again, he noticed her cheeks were flushed.
He wasn’t the only one who’d felt the intimacy of the moment.
Nervously, she shifted her gaze to the upper window. She gave a relieved sigh. “Thankfully, my aunts are no longer watching, Lord Somerton.”
“Magnus,” he said, glancing up at the window. “Call me Magnus. After all, we are going to be spending quite a lot of time together during the next weeks.”
Eliza nodded as she looked back down at her page. Finally after several moments, she started drawing again, but there was a tenseness to her stance now. A string of silent words seemed to form on her moving lips as though she were auditioning them, phrase by phrase, on her tongue until she found the right combination.
“We might as well make the most of this time, do you not agree, Lord—Magnus?” she said at last.
He grinned. “What have ye in mind?”
“If I am to carry out my half of our arrangement, I believe we should discuss the qualities you find desirable in a woman.”
“Verra well.”
“Wealth is a given,” she said matter-of-factly, not lifting her eyes from her work.
“Sadly, aye.”
Eliza swallowed hard. “So, let us begin with her …
body.”
Magnus suddenly coughed, surprised by her frankness.
Eliza bit her pink lips every so slightly, then slowly lifted her eyes to him. “You needn’t worry. I shall not judge your choices. You may speak plainly with me, as if I were a gentleman friend.”
Not bloody likely,
Magnus mused.
Eliza held him firm in her sight, stubbornly awaiting an answer.
“Her body …” Magnus’s gaze centered on Eliza’s own lithe shape as he thought about what to say.
She squirmed under his gaze and shrank farther behind the drawing board.
Magnus straightened in his chair. “I—I do apologize,” he said. “I didna mean to make ye uncomfortable. I only sought to frame my reply using yer form as reference.”
“Oh, I see.” Eliza lifted a suspicious brow, but set the board on the table and rose. With a wry smile, she raised her arms from her sides, allowing Magnus a delightfully unhindered view of her.
A rush of heat swept Eliza as she felt him study every curve and crease of her body.
Beneath her shift, her skin tingled, dampened. She pressed her thighs together, willing away the unexpected, yet all too potent, new feelings building deep within her.
Then he spoke. “I have no preferences.” His gaze continued to devour her as he rose and came to her.
Eliza’s heart pounded in her ears as he closed the gap between them. Slowly, she turned her eyes upward to meet his.
“Were my bride to resemble ye, Eliza, I would be most content.” He slipped his fingers beneath her chin and ran his thumb over her bottom lip, tilting her mouth upward to his.
Eliza gasped a broken breath, scarcely able to believe what was happening, but she rode her instincts onward. Without thinking, she opened her mouth to him.
But then, Magnus abruptly drew back his head. Confusion knit his brows as he stared at her mouth, then at his own hand cradling her chin.
“Damn it all,” he muttered. He lowered his hand and abruptly stepped back. “I shouldna do this.”
Eliza didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know what to do.
“I should leave now.” Magnus’s gaze focused on the pavers beneath his feet.
She nodded her head dumbly.
Without looking at her again, he turned and walked away, leaving Eliza standing in the courtyard. Confused. Embarrassed.
Alone.
She dropped into a chair and stared at the courtyard door.
After only one day, her brilliant “arrangement” was fast becoming a huge mistake.
Rule Five
Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.
The night mist, thick and ghostly white, swirled about the coach as it skidded across the slick cobbles. While her aunts excitedly exchanged Society gossip with Grace, Eliza gazed out the small window, her shoulder thumping rhythmically against the door as the coach clattered through the wet
He wasn’t the only one who’d felt the intimacy of the moment.
Nervously, she shifted her gaze to the upper window. She gave a relieved sigh. “Thankfully, my aunts are no longer watching, Lord Somerton.”
“Magnus,” he said, glancing up at the window. “Call me Magnus. After all, we are going to be spending quite a lot of time together during the next weeks.”
Eliza nodded as she looked back down at her page. Finally after several moments, she started drawing again, but there was a tenseness to her stance now. A string of silent words seemed to form on her moving lips as though she were auditioning them, phrase by phrase, on her tongue until she found the right combination.
“We might as well make the most of this time, do you not agree, Lord—Magnus?” she said at last.
He grinned. “What have ye in mind?”
“If I am to carry out my half of our arrangement, I believe we should discuss the qualities you find desirable in a woman.”
“Verra well.”
“Wealth is a given,” she said matter-of-factly, not lifting her eyes from her work.
“Sadly, aye.”
Eliza swallowed hard. “So, let us begin with her …
body.”
Magnus suddenly coughed, surprised by her frankness.
Eliza bit her pink lips every so slightly, then slowly lifted her eyes to him. “You needn’t worry. I shall not judge your choices. You may speak plainly with me, as if I were a gentleman friend.”
Not bloody likely,
Magnus mused.
Eliza held him firm in her sight, stubbornly awaiting an answer.
“Her body …” Magnus’s gaze centered on Eliza’s own lithe shape as he thought about what to say.
She squirmed under his gaze and shrank farther behind the drawing board.
Magnus straightened in his chair. “I—I do apologize,” he said. “I didna mean to make ye uncomfortable. I only sought to frame my reply using yer form as reference.”
“Oh, I see.” Eliza lifted a suspicious brow, but set the board on the table and rose. With a wry smile, she raised her arms from her sides, allowing Magnus a delightfully unhindered view of her.
A rush of heat swept Eliza as she felt him study every curve and crease of her body.
Beneath her shift, her skin tingled, dampened. She pressed her thighs together, willing away the unexpected, yet all too potent, new feelings building deep within her.
Then he spoke. “I have no preferences.” His gaze continued to devour her as he rose and came to her.
Eliza’s heart pounded in her ears as he closed the gap between them. Slowly, she turned her eyes upward to meet his.
“Were my bride to resemble ye, Eliza, I would be most content.” He slipped his fingers beneath her chin and ran his thumb over her bottom lip, tilting her mouth upward to his.
Eliza gasped a broken breath, scarcely able to believe what was happening, but she rode her instincts onward. Without thinking, she opened her mouth to him.
But then, Magnus abruptly drew back his head. Confusion knit his brows as he stared at her mouth, then at his own hand cradling her chin.
“Damn it all,” he muttered. He lowered his hand and abruptly stepped back. “I shouldna do this.”
Eliza didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know what to do.
“I should leave now.” Magnus’s gaze focused on the pavers beneath his feet.
She nodded her head dumbly.
Without looking at her again, he turned and walked away, leaving Eliza standing in the courtyard. Confused. Embarrassed.
Alone.
She dropped into a chair and stared at the courtyard door.
After only one day, her brilliant “arrangement” was fast becoming a huge mistake.
Rule Five
Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.
The night mist, thick and ghostly white, swirled about the coach as it skidded across the slick cobbles. While her aunts excitedly exchanged Society gossip with Grace, Eliza gazed out the small window, her shoulder thumping rhythmically against the door as the coach clattered through the wet
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