Page 42 of An Earl's Christmas Seduction
“They call them the cold rooms, Lady Amelia. No fires are lit in there, and the shutters are kept closed. It makes sense, I suppose. If the rooms aren’t in use, there is no sence in warming them,” Elsie said. Amelia hurried in the direction of the upper wing, hoping to find one of the cold rooms unlocked.
As she made her way up the stairs to the upper wing, she shivered. The landing below was warm, heated by the fires in the bedrooms and in the hallway below. But this part of the house was cold, and Amelia pulled her shawl tightly around her shoulders, hoping it would not be too long before she was found and could return to the comfort of the drawing room, where the yule log was still burning, and the atmosphere was warm and cozy.
“I should’ve hidden in the laundry with Clara,”she thought to herself, trying the first of the doors and finding it locked.
It was the same for the second and third, and she was ready to give up and try another hiding place when the fourth door she tried opened. It led into a bedroom, the furniture covered over by dustsheets, though the bed was made up, as though for the arrival of an unexpected guest.
The curtains were half open, illuminating the room in the dull, gray light of the morning. It was still snowing, and Amelia shivered again, looking around her for a suitable hiding place.
“Under the bed, perhaps,”she thought to herself, pulling up the blankets to reveal the perfect place to conceal herself.
Smiling to herself, she crouched down and rolled under the bed, allowing the blankets to fall back into place. It was the perfect place to hide, and she lay there, wondering as to Nicholas’ progress. He would know the house better than anyone, and Amelia felt certain it would not be long before he found her. The thought of him doing so pleased her. She wanted him to find her, knowing there was every possibility of a romantic assignation.
“You’re getting carried away bydreaming of him, longing for him, and yesterday, perhaps it was all a mistake,”she thought to herself, for she really did not know what to make of the earl’s interest in her.
Did he want to court her? Or was she merely being foolish and hoping for more than would ever be possible? She imagined herself as the Countess of Amhurst, living amid the grandeur of Ashworth House.
“But it doesn’t mean anything, does it? He doesn’t want me to be his wife. I’m just a distraction for him, and…”she told herself, her thoughts distracted by the sound of the door handle turning.
Chapter 14
Amelia held her breath, her body rigid as footsteps entered the room. They paused, and Amelia imagined Nicholas standing by the door, looking around him.
“Someone’s here, I’m sure of it,” he said, and Amelia now heard him walk across the room, his feet appearing beneath the fall of the blanket.
He was so close, she could have touched his feet, and now, with nowhere else to hide, she could only hope he would not pull up the folds of the blanket and discover her. But in truth, Amelia wanted to be discovered, and with a mischievous smile, she reached out and touched Nicholas’ foot. He let out a cry of surprise, springing back and falling onto the floor. Amelia rolled out from under the bed, fearful he had hurt himself, but when he saw her, he began to laugh.
“Did I scare you?” she asked, and he nodded.
“Oh… you certainly did, Amelia. Goodness me,” he exclaimed, sitting up, and still laughing.
She smiled at him, pleased to find herself alone with him, even as she knew the impropriety of being so. But it was not the first time they had found themselves alone, and the thought of their being so sent a shiver running through her.
“Do you like my hiding place? Have you found any of the others yet?” she asked.
“I found Isobel and Edmund. They were hiding in a linen closet and giggling, and I found Clara in the laundry. The twins are still at large, and now I’ve found you,” he said, looking at her and smiling.
She blushed under his gaze, the two of them sitting next to one another on the rug below the bed.
“It’s cold in this part of the house. My maid said they keep it shut up most of the time,” Amelia said, and Nicholas nodded.
“That’s right. They do. No one ever comes up here. We’re quite alone,” he said, slipping his hand into hers.
Amelia’s heart skipped a beat. This was what she had desired, even as she knew they were taking a risk in being alone.
“I… I’ve been thinking a great deal about yesterday,” she said, and he cocked his head to one side, playing with her hand in his.
“As have I. I know it’s difficult, but why shouldn’t we give into those things we desire?” he said.
Amelia could think of no reason, even as she did not want to think of a reason. She desired him, and she wanted nothing more than to be in his arms, to feel his lips pressed against hers, and to be caught up in the passion they had shared; the passion she had dreamed of.
Leaning forward, he kissed her, pulling her into his embrace, and they lay back on the rug, their arms around one another, caught up in another fit of passion, giving in to their desires.
“We should. It’s what I want, too,” she said, gazing up at him, their lips meeting again in a kiss.
He pulled at the shoulders of her dress, his arousal clear, stiff in his breeches, as she pulled open his shirt, exposing his chest to her touch. There was a franticness to their lovemaking, each of them caught up in the desire of haste.
“Then it’s yours; it’s ours,” he replied, his lips tracing a trail along her neck, his hand pulling at her skirt.
