Page 23 of The Gentleman's Seduction
“Yes, it was. Until tomorrow.”
She retreated to the door and stepped into the corridor, but his heart was still pounding long after she’d gone. His body was tightly wound, and he knew it would be hard to relax after having Livvy so close to being in his bed.
He settled back on his bed and blew out a frustrated breath. Never in his life had a woman tied him up in such knots.
I may have made a grave mistake in bringing her here.
LIVVY PRESSEDher fingers to her lips, smiling at the memory of his kiss. Had she really asked him to kiss her good night?
I did.
And it had been wonderful.Toowonderful. Yet he’d kept his promise, and nothing had happened beyond that kiss. She shouldn’t have asked him to keep it to just one kiss. Yet there was a small rational bit of her that was glad she’d managed to buy some time to calm things down between them. If she acted foolishly and rushed headlong into things with Mr. Banks, it would break her heart.
She entered her bedchamber and was relieved to see Mellie laying out a thin, lacy nightgown.
“How was dinner?” the maid asked.
“Lovely. More lovely than I expected,” Livvy admitted.
“I hope the master was on his best behavior?”
“Good enough, I would say,” she giggled. He’d nearly convinced her to toss all good reason aside and stay in his bed tonight. She knew she would at some point do just that, but she wanted to see how strong she was, and more importantly to see if he kept his promise of letting her choose how fast their relationship would progress.
Mellie twirled a finger in the air. “Let me unbutton you.”
She offered the maid her back, and Mellie started unbuttoning her gown.
“As long as you are enjoying your time here, that is all that matters.”
Livvy bit her lip, thinking it over. She was enjoying it. Yes, she and Martin hadn’t had the best beginning, and yes, she was here to pay her father’s debt…but she felt less restricted than she’d expected. Less a prisoner and more a guest. Perhaps her situation wouldn’t be so terrible? The gown dropped from her, and she waited for Mellie to undo her stays.
“He said he is taking me riding tomorrow,” she added, then relaxed as the tight stays loosened.
“That will be wonderful. He loves to ride, even in the winter. He usually goes alone, mind you, so it will be quite a treat for him to have a lovely lady to escort.”
“He didn’t ride with…his other mistresses?”
“Oh no!” Mellie chuckled. “He only took them in his carriage. Riding is something he enjoys to do alone.”
Well that was something. She didn’t like to think that she was like all those other women who had come before her, and she especially didn’t want to be treated like them.
Once she was in her nightgown, she removed the pearl earrings and necklace and placed them carefully in the hands of the lady’s maid.
Mellie sighed. “So lovely.”
“Aren’t they?” She waited for her to undo the pins in her hair. The two girls giggled as Mellie combed her hair out. Then Livvy climbed into bed, and Mellie added two more logs to the fireplace before she slipped into the corridor and left Livvy to sleep.
Livvy blew out the last candle by her bed. Then she puffed her pillow, nestled into the covers, and closed her eyes. It was no good. She couldn’t stop herself reliving that kiss and how wonderful it felt. The thought of it still plagued her. She was falling too quickly into Martin’s seduction. No self-respecting lady would let that happen. Yet she had.
What if it was all one elaborate deception? What if he wasn’t the man she’d hoped he was, the kind, sweet, seductive man she was starting to care about?
8
Hyde Park in the winter was truly magnificent. The ice glittered from the tips of the bare branches like crystals hanging from chandeliers. Livvy marveled at the sight from the back of her new horse, a dappled gray mare that was utter perfection. The mare’s black nose and four dark socks along with the mix of shadowy gray spotted coloring was exquisite and unique. The horse was sturdy like a thoroughbred, yet her legs were more slender and curved like an Arabian.
“Well then? How do you like her?” Martin asked as he maneuvered his own dark-gray gelding close to hers.
“She’s wonderful. Wherever did you find her?” Livvy asked. She kept a careful eye on the other riders in the park, since the ice was still slick upon the ground and she feared their horses might slip and collide with another horse and rider.
