“Checkmate.”
Their gazes collided. She expected to find him pleased with his victory, but he looked strangely intense.
“You toyed with me!” she complained with a half-laugh.
He took a long sip from the glass of wine at his elbow. “It wasn’t so easy. Allow me to enjoy the victory. You will beat me soon enough.”
“I will!” she said heatedly. “I shall study the books on chess games in the library!” Her passionate declaration surprised her as much as him. It would take her months to discover how to beat him if she ever could. Why was it important to her? That she sought his approval and admiration surprised her.
Nicholas replaced the pieces on the board without further comment. Carrie could sense a palpable change in mood. His expression now seemed thoughtful, although it could be the flickering candlelight. The day of her departure grew closer. Might he be sorry? She searched his face but failed to discern his thoughts. He hid his emotions too well, while she struggled to hide hers. Could he read her like a book? she wondered, frustrated.
“I enjoyed the game,” he said in an offhanded fashion, which annoyed her. “Shall we join these two quarrelsome children?”
They rose, and as he moved her chair, his fingers brushed the bare skin of her arm below her capped sleeve. The slightest touch but it sent her pulse skittering. Her gaze flickered up at him but saw only his profile as he crossed the floor.
“What is causing all this dissension?” he asked.
They had given up their game and sat glaring at each other. “Bella won’t admit she cheats,” Jeremy said with disgust.
Bella glared at him. “I don’t!”
“Shall we play cards then?” Nicholas opened the drawer in the games table and removed a pack.
Silence settled over the room as he shuffled the cards.
Later, in her bedchamber, Anna brushed Carrie’s hair. The thought of leaving Elm Park unsettled her. “Have you been able to find out why the previous housekeeper was dismissed without a reference?”
“Yes, Mary, the upstairs maid, told me. The housekeeper dismissed a pregnant scullery maid without consulting Abercrombie. With no one to turn to for help, the poor girl drowned herself in the river.”
“What a cruel woman. Do they know who the baby’s father was?”
“Tom Forrester, from the home farm. They planned to marry, but he died after a bull gored him.”
“How sad.”
“Yes, I’m told his lordship was furious with her. She’d only been here for a few months. The previous housekeeper had been at Elm Park for years, but ill health forced her to retire. None of the staff seemed to like her replacement.”
After Anna left, Carrie sat on the edge of her bed. Nicholas had cared for the plight of the scullery maid when many men would not. Her view of Nicholas had changed since she came to Elm Park. She couldn’t imagine him acting cruelly to anyone.
Bella and Jeremy were settling down. So why did she feel as if she would leave behind something unfinished? Something special. She talked sternly to herself. Gwen worked so hard on her behalf and must leave her small son behind in the country. Of course, Carrie must go to London. The sooner she left, the better. Nothing was going to dissuade her from her view that he was the most wonderful man she had ever met.
She reached down and picked up her slippers from beside her bed and put them on. She must not fall in love with him. He had agreed to take care of Bella and Jeremy, giving up his precious solitude. And while he seemed to enjoy their company, it had been an obligation. As a man of honor, he could hardly do otherwise. But none of this seemed to help her. She grew restless just thinking of him.
She jumped up and prowled around the room. This wouldn’t do. But she still looked for Nicholas at breakfast and was absurdly disappointed when he was away riding. At night, he filled her thoughts before she fell asleep. How he looked. What he said that was so amusing. How his body moved when he walked, that purposeful step, so athletic and graceful. She tried to tell herself it was gratitude. That she was merely captivated by a rather remarkable man. She would know her feelings better when she went to London. Not that it mattered, for although Nicholas liked her well enough and enjoyed her company, he showed no sign of being in love with her. He would consider her a silly, love-struck girl if he knew her thoughts.
With a deep sigh, Carrie shrugged off her dressing gown. She picked up the book of Keats’s poems and settled into bed. Nicholas had invited her to the library to discuss Endymion tomorrow, after their ride. She would remain calm and cool and put up a good argument in Keats’s favor. She must never allow her feelings to betray her, for it would surely embarrass him.
Chapter Eight
After a glance at the sky, Nicholas strode into the warm, fragrant breakfast room where his wards had assembled and were enjoying eggs and toast.
With a welcoming smile, Nicholas took a chair as a footman hurried to pour his coffee. “Good morning. We are blessed with a fine day.”
Dressed in yellow, she was as fresh and lovely as the yellow tulips she favored. He’d enjoyed their chess game. The challenge in her big eyes told him she had enjoyed it, too.
“Why don’t we exercise the horses?” he said. “I need to visit one of my tenants.”
Jeremy awarded him with a hoot of joy.
