The Earl's Desire (5 page)

The silence stretched. She clamped her lips together and nervously looked about the room. It was enormous and beautifully designed. To her left were very tall, wide windows that overlooked the woods to the west of the estate. The thick red velvet drapes were drawn to each side of the windows, allowing winter light to brighten the room. On her right were floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with hundreds of books, and stairs climbed to a balcony where more books were neatly placed on more shelves.

“
Chris!”

She jumped. His tone demanded attention, but his voice caused her blood to sing. She gave him her sweetest smile, hoping it would please him.

“
You may sit down on that seat.”

She nodded and scurried toward the elegant chair he’d indicated.

“
How are you?” he asked, his eyes roving over her.

“
I’m fine,” she replied eagerly.

“
And your wound? Has it properly healed yet?”

“
Yes, my lord,” she said. “I’m better now. The wound took a long time to heal, but I’m good and healthy now, you see.” She stood up again to her full height and rotated one full turn on her spot, allowing him to inspect her body.

Amused, Merrick nodded for her to sit down again. “Welcome to Huntingdon Hall. Do you think you’ll be happy here?”

Christine found her throat tight, unable to believe that this was really happening to her.

He laughed. “What’s wrong, Chris? Cat got your tongue?”

She shook her head.

Merrick stared at her lips, now glistening bright red. A nice heat of liquid rushed through his being. He frowned, abruptly got up, and strolled to the far side of the room, where he pulled the bell rope.

She wondered if she’d annoyed him by her silence. Perhaps he was already regretting that he was now her guardian. When he returned to his seat, however, he smiled at her and showed nothing of his earlier annoyance. She sighed with relief and told herself that she must be imagining things.

“
I’ll get Mrs. Ross, the housekeeper, to show you around,” he started.

She nodded her head again.

“
Be careful there—you might break your little neck, and I don’t want to be responsible for that,” he said. She smiled at his joke.

A moment later, there were three rhythmic knocks at the door.

“
Enter!” Merrick called.

The door opened to reveal a plump, elderly woman neatly dressed all in dark gray except for her white, frilly cap, gray hair escaping onto the nape of her neck.

“
Mrs. Ross,” Merrick said, “this is Chris Smith. Please take him to his room, and later on you can show him around the Hall.”

“
Of course, my lord,” the plump woman said. “Come this way, err…”

“
Chris, just call me Chris,” Christine said, standing up.

“
No, you will not call him Chris, Mrs. Ross. You will call him Master Chris, Master Chris Smith,” Merrick supplied.

“
Yes, my lord,” Mrs. Ross said, nodding her head at Merrick.

Christine paused as she joined Mrs. Ross and said with a smile, “Thank you, my lord. You are ever so kind.” With that, she went into the hallway.

Mrs. Ross took Christine to her bedroom and told her to rest while refreshments were being prepared for her. Christine, unaccustomed to this kindness and luxury, nodded mutely. A few minutes later, a maid brought in a tea set on a tray, placed it on the table, curtsied low at Christine, and then left.

“
I will leave you to enjoy your refreshment, Master Chris. I will return soon to show you around the Hall,” Mrs. Ross said and left.

Alone again, Christine relaxed for the first time and turned her attention to the tea, her first time tasting it. About half an hour later, Mrs. Ross reappeared and took her for a tour around the Hall and introduced her to the household staff. By the time this was over, she was exhausted and was very glad indeed to have a bath in a huge hip tub, which she thought very pleasant. She took her time washing herself, enjoying the task tremendously. Once the water was cold, she reluctantly climbed out and dressed herself. Then she took a stroll about the Hall to familiarize herself with where all the rooms were. When she encountered Merrick’s room, she couldn’t help herself and wandered in.

The master bedroom was very large and elegant, nicely refurbished with thick velvet drapes and upholstery. A settee and two chairs were positioned near the hearth, and three windows overlooked the garden. On one wall were two portraits. One was of a youth wearing a navy blue riding habit and astride a horse. He was smiling, and he looked very handsome. She wondered who the boy was.

She turned her attention to the other painting. It was of an exquisite woman with blond hair and bright, metallic-gray eyes. Her perfect English-rose complexion made Christine’s heart ache for some reason, and she sighed.

“
What are you looking at?”

Christine jumped. “My lord, I didn’t hear you come in,” she said, blushing profoundly.

“
Hmm, I came in a few seconds ago,” he said, grinning, and he admitted to himself that he liked observing the youth unnoticed, particularly when he had a dreamlike smile on his face. It amused him vastly, and he couldn’t take his eyes off the little brat.

“
What are you doing in here?” he asked.

“
I was just exploring,” she replied shyly, wondering if perhaps she had overstepped her boundaries.

“
I see,” Merrick commented, noting the blush creeping up those delicate cheeks. “Stop calling me my lord—call me Merrick.”

“
But—”

“
No buts,” he interrupted. “Now, where’s my valet?” He glanced at her confusion and said, “Paris is not very good with time. He has very good eyesight, but he’s very deaf and very forgetful. You’ll know what I mean when you meet him. Damn, I need a bath and to get ready on time for the dinner party.”

“
Would you like me to go and find him for you?” she asked helpfully, knowing very well that she’d never find the valet because she did not know what he looked like, and she’d get lost trying to find her way around.

Merrick said, “No. He’ll be here soon enough.”

Christine watched in fascination as he took off his jacket and then undid his cravat. She thought he seemed tired, but still he looked very handsome with his dark hair now in a disheveled state as he raked his fingers through it. She had the urge to tousle it and make it even messier.

Merrick glanced at her and chuckled. “Perhaps you would like to help?” he asked playfully.

Christine bit her lip shyly and nodded.

“
All right, come along then. I’ll show you my wardrobe.” That being said, he grabbed her slender wrist and led her to the bedroom and then to the walk-in wardrobe.

Christine found that the wardrobe was one big room of its own where his evening outfits were placed in one section, his riding habits next to that, his day outfits in the middle, and his night clothing at the far end.

“
Can you remember it all?” he asked once they had completed the tour. “Though you only need to ask if you don’t know.”

She smiled uncertainly and slowly walked around, searching and collecting the items that he needed—with his guidance at times. Once done, she stepped back into the bedroom with Merrick behind. Her eyes caught the massive bed in the middle of the room. The mahogany headboard was elegantly designed with gods and fairies. Then she looked to the blankets and found herself staring at the embroidery which featured twin peacocks.

Her heart beat so fast she thought it would leap out of her chest. Her stomach felt hollow, and she shivered all over.

“
Is everything all right, Chris?” Merrick touched her shoulder.

She nodded, her lips clamped together. “I’m all right,” she reassured herself more than him, clutching the pile of his clothing tightly to her chest.

“
I’m going to have my bath,” he said.

When he’d shut the door behind him, she turned back to look at the bed. The room turned uncomfortably silent, though the thumping of her own heartbeat was loud in her ears. She tried not to think of what she had discovered.

There they were, the twin peacocks, in exactly the same design and colors as those in her dreams. She shut her eyes, and the images came to her in full force.

The ghostly figure loomed toward her, suffocating her. A large, strong hand seized her arm. When she struggled to break free from the imprisonment, his grip became tighter, tearing at her arms. The ghostly man threw her onto the bed and pulled himself on top of her. His hand slid under her arm and imprisoned her there. His head moved toward her face and continued to move down to her neck. His other hand came down to her breasts. He captured one in his hands and squeezed it.

“
Chris, my robe!”

Jolted back to reality, she looked around her in confusion, and her hands felt damp. She took a deep breath, rushed into the wardrobe, and looked for the robe. She found some, quickly grabbed one, and hurried back.

“
I’m sorry,” she said, rushing into the sitting room, and then she came to a complete halt. “Oh!”

“
What took you so long?” Merrick asked.

Christine stood rooted to her spot; her eyes were large as she took it all in—the image of the naked earl.

He came to stand before the hearth with his back to the fire, his hands clasped behind him and the water dripping from his muscular body. His skin was tanned, and his hair was wet, clinging to his handsome face. He looked magnificent, and she found she couldn’t breathe properly. Suddenly, she felt her own body trembling in response.

She kept staring at him, from his dark head to his face, to his muscular chest and arms, down to his flat stomach, and then she shut her eyes abruptly once she had glimpsed the lower part of his body. She twisted around, blushing.

“
Chris, what the hell are you doing?”

Her face turned crimson. “Oh, I… umm,” she muttered.

“
What’s the matter? Have you never seen yourself naked before?” he chuckled.

She widened her eyes as she stared at the floor.
Yes, but I’m not as beautiful as you are!

“
Come here, boy, and hand me that robe. I’m getting cold.”

“
Yes,” she said and rushed to him, her eyes still on the floor. She shoved the robe to him without looking up.

He grabbed it but did not put it on. Instead, he nudged her chin up with his fingers and thumb so she could look at him. “What’s the matter, Chris?”

“
Nothing. Are you finished? Do you want me to throw out the bathwater?” she asked nervously, shivering at the way he was staring at her. She thought there was longing in those eyes, a longing so raw that it broke her heart just looking at them.

She broke their eye contact, moved back, placed the pile of his clothing on the settee, and moved toward the bath.

He caught her arm. “The servant can do that. You can help me dress.”

She nodded. He let go of her arm and put on his robe.
Thank God
, she thought. She really couldn’t handle any more embarrassment.

“
Get my towel.”

She grabbed the towel lying on the seat and gave it to him. He took it and started to dry his hair. She watched him, amazed at the ease with which he dried his own hair.

He stopped and looked at her pointedly. “Come here.”

She raised her brows and took a step closer. He handed her the towel. “Dry my hair,” he instructed.

She glanced at the towel in her hands, then tilted her head to look at him. “Right,” she said and shoved the footstool closer to where he stood and climbed up onto it.

“
Very clever, Chris,” he chuckled.

“
Thank you,” she said and started to dry his hair.

Merrick felt warm sensations rush through his body from head to toe as she gently dried his hair. He shut his eyes and felt quite content. It surprised him because the usual emptiness wasn’t here.

“
There, it’s dried,” she said.

He walked over to the table, took the brush, and handed it to her. “Brush my hair.”

She grabbed the brush and started to stroke the strands of his hair through her fingers. It was soft and wavy. She smiled and was puzzled at why she was so happy just touching his hair. Once she’d combed the strands until they were smooth and out of tangles, she jumped down and looked at her handiwork.