Free The Housemaid's Scandalous Secret by Helen Dickson Page A

beat. His grey coat of Bath superfine hugged his broad shoulders, its excellent cut emphasising his broad chest and much narrower hips. His dark hair glowed softly in the sunlight slanting through the windows. With rigid calm she placed her work on the table in front of her and, rising, she bobbed a small curtsey.
    He stopped just in front of her, and stood gazing into her eyes with a thoughtful expression. He seemed to peer down into her very soul.
    ‘Miss Napier,’ he greeted her, his blue eyes aglow, a beguiling little smile on his lips, ‘how pleasant to see you and how well you look. Please, do sit down. I have no wish to interrupt your work. I’m here to see Araminta.’
    Lisette did as he bade and sat back down, taking up her sewing. ‘Miss Araminta is taking a bath. She shouldn’t be too long—although sometimes she does like to wallow among the suds. Perhaps you would prefer to come back later.’
    ‘I’m on my way out and would like to see her before I go. I’ll wait,’ he said, unable to think of anything better than spending a few minutes with this exotic young woman. It was the first time since she had taken up her position that he had found the opportunity to speak to her alone.
    Lisette was aware of his aroused interest. From beneath dark brows he observed her with close attention, and then seated himself in a chair facing her, and with quiet patience he waited, like a cat before a mouse hole. He was watching her steadily, and she sensed the unbidden, unspoken communication between them.
    Ross was thinking low lovely she was. Her hair drawn back from her face and coiled in her nape was very neat and tidy, and her cheeks were smooth and slightly golden. She wore a grey woollen dress and a starched and frilled white apron tied at the back of her small waist in a large and perfect bow, hugging her slender contours and emphasising their softness, leaving him with an urgent longing to fill his arms with their warmth.
    ‘I have to confess that in the beginning I wasn’t convinced you’d turn up here,’ he said softly.
    In disregard of the doubt she had felt during the time she had seen him at the Exchange, she said, ‘I had no choice. When the Arbuthnots left for Brighton, I had nowhere else to go. Besides, I am not all that enamoured of London and the thought of Derbyshire appealed to me.’ She could feel his gaze on her bent face. With a stirring of irritation and something else she could not put a name to, resolutely she lifted her head and met his eyes. ‘Have you had an edifying look at me yet, Colonel?’
    Quite unexpectedly he smiled, a white, buccaneer smile, and his eyes danced with devilish humour. ‘You don’t have to look so irate to find yourself the object of my attention. As a matter of fact I was admiring you.’
    Unaccustomed as she was to any kind of compliment, the warmth in his tone brought heat creeping into her cheeks. ‘You must excuse me if I seem a little embarrassed, Colonel. I’m not used to flattery.’
    ‘I was merely thinking how lovely you are, Miss Napier.’
    She shot him an amused look. ‘And how many women have you said that to?’ she asked, a smile trembling on her lips.
    ‘Several. And it’s always the truth.’
    ‘I dare say you’ll be eager to see Castonbury Park again.’ Lisette looked down and did another stitch, eager to divert the conversation away from herself and relieved that she had something to occupy her hands.
    His fascinating lips lifted fractionally. ‘Eager enough, Miss Napier. I am concerned with family matters just now and my uncle’s health is not what it was.’
    Lisette wished his voice was not so very deep; it made her nerves vibrate.
    A moment passed before he said, ‘I wanted to have a word with you, Miss Napier.’ She raised her head and waited for him to continue. ‘You don’t need me to remind you how unusual it is for a girl of your age to be working as a lady’s maid. I know my sister has great confidence in