Ecstasy Wears Emeralds by Renee Bernard Page A

the way her heart pounded whenever he came too close, a fluttering weakness that distracted and dismayed her. After all, he was her employer and nothing more. But already, her days and nights revolved around him—as a mentor and teacher, but also as her only link to the outside world.
    A bell in the lab rang whenever he went out on call or returned—a signal to his apprentice to be at the ready to offer assistance—and it was a sound that still jarred her nerves.
    It had rung just before dinner the night before, and she’d waited hopefully, indulging in a daydream where he burst into the lab, handsome and vibrant but anxiously seeking her out. Then he had commanded her to grab her coat and accompany him. Come, Miss Renshaw! I need you!
    But naturally, he hadn’t done any such thing and her plan to study until his return had ended up in the uncomfortable sleep on top of a pile of books.
    He never came back. I’d have woken up immediately if the other bell had rung, but it didn’t. The call must be serious for him to be out this long. Oh, well. At least I didn’t have to endure another oral exam before retiring....
    Except she liked the way he pushed her. He expected perfection and credited her with the capability of it. When he corrected her, it never felt like an admonishment. And if she asked him to clarify anything, he would willingly provide examples or stories to ensure that she knew the content and the context of the lesson they were covering. Yesterday at breakfast, he’d even demonstrated a surgical technique on her kipper, much to Mrs. Evans’s horror.
    She moved to stretch her back and neck, massaging the base of her skull to dismiss the dull ache there. She knew better than to bother Mrs. Evans for a cup of tea, but Florence and the others were warming up to her, and Gayle wasn’t too shy to head below stairs and ask if she could make up her own tray.
    â€œPardon.” An unfamiliar male voice from the doorway interrupted her thoughts and startled her into a very unladylike yelp.
    She did her best to recover quickly. “May I help you?”
    â€œDidn’t mean to frighten you, miss! Carter had his hands full with some business in the kitchens and I just let myself up as usual.” His smile and friendly demeanor put her at ease as he moved comfortably into the room as if he’d been there a thousand times. Only an inch or two taller than she was and apparently of a similar age as herself, the slender young man was anything but intimidating, his cheerful blond good looks dismissing fear. “Are you assisting Dr. West?”
    â€œYes.” She knew that Rowan wanted her to be discreet above all things, and she didn’t want to jeopardize her position. She wished to be recognized as far more than an assistant, but Gayle was wise enough to choose her battles.
    â€œI’m Peter James, Mr. Fitzroy’s assistant.”
    When she failed to react, he went on. “Mr. Fitzroy is the chemist. I’m his apprentice and training to be an apothecary myself.”
    â€œOh!” Gayle smiled, now dutifully doing her best to look impressed. I wonder if he’d be as cordial if I told him that I was an apprentice as well. “I’m Gayle Renshaw. Dr. West is out on a call at the moment.”
    â€œA pleasure, Miss Renshaw. His assistant, you say? Well, the doctor is out more often than he’s in, and I’m used to it. I’ve come to check Dr. West’s inventory there in the cupboard and make sure he’s not in need of an order,” Mr. James explained. “I’m sorry if I startled you. The house knows me and I come every fortnight or so.”
    â€œI wasn’t startled.” The denial was foolish, but the impulse to lie was faster than her wits after only a few hours of sleep. “I simply . . . thought you were Florence bringing up a tray.”
    â€œStudying, are you?” His eyes rested on the stack of