hand out of his pocket and pointing to it.
He heard a sigh that he assumed meant she was finally awakening despite her desire not to, and she leaned forward, peering at it.
“Actually… no.”
It seemed that this was what would finally get her out of bed.
