The Folly by Irina Shapiro Page A

supplemented their income by selling certain favors , and once he was in the army , there were always camp followers and visits to brothels every time they took a town.  He wasn’t a fan of paying for sex, but when you didn’t know if you would still be alive tomorrow, moral high ground was not an option.  He ’ d never been in any one place long enough to actually get to know a woman, much less fall in love. 
    This was different, however.  For the first time in his life , he wanted a woman for more than just sexual gratification.  He wanted her love.  Jeremy wanted to spend time with Elizabeth and make her happy.  He wanted to protect her.  He felt as if the sun came out every time she smiled , and seeing her blush when he came into the room , gave him butterflies in his stomach.  He woke up during the night, still dreaming of her ; his nightshirt stained with the evidence of his desire.  If she was any other woman , he would pursue her and not give up until she was his, but this was his father’s wife, his stepmother.  What was he to do? 
    If he knew that Elizabeth was happy with his father he would just leave – - go away for good and never return, but he knew that she was miserable.  He saw her stiffen every time Sir Henry so much as touched her.  She ’ d never known love or pleasure , and he couldn’t just leave her to her fate.  He knew he should be remorseful and contrite, but he simply couldn’t force himself to feel those emotions.  What he felt was an overwhelming passion that refused to be denied , and for once in his life , he wanted some happiness for himself.  He ’ d never known the kind of joy he felt in the past few weeks , and the thought of losing it made him feel defiant and angry.  Wasn’t he entitled to some happiness or was that only reserved for other people?  He had seen on the battlefield how fleeting life was.  What was there worth fighting for if not for the love of a woman? 

 
    Chapter 11
     
    Willa trudged up the narrow staircase to the servants’ quarters in the attic and entered her room.  It was tiny, with only a dormer window high in the wall, but it was all hers.  Most of the girls had to share a room, but Willa had been given her own room on account of being a lady’s maid.  The room was stifling in the summer and freezing in the winter, but she didn’t mind.  A bit of privacy was worth much more than that.  Willa sat down on the narrow bed and pulled off her cap, taking out the pins one by one and putting them on the small wooden table by the bed , until her thick hair finally came tumbling down around her shoulders.  She ran her hands through it, before turning her attention to the buttons on her dress.  She hung the dress carefully and unlaced her corset, taking a deep breath as the offending garment finally came off. 
    She had at least an hour until her assignation , and she decided to take a short nap.  She ’ d been up since dawn and she was tired and hot.  Willa would have liked nothing more than to go straight to sleep, but he would be waiting for her , and she didn’t dare let him down.  He was her ticket to freedom , and if she had to sacrifice an hour of sleep to make him happy, so be it. 
    Willa woke up when the hall clock struck 11p . m . and poured some water into a basin.  She freshened up and put on her dressing gown, ready to go.  The servants were all asleep, tired from the long day, and Willa walked down the stairs and along the carpeted hallway unchallenged.  She turned the handle carefully and walked in, closing the door softly behind her.  He was already in bed, watching her, a smile paying around his lips.  He enjoyed other things more than intercourse , and she certainly didn ’ t mind.  The idea of getting with child scared her to death , so she was willing to do anything to avoid that calamity.  Her lover pulled up his nightshirt, exposing his engorged cock , and Willa got on the bed between his legs, taking