“This is so bright and sunny. You’d never know it was drippy and gray outside.”
“Aye, I’m wearing a wee bit of our English liquid sunshine. I’ll be down the hall, changing. There’s a rope pull in the corner if you need anything. Would you meet me in the library in a half hour?” He began unbuttoning his coat, and she couldn’t tear her gaze from his chest. Standing close enough to touch, with his fine lawn shirt transparent from the rain, she couldn’t think of a single reason not to do whatever she pleased. As she smoothed her fingers over his damp shirt, along a deep crevice of musculature, her heart rate quickened.
“If you’re wanting me tae kiss ye, you’re doing it right, lass,” Ethan said with a low rumble.
A quiver raked over his body at her touch, and she smiled. Such simple contact, yet this giant of a man responded readily, at her mercy. At the opening of his shirt, below the bedraggled cravat, she slipped two fingers inside to feel the crisp hairs on his chest. Springy but oddly soft. Finally skin to skin.
Already heated from her blatant ogling in the hall, her core went molten. Lottie knew if she met his gaze, he’d see the effect he had on her. Boldly, she did just that, smiling her welcome. Ethan caught her around the waist, pulling their hips together as her back hit the wall with a controlled push. When he covered her mouth with his, she had to wonder if he wasn’t at her mercy at all. Perhaps in this way, they met as equals.
He sighed into her mouth, as if it were a relief to kiss her, and she understood. Eager fingers made quick work of his cravat until finally the V of his shirt opened to her hands. Their groans mingled while his hand explored up her side to cup one breast.
He pulled back, sucking her bottom lip until the very last second. “You’re killin’ me, Lottie. I need tae go before I make an utter arse of myself.” He dived back in for a fast kiss. “You’re delicious. Library. Half hour.” One more kiss, with a whimpered moan on her part when he removed his hands from the shiver-inducing torture they’d created.
Leaning against the doorway, Lottie struggled to think clearly. She was in his home. Not a single London hostess or gossip-rag spy to be seen. Agatha might go to bed early. There was no delaying this if she wanted to seize the opportunity. It was definitely time to speak with Darling.
Lucky for her, Darling arrived only a few moments after Ethan left. Flanked by a couple of burly footmen carrying Lottie’s trunks, her maid shot her a questioning look. Lottie grinned. If the staff had arrived three minutes earlier, there’d have been far more to see besides one slightly rattled, aroused woman lounging in a doorway.
The staff departed, leaving Darling and Lottie alone. They set to work removing gowns and underthings from the trunks. Selecting a simple day dress to change into, Lottie stepped out of her traveling costume and gathered her courage.
“Darling? I’d like to discuss something with you.”
“What’s that, milady?”
“It’s about Ethan. Lord Amesbury, I mean. I can’t help wondering if this time away from London is a chance for us to get to know one another more intimately.”
“You want him,” Darling said casually, as if discussing the weather.
Hearing it said aloud made all the tension leave her body, and Lottie sank to the edge of the bed like a deflated balloon. “God, yes. And I don’t have the foggiest idea what to do about it.” At Darling’s look, she corrected herself. “Fine, that’s not true. I know exactly what I want to do. But I can’t risk pregnancy.”
“I can teach you preventions, but nothing is guaranteed. Do you plan to actually marry him, then? Sounds like he’s won you over.”
Shaking her head, Lottie said, “No one’s won anyone over, and my plans stand. We have three weeks left of this engagement, and part of it will be here, in the privacy of Woodrest.”
Darling slid the clean dress over Lottie’s head and reached for a brush while Lottie tied the tapes. “So this is more scratching an itch?” Darling asked.
“That’s a rather crass way to put it, but yes. It occurred to me that if I’m trying to find a marriage on my terms, then I should be free to dictate the circumstances. There’s no great love match in my future, so why save my virginity for a husband? This could be my one chance to experience lust to its fullest, and I’m taking it.”
Darling finished brushing Lottie’s hair, then coiled it into a simple knot, letting a few curls wisp free at the front. “You’ll need a sponge and French letters. I’ll send to London for them. Enjoy other methods until then.”
Lottie shot her a questioning look. Darling wagged a finger and said, “Never expect a man to be prepared. Rule number one: make sure you’re taken care of, no matter what.”
“What other methods?”
Darling grinned. “Milady, let’s you and I have a talk, yes?”
A half hour later, her mind swimming with new knowledge, Lottie sent a message to Ethan to apologize for not meeting him in the library, claiming a need to rest until dinner. It wasn’t entirely untrue. The big bed with the soft floral blanket called to her like a siren song, and frankly, it was the perfect place to hide.
Darling, bless her, was a thorough teacher. She’d left after their talk to send for the supplies they’d discussed, which meant the bedroom was empty
