Page 14 of Unmasked By a Captivating Lady
Andrew grinned. “You sound quite taken with her, Miles! So, you are looking forward to this afternoon tea, then?”
Miles nodded slowly. Hewaslooking forward to seeing Miss Arabella Nott again. He wanted to observe her in her home environment, and see if she really was as remarkable as he had first thought. In her home, would she change as people often did, becoming just another conventional girl?
His blood warmed as he thought about her. And his loins stirred again too. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so attracted to a woman. But did Miss Arabella Nott like him as much as he liked her? Did she care one whit about his supposed title? She didn’t seem the type to care that much. But you never knew.
Her mother certainly cared. That wasveryobvious.
“Well, it will all be revealed tomorrow,” he said slowly. “Nothing might come of it…”
Suddenly, he jolted. What if Ara was as wonderful as he thought she was? He had introduced himself as the Duke of Lancaster now, and it wasn’t something that he could undo. What if he wanted to keep seeing her? Eventually he would have to tell her the truth, wouldn’t he? It wasn’t something that he could keep up forever.
How would she take it, that he had lied to her?
He stirred restlessly, taking another sip of wine. It hardly mattered, did it? He had no intentions to get serious about the young lady. Yes, he was struck by her, but he had learnt the hard way, very long ago, to not get too close to a young lady. Not if he wanted to walk away without his heart broken and bruised.
Lord Miles Comerford was simply not the marrying kind.
***
In bed that night, Miles stirred uneasily in his sleep, tossing and turning, over and over.
He was dreaming. He hadn’t had many of these kinds of dreams before, but when he did, he always woke from them with racing heart and blood afire. Tonight, he was dreaming of Ara Nott.
He was in a forest, but he had no idea where the forest was. All he knew was that there were tall trees surrounding him, creating a thick canopy of green overhead.
He was walking, through the forest, but he had no idea why. His feet seemed to be leading him towards something. It was as if his feet had a purpose all of their own, and he was simply their slave. He couldn’t have changed direction, even if he wanted to.
Suddenly, he saw it, in the distance. A shimmering lake, glistening blue and grey, spreading out before him like a skein of silk. He kept walking towards the water, drawn as if on an invisible thread. There was something in the water. Something that he had to see.
He reached the embankment, staring outwards. And then he heard splashing, in the near distance. Someone was swimming in the lake.
Then, abruptly, he saw her. She was standing before him, rearing up out of the water like a goddess, gently splashing the water around her.
His blood stirred. It was Ara. He recognised her small stature. Her dark blonde hair had been released from the constraints of its bun, and was streaming down her back, falling in undulating waves. The sun picked up the golden highlights.
His eyes strayed to the side. Her clothes were lying on the embankment. He clearly saw her gown, her petticoat, and her undergarments.
She wasn’t wearing any clothes. Not a stitch.
He could only see the top of her dusky breasts, sitting like discs on the surface of the water. Suddenly, she dipped her head under, emerging spluttering from the water, throwing back her head so that her hair hung in long, wet ropes.
His heart started to beat faster, and his loins tightened. He knew that he shouldn’t stay here and watch her without her knowledge, but he simply couldn’t tear his eyes away.
Suddenly, her brown eyes saw him. She didn’t flinch. Instead, he saw the challenge in them. As if she was daring him to come and join her.
In a near frenzy, he shed his clothes, wading into the water towards her. She smiled at him, invitingly. He was so close now. So close that he could almost reach out a hand, and touch her skin…
His eyes flew open, and his heart was pounding like a drum in his chest. He was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Slowly, he sat up in the bed, staring out into the darkness.
It was so real. He could still see her there, in the water. He had no idea what her hair looked like undone, but he had imagined it. He had pictured her in his mind, without her clothes on, even though he had not seen her in her nakedness.
His loins tightened again at the very thought of her in the water.
His heart was still pounding. Restlessly, he stood up, pacing the room, feeling somehow as if a fever was suddenly infecting his blood.
He walked slowly to the window, pulling back the curtain, gazing down at the square below. It was obviously deep into the night; not a single soul was walking there. He saw a thin orange cat suddenly saunter past the street lamp, flicking its tail, then disappear into the darkness. He dropped the curtain, heading back towards the bed.
The pounding of his heart was slowing ever so slightly. He lay down, feeling the sweat on his skin starting to cake in the coolness of the air.
