Free Demon of Mine by Ranae Rose Page B

other
servants would say if she bedded down in one of the spare rooms as
if she were a visiting lady. Besides that, Mrs. Hughes’ reaction
would surely be outrageous if she caught wind of Elsie’s midnight
escape. “The feeling is already coming back into my legs. You need
only to deliver me to the corridor, and I shall be able to make my
way inside and to my bed myself. I’d rather no one knew that I ever
strayed from my bed tonight.”
    “ I understand.” He was
silent until they reached the hallway that lead to the maids’
quarters on the third floor. “Are you sure you’ll be able to manage
if I leave you here?”
    “ Absolutely.” Her legs were
tingling terribly, but sheer determination would see her to her
bed, if nothing else.
    He lowered her gently and she managed
to stand while gripping his arm for balance. The moonlight
streaming through the window at the end of the corridor was just
enough to let her make out the blurred, rectangular shape of the
door that would separate her from Damon, plunging her once again
into her true world – the world of a housemaid. The magic of the
unexpected intimacy she and Damon had shared still caused her lips
to tingle and encouraged her to linger, gripping his arm for half a
moment longer than was strictly necessary. “Thank you,” she
whispered, lest anyone should hear.
    He lowered his head, and his lips
brushed her ear, sending shivers of delight down her spine as he
spoke. “I’m sorry if my actions triggered your attack. I never
meant to harm you.”
    “ You’re not to blame. My
episodes often occur at the most inconvenient of times.” The
remembered sounds of shattering china tumbled through her mind,
complimented by passionate moans she knew she’d never
forget.
    “ Goodnight,
Elsie.”
    At last she relinquished her hold on
his arm and turned away. She paused for a moment, but it was
dreadfully clear that he intended to see that she at least made it
through the door safely. Her cheeks burning, she stepped
unsteadily, resting a hand on the doorframe and slowly pushing it
open. Thank God the Remington houses were kept in perfect order, so
that the door hinges never squeaked. Inside, she made her way
carefully to her bed and slipped gracelessly beneath the covers.
When she shut her eyes, her memories of the kiss she and Damon had
shared gave way to dreams of what might have happened next had she
not suffered an attack.

Chapter 5
     
    Much to Elsie’s relief, Mrs. Hughes
decided the next morning that Elsie would benefit from some time in
the gardens for ‘a spot of fresh country air’. Elsie had feared
that the housekeeper would demand that she spend the entire day in
bed again, especially when she learned of her vision trouble. Her
left eye was no longer completely blind, but her vision in both was
frightfully blurred. Straining to look at anything for too long
gave her a headache.
    “ It’s a pity you have to
see the gardens for the first time in this condition,” Mrs. Hughes
said as she guided Elsie to the rose bushes behind the house,
walking at a slow gait that was a far cry from the housekeeper’s
usual brisk pace. “The roses are lovely.”
    Elsie’s cheeks warmed. Of course, she
didn’t let on that she’d already visited the gardens. “I can smell
them. The scent is wonderful.” The flowers appeared as little more
than colorful blurs against the dark green of the foliage that bore
them.
    Mrs. Hughes nodded approvingly. “Now
just sit here,” she guided Elsie to a bench, “and relax. It’s early
enough yet that the sun shouldn’t be a bother, and I’ll have the
herbal tea sent out to you at half past the hour.”
    Elsie sat on the stone bench,
agreeably clutching Mrs. Hughes’ proffered arm despite the fact
that she didn’t really need it. “Thank you, Mrs. Hughes.” She
couldn’t wait for the woman to be gone so she could sit in privacy,
basking in the tempered early morning sunshine and memories of her
time among the rose