A Passion For Him Part 11

"But it would be only a temporary measure. As a woman, I might be able to a.s.sist you with your problem, which I suspect is feminine in nature."

"You are helping me," he purred.

Her raised brows spoke of her skepticism, but she did not press him.

Exhaling harshly, he shared his thoughts aloud, trusting Jane as a friend and confidante. She was a sweet woman, one of the sweetest he knew. She was not the kind of soul who sought to hurt others or advance herself at another's detriment.

"Do you realize that a man of my station is rarely seen as a man?" he asked. "I am lands, money, and prestige, but rarely more than that."

She listened quietly but alert."I spent my youth in Lincolns.h.i.+re, raised to think of myself only as Ware and never as an individual. I had no interests outside of my duties, no goals beyond that of my t.i.tle. I was trained so well that it never occurred to me to want something of my own, something that had nothing to do with the marquessate and everything to do with me."

"That sounds like a very lonely way to live."

He shrugged and shoved another pillow under his head. "I had no notion of any other way."

When he held his silence, she prompted, "Until?"

"Until one day I traversed the perimeter of our property and chanced upon an urchin preparing to fish in my stream."

Jane smiled and slid from his arms and the bed, donning her discarded robe before moving to the console and pouring a libation. "Who was this urchin?"

"A servant from the neighboring property. He was waiting for the young lady whose father he worked for. They had struck up a friends.h.i.+p of sorts, which intrigued me."

"As did the young lady." She warmed the brandy expertly by rolling the gla.s.s over the flame of a taper.

"Yes," he agreed. "She was young, wild, and free. Miss Benbridge showed me how different the world looked through the eyes of one who suffered under no one's expectations. She also completely disregarded my t.i.tle and treated me just as she treated the urchin, with playful affection."

Jane sat on the edge of the bed and drank lightly, then pa.s.sed the goblet over to him. "I think I would like her."

"Yes." He smiled. "I believe she would like you, as well."

They would never meet, of course, but that was not the point.

"I admire you for marrying her," she said, "despite the sins of her father."

"How could I not marry her? She is the person who taught me that I had value in and of myself. My aristocratic arrogance is now tempered with personal arrogance."

Laughing, Jane curled over his legs. "How fortunate for the rest of us."

Ware ran a hand through his unbound hair. "I will never forget the afternoon when she said, quite innocently, that I was devilishly handsome, which was why she sometimes halted her speech midsentence. No one had ever said such a thing to me. I doubt anyone had ever felt it. When they stuttered it was because of intimidation, not admiration."

"I tell you that you are comely, my lord," she said, the sparkle in her eyes giving proof to her words. "There are few men as handsome as you are."

"That may be true. I do not compare myself to other men, so I would not know." He drank in large swallows. "But I suspect my attractiveness has more weight when I believe in it myself."

"Confidence is a potent lure," she agreed.

"Because she had no expectations of me, I was able to be myself with her. I t was the first time in my life that I spoke without considering the confines of my station. I practiced wooing with her and said things aloud that I had never allowed myself to even consider." He looked down the foot of the bed and into the fire in the grate. "I suppose I grew into my own by knowing her."

Running her fingertips down his bare thigh, she asked, "Do you feel as if you owe a debt to her?"

"Partly, but our relations.h.i.+p has never been one-sided. We practiced deportment together and conversation. I had experience with such things; she was so sheltered."

"You gave her polish."

"Yes. We both gained."

"And now she belongs to you," Jane p.r.o.nounced, "because you helped to create her."

"I-" Ware frowned. Was that where this disgruntlement came from? Did he simply feel proprietary? "I am not sure that is it. She was in love once-or so she says-and she still pines for him. I do not resent that. I accept it."

"Perhaps 'appreciate' would be a more apt word?" Her lips lifted in a kind smile. "After all, she cannot burden you with elevated feelings if they are engaged elsewhere."

He tossed back the rest of his brandy, filling his belly with fire, then thrust the goblet at her in a silent demand for more. "I f that were true, why am I so annoyed by her fascination with another man?"

As she accepted the gla.s.s, her brows rose. "Annoyed? Or jealous?"Ware laughed. "A little of both?" He waved one hand carelessly. "Perhaps my masculine sensibilities are piqued because she never felt such interest in me? I cannot say for certain. I only know that I doubt myself again. I am wondering if my decision to give her the s.p.a.ce and time to heal was an error in judgment."

Jane paused halfway to the console. "Who is this other man?"

He explained.

"I see." She refilled his gla.s.s and warmed the liquor, then returned to him. "You know I cared deeply for my late husband."

Nodding, Ware patted the spot next to him. She crawled up beside him, baring her lithe legs to his view. "But I was tempted to marry another, whom I did not love."

"You jest," he scoffed. "Women want nothing so much as they want devotion and p.r.o.nouncements of undying affection."

"But we are also pragmatic. I f you offer Miss Benbridge all the practical things she covets that this other man cannot provide, she will be more tempted to select you."

"I pointed out that his foreign t.i.tle would require her to leave her sister behind."

"Verbally, you did, yes. Now make it even more difficult by proving it in fact. Take her to see your properties, purchase a home near her sibling...things of that nature. Then, consider her love of romance and mystery. Put that into play, as well. You can seduce her easily. You have the skill and she is susceptible. Flowers, gifts, stolen kisses. Your compet.i.tion is working in the shadows. You have no such limitations."

"Hmm..."

"I t could be fun for you both. A chance to learn more about each other than you now know."

He reached over and linked his fingers with hers. "You are so clever."

Jane's mouth curved in her winsome smile. "I am a woman."

"Yes, I am ever aware of that fact." Reaching to the side, Ware set his goblet atop the bedside table and pulled her beneath him. He kissed her, then moved lower, nudging the edge of the robe aside to take a nipple in his mouth.

"Oh, that's nice," she sighed.

Lifting his head, he grinned. "Thank you for your help."

"My motives are not entirely altruistic, you know. Perhaps you will become aggravated during your attempts to woo Miss Benbridge. I do so love it when you are less than controlled."

"Minx." He gave a mock growl and she s.h.i.+vered.

Which prompted Ware to spend the rest of the hours until morning playing the primitive lover to both their delights.

Amelia peeked around the corner of the house, her low er lip w orried betw een her teeth. She searched for Colin in the stable yard, then heaved a sigh of relief w hen she found the area empty. Male voices drifted on the w ind, laughter and singing spilling out from the stables. From this she knew Colin w as hard at w ork w ith his uncle, w hich meant that she could safely leave the manse and head into the w oods.

She w as becoming quite good at subterfuge, she thought as she moved deftly through the trees, hiding from the occasional guard in her journey tow ard the fence. A fortnight had pa.s.sed since that fateful afternoon w hen she had caught Colin behind the shop w ith that girl. Amelia had avoided him since, refusing to speak w ith him w hen he asked the cook to fetch her.

Perhaps it w as foolish to hope that she w ould never see him again, given how closely their lives w ere entw ined. If so, she w as a fool.

There w as not an hour of the day that pa.s.sed w ithout her thinking of him, but she managed the pain of her grief as long as he stayed aw ay from her. She saw no reason for them to meet, to talk, to acknow ledge each other. She traveled by carriage only w hen moving to a new home, and even then, she could deal exclusively w ith Pietro, the coachman.

Espying the w aited-for opening, Amelia hopped deftly over the fence and ran to the stream, w here she found Ware coatless and w igless, w ith his s.h.i.+rtsleeves pushed up. The young earl had caught some color to his skin these last w eeks, setting aside his life of book w ork in favor of hard outdoor play. With his dark brow n locks tied in a queue and his cornflow er-colored eyes smiling, he w as quite handsome, his aquiline features boasting centuries of pure blue blood.

He did not set her heart to racing or make her ache in unfamiliar places as Colin did, but Ware w as charming and polite and attractive.

She supposed that w as a sufficient enough combination of qualities to make him the recipient of her first kiss. Miss Pool told her to w ait until the right young man came along, but Colin already had, and had turned to another instead.

"Good afternoon, Miss Benbridge," the earl greeted w ith a perfect bow ."My lord," she replied, lifting the sides of her rose-hued gow n before curtsying.

"I have a treat for you today."

"Oh?" Her eyes w idened in antic.i.p.ation. She loved gifts and surprises because she rarely received them. Her father simply could not be bothered to consider such things as birthdays or other gift-giving occasions.

Ware's smile w as indulgent. "Yes, princess." He offered his arm to her. "Come w ith me."

Amelia set her fingers lightly atop his forearm, enjoying the opportunity to practice her social graces w ith someone. The earl w as kind and patient, pointing out any errors and correcting her. It gave her a higher polish and a deeper confidence. She no longer felt like a girl pretending to be a lady. Instead she felt like a lady w ho chose to enjoy her youth.

Together they left their meeting place by the stream and w ended their w ay along the sh.o.r.e until they reached a larger clearing. There Amelia w as delighted to find a blanket stretched out on the ground, the corner of w hich w as held dow n by a basket filled w ith delicious smelling tarts and various cuts of meat and cheeses.

"How did you manage this?" she breathed, filled w ith pleasure by his thoughtfulness.

"Dear Amelia," he draw led, his eyes tw inkling. "You know w ho I am now , and w ho I w ill be. I can manage anything."

She knew the rudiments of the peerage, and saw the pow er w ielded by her father, a viscount. How many more times the magnitude w as the pow er w ielded by Ware, w hose future held a marquessate?

Her eyes w idened at the thought.

"Come now ," he urged. "Have a seat, enjoy a peach tart, and tell me about your day."

"My life is dreadfully boring," she said, dropping to the ground w ith a sigh.

"Then tell me a tale. Surely you daydream about something."

She dreamt about kisses given pa.s.sionately by a dark-eyed Gypsy lover, but she w ould never say such a thing aloud. She rose to her knees and dug into the basket to hide her blush. "I lack imagination," she muttered.

"Very w ell, then." Ware situated himself on his back w ith his hands clasped at his neck and stared up at the sky. He looked as at ease as she had ever seen him. Despite the rather formal attire he w ore-including pristine w hite stockings and polished heels-he w as still a far more relaxed person than the one she met w eeks ago. Amelia found that she rather liked the new earl and felt a touch of pleasure that she had w rought w hat she considered to be a positive change in him.

"It appears I must regale you w ith a story," he said.

"Lovely." She settled back to a seated position and took a bite of her treat.

"Once upon a time..."

Amelia w atched Ware's lips move as he spoke, and imagined kissing them. A now -familiar sense of sadness s.h.i.+vered through her, an effect of leaving her beloved romantic notions behind and embracing unfamiliar new ones, but the sensation lessened as she thought of Colin and w hat he had done. He certainly did not feel any sadness about leaving her behind.

"Would you kiss me?" she blurted out, her fingertips brus.h.i.+ng tart crumbs from the corners of her lips.

The earl paused midsentence and turned his head to look at her. His eyes w ere w ide w ith surprise, but he appeared more intrigued than dismayed. "Beg your pardon. Did I hear you correctly?"

"Have you kissed a girl before?" she asked, curious. He w as tw o years older than she w as, only one year younger than Colin. It w as quite possible that he had experience.

Colin had an edgy, dark restlessness about him that w as seductive even to her nave senses. Ware, on the other hand, w as far more leisurely, his attractiveness stemming from innate command and the comfort of know ing the w orld w as his for the taking. Still, despite her high regard for Colin, she could see how Ware's lazy charm appealed.

His eyebrow s rose. "A gentleman does not speak of such things."

"How w onderful! Somehow , I knew you w ould be discreet." She smiled.

"Repeat the request again," he murmured, w atching her carefully.

"Would you kiss me?"

"Is this a hypothetical question, or a call to action?"Suddenly shy and unsure, Amelia looked aw ay.

"Amelia," he said softly, bringing her gaze back to his. There w as deep kindness there on his handsome patrician features, and she w as grateful for it. He rolled to his side and then pushed up to a seated position.

"Not hypothetical," she w hispered.

"Why do you w ish to be kissed?"

She shrugged. "Because."

"I see." His lips pursed a moment. "Would Benny suffice? Or a footman?"

"No!"

His mouth curved in a slow smile that made something flutter in her belly. It w as not an outright flip, as w as caused by Colin's dimples, but it w as certainly a herald of her new aw areness of her friend.

"I w ill not kiss you today," he said. "I w ant you to think upon it further. If you feel the same w hen next w e meet, I w ill kiss you then."

Amelia w rinkled her nose. "If you have no taste for me, simply say so."

"Ah, my hotheaded princess," he soothed, his hand catching hers, his thumb stroking the back. "You jump to conclusions just as you jump into trouble-w ith both feet. I w ill catch you, fair Amelia. I look forw ard to catching you."

"Oh," she breathed, blinking at the suggestive undertone to his w ords.

"Oh," he agreed.