Page 36 of The Earl Next Door
Finally, showing the mark of a good man, Lyon nodded. He reached down, picked up his coat, and granting her wish, he left.
Chapter 13
A cold wash might work wonders for the body, but it did little to enhance peace of mind or comfort a turbulent soul, Lyon thought as he threw the daily newsprint aside and stood up in the tub. He stepped out and wrapped the towel around his waist before heading toward the window, which was now a daily ritual. He parted the top half of the drapery panels with the backs of his fingers and searched the garden.
The countess was nowhere in sight. Not that he expected her to be. Still, he looked every morning since the day he’d seen her standing under the trellis. He should have never told her he could see that section of her grounds from the window in his dressing chamber. She would probably never stop in that part of the garden again.
Letting the panel go, he walked over to where his clothing had been laid out and picked up his shirt. He’d tried to shake it off, but it still rankled that Adeline had told him she didn’t know if she’d been waiting for him last night or if any man would have fulfilled her desires. That was a damn good way to make a man feel like a convenience. He didn’t know what had made him ask the question. Maybe he’d had doubts because she’d been so willing. She’d felt so fresh and innocent in his arms it was almost as if she’d never been touched by a man.Damnation, he hadn’t had any misgivings about who had been in his arms. He didn’t think she had, either.
Until it was over.
He was now sure Lady Wake left her gloves in plain sight on purpose—as an invitation for Lyon to go to her. Knowing the other men at his table noticed them too, Lyon had made a show of picking them up, saying convincingly he’d have Brewster see to it they were returned immediately to Lady Wake.
But, of course, that’s not what he’d told his butler.
When he’d seen her standing in the lamplight dressed in the deliciously provocative black velvet robe with her long honey gold hair curling about her shoulders, he saw a beauty, tempting him beyond his control. And he’d wanted her madly.
Not just any woman.Her.And he thought she’d been waiting for him. Not just any man.Him.
She was a daunting, alluring vixen and had been since he’d first seen her. It troubled him that even after they’d come together, he didn’t know what she was feeling or thinking. She’d not only set his body on firefor her, she set his soul on fire for her, too. He knew her body had been satisfied, but what about her soul? Did she wake this morning thinking Lyon was the only man for her?
That’s sure as hell whathewas thinking.
Lyon finished dressing and sat down to put on his boots. He sensed that his valet had come back into the room. The man was always quiet as a mouse and usually waited for Lyon to acknowledge him before speaking. If Lyon didn’t say anything after a minute or two, he’d slip out of the room again and wait to be called.
Sensing the man was staying longer than usual, he said, “What is it, Dome?”
“Your aunt is here, my lord,” the spry, older man said.
A morning visit from his aunt? That was odd.
“Mr. Brewster has asked her to wait for you in your breakfast room.”
Maybe she wanted him to go with her to Lady Wake’s home again with another basket to deliver. Lyon’s lower stomach tightened at the thought of seeing Adeline. “Let her know I’ll be down shortly.”
Memories of being with the countess last night slipped easily back into his thoughts as he pressed his foot into his boot. He leaned against the back of the chair and enjoyed reliving them for a few moments. But there was another image of her that wafted across his mind. He’d seen it briefly in her face when he’d offered her the brandy. It was pain. Not physical pain from being sick or injured, but a much deeper hurting. A private one. An agony that she hadn’t been able to suppress.
That troubled him.
Had she been ill? Too fond of the taste of wine and unable to control it unless she completely stayed away from the drink? It could happen. Was that inner hurt the reason she was never seen with her husband?
Lyon wasn’t one to delve into another’s weaknesses or past, but Lady Wake’s intrigued him. Whatever it was that had kept her delicate for a time was ended. She was the strongest, most passionate lady he’d ever met, and after last night, he wanted her to be only his.
But what did she want?
A few minutes later Lyon walked into his favorite room of the house. The breakfast room had two walls of windows overlooking the back grounds and not a sheer or drapery fabric on any of them. No coverings were necessary since the room was only used in the broad light of day. On sunny mornings, the sparsely decorated area was bright, cheerful. It was where he would read the newsprint and drink coffee if he was in a hurry and passed on a soak in the tub.
Lyon walked over to the table, bent down, and kissed his aunt Cordelia’s soft cheek as she kissed the air beside him. He looked at the plate in front of her and grunted. “You’re only eating a scone?”
She smiled at him. “I’ve already broken the fast and needed only a nibble while waiting for you to come belowstairs.”
He poured himself a cup of the aromatic coffee and then leaned against the buffet chest that held dishes of food topped with silver covers and emanating the mixture of smells from eggs, fried ham, and sweet fruity preserves.
“It’s early for you to be out.”
“I know.” Her brows went up and she scooted her chair back and faced him directly. “But some things are best taken care of as soon as one awakens. The early bird getting the fattest worm sort of thing.”
Lyon tilted his head, denying a sudden sense of unease, and simply said, “Now you have me curious.”
