Page 12 of Awakening a Lord's Desires
Chapter 11
The next morning, Charles woke having not slept well. His mind had been entirely occupied by the evening before. His valet helped him dress despite his slight daze, and then he slowly trod down the steps to the breakfast room, dreading having to face Oliver and his smug looks.
Miss Caroline had easily taken his focus. She had danced with plenty of other gentlemen that evening, and he’d asked a few other ladies in an attempt to focus his mind elsewhere, but it hadn’t helped. He had been unable to think about anyone or anything else except for her and the conversation they’d shared.
And all he could think about now was when was he going to see her again. He didn’t want it to be just at another ball, for that was a constrained environment. Deep down, he craved for yet again another moment with her with no one else around, perhaps in the woods, where they could be just as they wished.
And so, as he approached the breakfast room, he decided to go for a morning ride instead. He needed air and space to think. He was not yet ready to face Oliver and his teasing or his questions.
“Have my horse saddled,” he said to his butler, and he went to change into more suitable clothing.
Soon enough, he was out in the open air. He wondered why his parents did not care for the countryside. They were social creatures, and they enjoyed their gossip and their fancy gatherings.
And yet to Charles, nothing seemed to compare to the sweet freshness of country air and the fact that it was so empty without anyone around. There was no one to pester him or to ask him questions. There was no one to wonder why he was not at home breakfasting.
He could simply be free, and as he rode down the path where he had met Miss Caroline on that fateful day, he hoped that perhaps there could be a chance encounter. And as if fate was fighting on his side, he spotted her among the plants and flowers beside the path. He slowed, clucking to his horse as he came up beside her.
“Miss Caroline?” he called with perhaps far too much exuberance as he jumped down from his horse and walked right up to her.
She had been crouching down, collecting a few plants to put into her basket, but as he approached, she stood and turned around to face him.
Yet again, whatever he’d been imagining about her beauty was shattered. She was just as lovely, if not lovelier than the day before. And this time, yet again, she was dressed in woolen clothing more appropriate for a servant. Her golden curls were tied back, falling up over one shoulder, just as bright as before. She brushed one of them out of her face as she smiled up at him.
Charles had spent money on Parisian courtesans, women who knew exactly how to please a man in every way possible. They were skilled and effective and confident. And yet Charles had never felt a desire like he felt then, or an appreciation for such a wholesome beauty as Miss Caroline Turner under the sun, wiping lightly at her brow that was glistening with sweat.
“I hope I’m not interrupting,” he said, still sounding far too eager for his own taste.
He removed his hat and glove and left them beside the horse, not caring if they got dirty. He wanted to look and feel just as free as she did amongst the plants.
“But what are you out doing this morning? The same as the other day, I suppose, gathering some herbs. Perhaps you need them to continue your spells.”
“My spells?” she asked with a chuckle. “Whatever do you mean? By the way, it seems you are the intruder this time. For I was lost in the world of herbs and plants until you disturbed me, thundering along with your horse as you did. I was clearly out of the way this time, but you stopped anyway.”
He bowed. “You must forgive me, for I am deeply penitent for the disturbance. What can I do to assist you?”
Her smile broadened again, and she passed him the basket. “Perhaps you can hold this while I collect what I need. That would be the most assistance if you are eager to help.”
“That I am, Miss Turner.”
The most erotic thing that had ever happened to him was a young, beautiful woman passing a basket of herbs to him, asking him to help—or rather demanding it. His body was tense with desire, but it was something so much more than that. He took the basket in his hands, and he wished for nothing more than to be in that very moment forever.
Chapter 12
Caroline was using every strength at her disposal to try to be strong and confident in front of Lord Spencer—or Lord Charles, as she had begun to think of him in her imagination. The night before, she’d done little else but dream about him, and she’d rushed out of the house early to clear her mind of him.
She did not wish to be foolish over a man, and he was making it difficult. So much so that as she’d bent over collecting a bit more thyme and heard hooves thundering towards her, and her mind was instantly brought back to thoughts of him.
She’d moved away off the path to stay safe, but secretly, she’d hoped it was Lord Spencer come to find her again after their experience in the ballroom last evening. The thought of that made her skin feel too tight. And she didn’t know what to do with it until she heard his voice and stood, turning slowly to look at him with a smile.
When he told her that he’d be eager to assist, she easily passed the basket into his hands. It was not something that she thought she’d ever do, and yet it felt right. Seeing the look of pleasure on his handsome face made it all worth it.
She enjoyed teasing him, and he was there, whether by chance or not—and she did not want him to go. This was the perfect way for them to spend time together, for no one came out in those woods. They were far too afraid, as the maids had told her many times before.
And as her stepmother had said, it was not seemly for people to be seen traipsing about the woods when it was so uncontrolled, so wild. They preferred to stay in their homes and feel safe. But as she and Lord Spencer walked side by side through the meadow towards the forest, she felt safe, in a real sense of the word, and yet she felt open to adventure as well. With him, it felt as if anything could happen.
She had never walked side by side with a man for so long, and while she was nervous, her heart pitter-pattering like a frightened bird, she enjoyed it.
“Have you ever searched for herbs before, Lord Spencer?”
