Her Lord's Desire (The Forbidden Saga #3) - Maggie Ryan Page 0,1

that I, like your father, have only your best interests at heart. I promise that I will do everything within my power to find your ultimate teacher. You are young and innocent and have so much to learn. Your lessons will continue at the feet of your husband, whoever that will be.” He paused as if giving her a chance to consider what he was saying. Standing, his hands still holding hers, he pulled her to her feet.

“I want you to think about what we’ve discussed. I know you have many questions and most likely will discover many more. Now, it is getting late and it is time for you to find your bed.” He led her to the stairs and bent to kiss her cheek. “Good night, Lucille.”

He waited as if he expected her to ask another question. Instead, she found herself trembling at the answers he’d already given her. She’d thought she had come to know this man, but discovered she had no true knowledge of his identity. Oh, she knew that he truly not only loved her sister but considered her a great treasure, but she also knew she couldn’t comprehend how that love could also involve corporal, embarrassing punishment of the woman he obviously adored. And until she spoke at length and in privacy with Louisa, she’d never come near to understanding how her own twin, an exact duplicate of herself, could not only accept her new lifestyle but seem to find happiness in it.

Edward’s quiet passion in giving her his answers caused her heart to speed up and her blood to race. She found herself wondering if what he said could be true. Was she really as he described? Could she ever find fulfillment with a man she allowed Edward to choose? Could she even consider life with a man who would expect so much from her including things she had never before thought about? Could she find any semblance of happiness in a lifestyle that in any way mimicked the one she was presently living? Her head was aching with all sorts of thoughts and emotions. She felt she could not think of another thing and let out a small sigh.

“Thank you, sir. Good night,” she said softly. She knew that she’d have a thousand more questions to ask, but for now, she needed to think about all that he’d said. As she climbed the stairs, she realized she had been a pupil in her guardian’s ‘class’ since her arrival at Wintercrest Manor though she hadn’t wanted to admit it to herself.

Chapter 1

Charles Lloyds sat back in his leather chair and placed the letter he had been reading onto the surface of his desk. His heart raced as he ran his eyes over every word written across the heavy, cream-colored paper. He shook his head as if unable to comprehend what was being offered. Sitting forward once again, he lifted the letter and reread it for the fourth time.

It seemed he was being considered for the position of headmaster at the school where he had taught mathematics for the past several years. The previous headmaster, Mr. Thorne, had been stripped of his position at the behest of Lord Edward Wintercrest. While Charles agreed wholeheartedly with the school board’s decision to remove the man, he had never once considered that he would be given this opportunity. He finally laid the letter down and stood. His long legs took him across the floor of his very small study. He felt as if he were an animal in a cage and changed direction, quickly striding down the steps of his front stoop, walking with purpose toward the city park.

Headmaster Lloyds? He grinned, discovering that he quite liked the sound of the title. His mind ran through everything that the position meant for him. Not only would his salary more than double, he understood that a larger, more prominent home was also part of the compensation package. He would attain a position that allowed him entry into an upper class of society. Important people who expected and demanded the best would enroll their daughters into his school, placing their precious offspring under his ultimate authority. He would have a position he had never even considered before—a position that required characteristics he was unsure he even possessed. Thinking of what could be in his future made his mind go immediately to whom he wished to share that future with him. Miss Lucille Furniss, his former student, had captured his