Page 23 of An Earl's Christmas Seduction
“They might not think they do, but maybe they do. Any one of them could be harboring the truth or know something, however innocuous, to lead us to it,” Nicholas replied.
“Well. I suppose so. But I fear you’re just going to create more problems than you’ve already got. I saw the way Constance behaved with you, and the way you behaved with Lady Amelia, too. You’ll only make Constance jealous. She’s not a woman I’d wish to cross,” Harry said.
Amelia was standing outside the door now, leaning forward to catch every word, even as she knew how easily she could be discovered. Her heart was beating fast, and she was eager to discover just what Nicholas thought of her.
“Leave Constance to me. She’s incessant, I know, but she’ll soon realize. And as for Lady Amelia, I find her refreshing,” Nicholas replied.
Amelia’s heart skipped a beat.
“Realize what?” Harry asked.
“That it’s high time we were both going to bed,” the earl replied, and his friend laughed.
“All right, goodnight, Nicholas. And thank you for a splendid evening,” he said.
Amelia shrank back into the shadows, holding her breath as the door opened and Harry emerged. He did not see her, turning along the corridor and making his way up the stairs from the hallway. Amelia was about to follow, but as she stepped forward, a second figure emerged from the library, and she collided with Nicholas.
“Oh…I was just…goodness me, I didn’t mean,” she stammered, even as she could offer no ready explanation as to why she was standing outside the library listening to the earl and his friend.
Nicholas’ face was reflected by the candlelight in the guttering sconces lighting the corridor. The shadows flickered over his features. Was he angry with her?
“You shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, Lady Amelia,” he said, and Amelia blushed.
She felt terrible for having behaved in such a way, and now began to apologize, wanting only to run away and hide herself in her bedroom.
“I…I’m so sorry, it’s…well, I can’t imagine what I was doing. It…” she began.
“Would you like a drink?” he asked.
Amelia’s eyes grew wide with astonishment. She had not expected him to ask such a thing, and now he stepped aside, a smile playing across his face, inviting her into the library. It was an offer she could not refuse, even as she knew her mother would never approve. But Amelia could only think back to the way he had looked at her earlier in the evening, the closeness of their touch out in the woods, the glances across the drawing room.
“I…yes, thank you,” she replied, and ushering her inside, he closed the door behind them.
The library was more a study than a formal space, a large desk at its center littered with piles of paper, and the walls lined with bookshelves reaching to the ceiling. The curtains were pulled across the windows, and a fire was burning in the hearth.
The room was lit by several candelabra stands, and Nicholas pointed to a chair by the hearth, indicating for her to sit. He poured her a glass of brandy, without asking if she liked it, doing the same for himself, before coming to stand next to her, watching as she took a sip.
“What were you doing in the corridor just now?” he asked, and Amelia blushed.
“I was…I really didn’t mean to…but I overheard you talking, and I was curious. I was curious because I really don’t know why you invited me here, and I want to,” she said.
There was no point in lying. She had been eavesdropping, and there was no point in making excuses about it. He took a sip of brandy, smiling at her, and cocking his head to one side.
“That’s not very ladylike, is it?” he said, causing her to blush further.
He was standing above her, his hand resting on the back of her chair, leaning over her. He was a strong man, tall and well-built, but not foreboding. In his company, Amelia could not help but feel at ease, even as she was trying to explain away her embarrassment.
“You did leave the door open. But,I amcurious. I won’t deny it. It’s been a very pleasant evening, but I don’t understand why we’re all here. And now we’re trapped here by the snow. What are we to make of it?” Amelia asked, a slightly defensive tone entering her voice.
She was asserting herself now, the surprise at being caught replaced by a sense of questioning as to the earl’s motives. He was not being honest, and having heard what she had heard, Amelia wanted an explanation. The earl narrowed his eyes.
“You’re a shrewd woman, Lady Amelia,” he said, taking another sip of brandy.
“I don’t like being lied to, if that’s what you mean,” she said, still on the defensive, lest he try to imply she was somehow in the wrong.
He smiled.
“What else did you hear?” he asked.
