Free His Christmas Match (A Gentleman's Guide to Once Upon a Time) by Jane Charles

beauty of her. From
her disheveled, deep auburn hair and body of a goddess to her shapely ankles
and delicate toes, he found himself thinking how was it possible he had not
noticed how desirable Miss Valentine was before now?
    She grabbed a dress and pulled in
front of her body shielding his view as her face turned a lovely shade of
crimson.   Noah’s own face heated, and he
wasn’t sure if it was from his own embarrassment at gawking at her or the
sudden lust filling his body.   He turned
away and stepped toward the door. “My apologies.”   He didn’t wait for an answer and stepped out
into the hall and closed the door.
    Noah leaned back against the
wall, tilted back his head, closed his eyes, and sighed. He should have never
seen Miss Valentine in such a state of undress. It was a vision he would not
likely ever forget. Hopefully, she never learned just how much the light material
revealed to him or how hot desire shot through his body.

 
    Eight

 
    Rosalind’s hands shook as she
buttoned her dress.   As she was without
assistance at the moment, she had chosen one with front closures. Why hadn’t
she dressed earlier, as soon as she was out of bed, or at least as soon as she
had Penelope settled after she drank her tea? Why had she waited until after
she had eaten from the tray that had been delivered?
    Her face was still warm, and she
wasn’t sure she would ever overcome the embarrassment of Lord Felding seeing
her unclothed. Goodness, what must he think?
    Why had he barged in here in such
a manner?   Didn’t he know she and
Penelope were sharing a chamber? Did he often rush into his sisters’ rooms
without permission?
    She would certainly be more
careful in the future and change behind a screen, but it never occurred to her
that anyone would simply walk into the room.
    Rosalind glanced to the bed.   Penelope’s eyes were closed, and she assumed
the young woman was asleep. Thank goodness Penelope hadn’t witnessed her
embarrassment.
    Rosalind’s heart hadn’t yet
calmed, and her pulse rioted in her veins.   She must gain control so Felding didn’t witness how overwrought she was
from the experience.   Her appearance had
to be perfect before she opened the door to let Lord Felding in. Rosalind
walked to the mirror and nearly groaned.   He could not have seen her in a worst state. Not only had she been clad
only in her shift, but she had not yet brushed her hair.   It fell in a mass of tangled curls about her
head. What must he think of her being in such disrepair so late in the day?
    With a stifled curse, she drew
the brush through her hair ripping through the more stubborn knots until she
regained some measure of neatness. With a few quick twist and available pens,
her hair was neatly knotted at the back of her neck.   After a deep breath, Rosalind stepped back
and appraised her appearance. All was what it should be. Now if she could only
forget Felding had seen her a few moments earlier, her world could go on.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure she would ever forget the incident nor the look
on his face.   She had never seen a
gentlemen more shocked in her life. His mouth had opened, eyes widened, and
eyebrows rose.   Was he disturbed, angry,
or simply surprised?   She tried to read
his expression, but her own thoughts were too jumbled at the shock. She hadn’t
even reacted quickly enough to pull the dress in front of her to cover her
body.   What must he have thought of her
standing there reacting too late to keep him from viewing her for far longer
than she should have allowed?
    She would never forget and could
only hope he did.
    Rosalind smoothed her skirts once
last time and walked slowly toward the door willing her hands to stop
shaking.   She opened it to find him leaning
against the wall.
    Felding opened his eyes and
lurched forward. “Please accept my apologies,” he began. “It completely slipped
my mind that you and Penelope are sharing a chamber.   When I heard she was ill,