Free Desire Me Now by Tiffany Clare

strip of land there. Needs
     someone to run the operation, as the books are looking funny.”
    “Funny, how?”
    “Someone thinks they can steal from Mr. Riley’s pocket without being caught.”
    She felt as if his words were a warning to her. “How disappointing, considering Mr.
     Riley’s evident generosity toward those who work for him. Or so I have noticed since
     coming here.”
    “He’s a hard man, Miss Grant, and has had a hard life. And the man you see—any man,
     really—behind closed doors isn’t always the same man outside his home.”
    This comment seemed like a warning, but what was he warning her from? Did he suspect
     something more than an employee-employer relationship between Mr. Riley and her?
    Truthfully, Huxley’s words could be applied to even the likes of her brother, who
     was charming, confident, and a man of the world in a public setting. Behind closed
     doors, he was none of those things; he was a monster, bent on harsh cruelty and a
     dark hatred that had her living in fear for too long before her escape.
    She swallowed those memories, feeling a tremble overtake her hands for the briefest
     moment before she tempered her emotions. Squeezing her hands into tight fists, she
     met Huxley’s gaze head on.
    He assessed her for a long moment, and she wondered if she’d given away something
     of herself in her silent contemplation and in her reaction to his words. Her stomach
     chose that moment to rumble, saving her from having to offer a response.
    Checking his pocket watch, Huxley handed her the cane. “Might as well take lunch.
     Everyone wants to meet you.”
    Why that surprised her, she couldn’t say. She hoped she wasn’t a disappointment to
     the staff or that they saw her as usurping any of their positions by being here. A
     silly thought but valid, considering her terrible luck with employment to date.
    “And where does the staff convene at this time of day?” she asked, limping out of
     the library with the aid of the cane and toward the stairs that led to the lower level.
    “They’ll be assembled in the dining hall.” He paced evenly next to her, though she
     could tell he was ready to catch her, should her footing not be true.
    “How many people are employed by Mr. Riley?”
    “Aside from us, four housemaids, a footman, and a cook. As well as the housekeeper
     and her son, Devlin, a boy of nine years, and the groundsman who lives above the old
     carriage house.”
    As they neared the bottom step to the lower level, the noise grew louder around her,
     making it sound as though thirty people worked here, not ten. The kitchen hall seemed
     to be a very busy place. As she and Huxley stepped into the large rectangular room,
     everyone paused and looked up at her. Olive was darning a sock but gave her a big
     grin before going back to her work, tying off a stitch.
    “This is Amelia Grant, the new secretary who will be tending to Mr. Riley’s direct
     affairs outside of the house,” Huxley said by way of introduction.
    “Good afternoon,” Amelia greeted them. “I’m pleased to meet you all. I have already
     met Olive and Hannah.” Amelia smiled at the two women she’d seen in the library that
     morning. Hannah’s deep brown eyes were warm and inviting, her posture comfortable
     where she sat at the table, working on fine embroidery at the edge of a pillowcase.
    “Nice to be properly introduced, Miss Grant,” Hannah said. Her voice was soft and
     accented, and Amelia guessed her native tongue was German. Hannah’s hair was so blonde
     that it was almost white, and she wore it pulled back in a neat chignon.
    A woman with twinkling blue eyes and a kind smile took Amelia’s hands in her own.
     Her skin was smooth and untouched by age, despite her gray hair. “Mrs. Coleman. I
     am the housekeeper. Mr. Riley has needed someone in your position for a long time.
     We are all so glad to have you join us.”
    “Thank you,” Amelia said, not sure how she should respond to