Page 18 of The Villain
aphne’s second night at Dunnottar passed uneventfully, much to her surprise. As promised, Adam came to dine with her in the drawing room adjacent to her chambers—the same room where he’d shamed her in front of Niall and done wicked things to her on top of the table. Her face burned with excruciating embarrassment as she sat there, forced to eat at the same table upon which he had demonstrated how easily he could bend her to his will. He seemed to know it, casting her knowing glances from across the table, smugly smirking as he brought bits of lamb up to his mouth with his fork.
She half expected him to lunge across the table and take her down to the carpet, perhaps indulging in a repeat performance from this morning. Maybe he would push things further. Her throat had constricted at the thought, making it difficult to breathe, let alone eat.
However, Adam proved capable of behaving like a gentleman. They ate together in near silence, the only words exchanged comments on the spread laid out between them. Once they finished, he bid her good night and left her alone in the drawing room. He did not even touch her, though he did pause in the doorway and rake his gaze over her in that way of his—the way that reminded her that for the next twenty-nine days, she was this man’s property. She’d barely survived the first day, feeling several times as if she might break under the strain and suspense. Yet, she had persevered.
“One down, twenty-nine more to go,” she muttered to herself as she left the drawing room and returned to her own chamber.
Tomorrow, she would not spend so much of her time in this room alone. Perhaps she would explore more of the areas Adam had given her permission to enter. Though, curiosity had her wondering what lay in the wing just off the one she occupied. The one he had explicitly warned her away from.
“Don’t be daft,” she chided herself. “The man will throw you out without the money, and then where will you be?”
The sound of a throat being cleared startled her, and she fought to calm her racing heart as Maeve came into view, approaching from the corner of the room.
“Beg your pardon, my lady,” she said with a quick curtsy. “I did not mean to frighten you. I was waiting up to prepare you for bed.”
Lifting her chin, Daphne pretended to be unperturbed by having been caught talking to herself. “That would be fine, Maeve.”
As the young maid approached, Daphne held still and allowed her to begin unfastening the gown. She released a sigh of relief as the constricting garment fell away, heedless to her nudity underneath. Despite being annoyed with Adam for insisting she have new clothing during her stay, she found herself looking forward to wearing garments that fit.
Maeve hummed happily as she gently laid the gown across the bench sitting at the foot of the bed, then took up the nightgown she’d draped beside it. Daphne studied the maid with curious eyes, wondering why she would willingly work for a man like Adam. Yes, work could be hard to come by for a servant, but there was no shortage of homes in London where Maeve could work as a lady’s maid. What inspired such loyalty in her for the ‘Master’ of Dunnottar? Did she know about the things Adam had done to her since her arrival? Perhaps it was not surprising because he was in the habit of debauching young maidens of theton. Or worse … he had done them to Maeve.
For reasons she did not understand, the notion of Adam kissing Maeve the way he had her—touching her … stripping away her clothing with a single gaze—caused anger to flare in her gut.
“There,” Maeve said once she’d finished brushing and braiding Daphne’s hair for bed. “Would you like anything before you go to sleep, my lady? A nightcap or tea, perhaps? A book to read? The Master gave me a collection of tomes he thought you might enjoy.”
Raising her eyebrows, she paused in the middle of climbing into the bed, the covers turned down and one knee upon the mattress. “He did? When?”
Maeve smiled, beaming as if proud of her ‘Master’ for doing something so thoughtful for his guest. “Just this evening before dinner. I placed them on the bedside table.”
Glancing to her left, she found a stack of books waiting for her beside a lit lamp. With a frown, she glanced back up at Maeve. The maid went on smiling, giving her an encouraging nod, her gaze darting to the pile.
Settling against the pillows, she sighed. “Thank you, Maeve. I will read one of these books, but the nightcap will not be necessary. Good night.”
The maid curtsied and picked up her discarded dress and slippers before leaving. “Good night, my lady.”
Once she had been left alone, Daphne reached toward the books, taking the one on top of the stack. Just because she hated Adam and the things he’d done to her family did not mean she couldn’t enjoy what his extensive library had to offer. From what she’d seen during her tour today, there was more where these books had come from.
She glanced down at the front cover of the tome in her hands and gasped, her breath catching in her throat and beginning to burn. Her heart thundered in her chest as she read the inscribed words, her face growing hot.
The School of Venus, or the Ladies’ Delight, Reduced into Rules of Practice.
An erotic novel. Adam had sent an erotic novel to her room.
Tossing the book aside, she reached for the next one in the stack, her jaw clenching as she read the second title.
Venus in the Cloister.
Yet another salacious and indecent work of fiction.
Daphne rifled through the others, her jaw dropping as she found more of the filth, more than she could possibly read in a night.
A Dialogue Between a Married Lady and a Maid.
Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure.
The Tale of Two Lovers.
Fanny Hill.
