Upon arriving, they handed their mounts over to a stable lad who tugged the horses by their forelocks. Then, she and the earl both slipped into the manor by a side door.
“You should probably get smartened up and stay in the background as much as possible. My aunt and cousins might not notice you are female, but my mother is very astute and extraordinarily little gets by her, so try and stay out of her notice,” Wentworth instructed her.
“I should get your own clothes ready first, my lord,” Juliana said, trying to get back in her role as a valet.
A slight frown creased his brows. “I can manage to dress myself, Juliana.”
She stared up at him, then slowly nodded.
“You can deal with these clothes when you look respectable yourself. Looking crumpled will only draw questioning glances your way.”
“I will be careful,” she replied and then hurried off to her chamber.
The following morning, Juliana woke later feeling vexed and restless. She was not the kind of person to lust after a gentleman, and certainly not one like the earl. Yet she had dreamed of his warm lips touching, teasing, and tasting hers, driving her wild with passion.
She had been in the earl’s home for eleven days and already kissed him. And was inappropriately dreaming about it…longing for more. Why not enjoy the earl in her bed before she went about her ways? She would most likely never see him again. Her plan was to return to New York to be closer to her father’s sister, Aunt Felicity, and her daughters, to open up her own business, and to implement all the plans she’d made with her brother over the years.
But I must remain hidden for a few more weeks.
“What if I should permit more than kisses from the earl?” she whispered to the walls. The idea was so deliciously shocking, a pulse of wanton heat throbbed between her folds.
She rolled over in the small bed and pressed her face into the feathered pillows, hoping to cool the heat in her cheeks.
Why not, I am four and twenty! A spinster by society’s definition, even in New York.
And when she returned to New York, her energy would be directed to meeting with her lawyers, other business owners, architects as she picked a few of the businesses from her father’s dusty portfolio to bring to life. There would be no time for flirting or romantic attachments. Her time here with the earl would be a wonderful memory to treasure for a lifetime.
She pushed from the bed with an irritated murmur and padded over to the sole window in her chamber. Juliana stood for a long time before her room's small window, gazing up at a thoroughly overcast sky.
The only thoughts that should preoccupy her mind were how to deal with her stepfather should he uncover Juliana before her birthday. Though she believed that chance was slim to non-existent, her father had taught her it was best in life to prepare for all eventualities.
Wentworth was a kind and honorable man, and Juliana sensed should she prevail upon him, he would help her in every way possible. She pressed a palm right above the rising ache in her heart. He made her crave things that went against her self-reliant nature.
Juliana really liked and admired his character. In another time and another world, she would have dreamed about the earl courting her.
I know I should not obsess about Wentworth, because he will not fit into my long-term plans. Yet his kisses awakened my body so sweetly that my mind was befuddled by him. My body and mind seem to desire different things, and I am not sure how to deal with it!
Perhaps once settled in New York, she could invite him to visit her. And why would he? A very annoying inner voice asked.
“Because our friendship is…” Well, Juliana wasn’t certain they were even friends. A deep restlessness stirred, and an ache for something more rose inside her heart. She pressed her palm against the cold windowpane, at a loss as to why she spent so many times thinking about the dratted earl.
Not because of a kiss!
She blew out a sharp breath, not liking to admit he had dwelled in her thoughts before those delightful kisses in the cottage. Juliana had never permitted herself to think of life in London and married to a gentleman here. She had always known that she would return to New York and assumed her role in the family business. Her brother