Page 16 of A Promising Little Scandal (Sensual Scandals)

“Yes. It’s why I’ve always been intrigued by fossils. It might be simple to explain, but time itself is so expansive and incomprehensible that the only way we can hope to understand it, is to preserve these artifacts and study them in detail.”

Calliope was starting to understand how important Lyme Regis was, especially when it came to the history of their country. It truly was a special place, and she realized that she had made the right decision by coming here.

At the sound of masculine laughter behind them, Calliope spun around, expecting to encounter the viscount. Unfortunately, she moved too fast, and the heel of her boot caught the edge of one of the formations. She let out a cry of alarm as she fell to the hard ground at her feet. Mary shouted her name, as if from a distance, but time itself seemed to pause.

Suddenly, Lord Blakely’s face was directly above her line of vision. “Calliope! Are you hurt?”

She blinked, trying to gain her bearings as he helped to move her to a sitting position. After doing a quick assessment of her person, she shook her head. “I’m fine.” However, when she attempted to rise, a sharp pain of protest was sent to her brain. She ground her teeth together. “My left ankle.”

The viscount nodded sharply and started to lift her skirts.

Her face instantly heated as she tried to halt his movement. “My lord! I must protest—!”

He paused and looked back at her, those dark eyes assessing. “I need to check the injury to see if anything is broken.”

“You’re not a doctor!”

He sighed impatiently. “Perhaps not, but you will do more harm than good to yourself if you don’t trust me.”

She warred with her conscience, but reluctantly agreed to let him examine her. She told herself that he was professional, just like any physician from London. However, the moment he slipped off her shoe and wrapped his warm, strong palm around her ankle, she froze. The pain began to recede, swiftly replaced by the awareness of his hands upon her.

“Does this cause any discomfort?” he asked as he slowly began to manipulate her foot, rolling it slowly one way and then the other.

When those dark eyes pierced her, she slowly shook her head.

After that, everything changed.

Sebastian stilled. It was as if the breeze coming in from the sea shifted course. He found himself adrift in the depth of Calliope’s deep green eyes. A few copper strands escaped from beneath her bonnet and blew past her face—directly in front of those lips that he yearned to kiss.

As if she could read his thoughts, he heard the change in her breathing and those magnificent lips parted. Could it be that she was anticipating the same moment?

His hand slowly trailed from her ankle to the back of her calf, and he saw the pulse beat at her throat start to flutter rapidly. He slowly leaned closer, and she watched him with wide eyes, but she didn’t move away. He took that as a positive sign, but it wasn’t until her pink tongue darted out to moisten her lips that he had to hold back a groan.

His focus never left her mouth. Just a bit farther, and he could finally be granted a slight taste of her sweet…

“Will she be all right, my lord?”

The spell was broken as Calliope scrambled away from Sebastian. “I’m quite well. Feeling better already.” She was rambling, but Sebastian had to applaud her bravado when she got to her feet. “I think that’s enough exploring for today. I think I shall return to the hotel for some tea.” She winced when she put any pressure on her foot, but nevertheless, she snatched her boot from his grasp and started to limp back toward the village on her own.

Sebastian couldn’t let that stand. He strode forward and scooped her into his arms before she had time to object.

“My lord! What are you—?” Her arms went around his neck on instinct as he held her close to his chest.

“I’ll not have you injuring yourself further and give you even more reasons to despise me,” he interrupted dryly. He glanced over his shoulder at Joseph and Mary. “There’s no need to spoil the rest of your afternoon. I will ensure Lady Calliope is settled.”

With that, he continued walking.

After a time, he heard Lady Calliope’s soft voice say, “I don’t hate you.”

He returned his focus to her with a snort. “Don’t you? If I recall you have taken great steps to ensure that our paths seldom cross.”

She lifted her chin. “You don’t think that might have something to do with your reputation? If you might recall, a gentleman isn’t excluded from polite society if they are caught in flagrante delicto.”

He lifted a brow. “You speak Latin?”

“Very little,” she admitted. “In truth, I found it to be dreadfully boring.”

He laughed. “My tutors at Eton would have said the same. They despaired that I would ever pass the course, which would mean I would have to take it again. They definitely didn’t want that.”

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