by Julia Byrne
A twinge of uneasiness stirred. That she would trust any man at all was unlike her. She didn’t even know Lucas’s full name, for heaven’s sake. Of course, she could ask. Perhaps she didn’t want to because keeping to his surname maintained a small but distinct distance between them. But how could she keep that distance now?
That question shouldn’t matter when it came to a mere affair, but Emily knew it did matter.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. The door opened to admit Mrs. Starling, bearing a tray laden with a teapot and its accompaniments together with a plate of small cakes. Behind Mrs. Starling, a crowd of anxious faces peered in at her.
“Here you are, Miss Emily.” Mrs. Starling advanced into the room and placed the tray on the nightstand. “This will have you feeling more the thing, as you would say.”
“Actually I feel quite the thing already, Mrs. Starling.”
Mrs. Starling appeared put out. “Well, since I’ve brought the tray up, miss, I’m not going to carry it all the way downstairs again. You’ll have your tea in here.”
Emily smiled and sat up. “Thank you, Mrs. Starling. I appreciate your thoughtfulness.” She glanced at the crowd in the doorway. “You may as well all come in. I’m not about to fall into a decline you know.”
As if they were only waiting for the invitation, Tibby, Charlotte, and the seven boarders streamed into the room and took up various stations around her bed.
“Emily, dearest, Lucas told us you had a dreadful fall.” Tibby leaned over to plump up Emily’s pillows. “How are you feeling?”
“Lucas said you were very shaken, Miss Proudfoot,” Isabel piped up from the foot of the bed.
“Lucas said you hurt your knee,” Susanna added.
“Lucas said he had to carry you up the stairs,” Felicity Cartwright chimed in. “Does that mean you can’t walk, Miss Proudfoot?”
“No, it doesn’t, Felicity,” Emily said patiently, accepting a cup of tea from Mrs. Starling. She took a fortifying sip. “Lucas appears to have said quite a lot, but I can assure everyone that I’m feeling very much better.”
“Are you sure, Emily dear?” Charlotte asked. “Lucas actually said that you had experienced a cataclysmic upheaval of the sensibilities.”
Emily choked on her tea.
“And you do appear to be quite flushed,” Tibby observed, patting her on the back.
“It must be the hot tea,” Emily croaked, catching her breath. “As for my sensibilities, Lucas was probably referring to my grandfather’s visit. I shall tell you about it later. In the meantime, as soon as I finish my tea I shall come downstairs and the girls can show me the sketches they did today.”
Her pupils broke into relieved smiles.
Emily was equally relieved when Tibby took the hint and started shepherding her charges toward the door. “In that case, dearest, we will leave you to finish your tea in peace. Come along, young ladies. I’m sure you will be wanting something to eat after a few hours spent out of doors.”
Her remark got nearly everyone, including Mrs. Starling, out of the room. Only Charlotte remained.
A faint frown marred her brow as she sat down on the bed. “The girls are all so fond of you, Emily, dear. Are you really feeling better? Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No, thank you, Charlotte.” Emily gave her a grateful smile. “My knee is only bruised, although I was somewhat shaken when it happened. I tripped over my grandfather’s carpet bag which he left in the hall.”
“Good gracious, I didn’t know your grandfather is here. Is he staying the night?”
“No, thank goodness. He’s putting up at the hotel.” She plunked her teacup on the tray with a force that nearly cracked the fragile china. “You will scarcely credit it, Charlotte, but Harbury had the colossal impudence to write to my grandfather about Lucas.”
Charlotte’s face went still. “Well, I did warn you that Lucas was very rude to Mr. Harbury.”
“Yes, but to carry tales to my grandfather is beyond anything. If Harbury has a complaint to make, he should come to me.”
“Perhaps he doesn’t wish to upset you, Emily.”
Emily snorted in a very unladylike fashion. “Well, he managed to upset me a great deal more than he would have if he hadn’t gone behind my back. Obviously the man hasn’t noticed that I’m an independent woman who happens to own a school. Even if my grandfather expects me to sink into bankruptcy and end up in prison,” she added grimly.
“Oh, Emily. I can see your grandfather’s visit did overset your nerves. Perhaps he’ll call in tomorrow morning to apologize and say good-bye.”
Emily gaped at her in astonishment. “Charlotte, I’m sure my grandfather has never apologized to anyone in his entire life. As for calling in to say good-bye, he didn’t even say good afternoon when he walked into the house earlier.”
“Oh.”
“But never mind him. You, Tibby, and the girls are my family now.”
“I understand why you would feel that way, dear. And you know I have always thought of you as a younger sister, but students are a little different. You must remember that a teacher should always maintain a certain distance.” Charlotte rose and walked over to the door. “Too much familiarity can diminish respect from one’s pupils, you know.”
And possibly from one’s man-of-all-work as well, Emily thought as her friend left the room.
She quickly dismissed the notion. Lucas was hardly a respectful employee anyway. But there was a great deal more to him than his subordinate position, and it was the man he was, she thought, who did respect her. She just wished she knew what it was that set him apart from other men.
*
Half an hour later Emily limped very slowly toward the stairs. It was going to take some time to descend, but she’d told the girls she would look at their sketches and she was determined to keep her word. Then there was supper, after which she needed to work on her accounts. Apart from all that, she did not intend to languish in her bedchamber.
She found that by leaning over the stair-rail she could negotiate the stairs with a sideways hop. She was doing rather well—even if she had only gone about a third of the distance—when a male form loomed in her path.
“What the devil are you doing?” Lucas demanded.
Emily looked up at him. A thrilling little echo of pleasure rippled through her when she met his gaze. Just for a moment she thought she saw shadows move in the golden depths of his eyes before they vanished beneath a knowing smile.
“How do you feel?” he asked in quite a different tone.
She levelled her brows at him. “Do you mean after experiencing that cataclysmic upheaval of my sensibilities?”
He grinned wickedly. “I may have exaggerated your situation to the ladies.”
“Not really,” she said, before she thought of the consequences of such a rash admission, “but—”
He swooped, picked her up in his arms, and started down the stairs.
Emily melted inside the instant Lucas seized her. It was the heat and power in him, she thought. It never failed to captivate her. And he wasn’t carrying her in a polite sort of way either; her right breast was deliciously crushed against his chest.
“Lucas, this isn’t a good idea.”
“It’s a damn good idea.” His arms tightened. “God, I want you,” he said in a low growl that shivered over her senses.
“For goodness’ sake,” she squeaked. “Anyone could be listening. We must be discreet.”
“Everyone’s in the drawing room and the door is closed. Is that where you want to go?”
“It certainly is. The girls are waiting for me.”
“So am I.”
Emily gave up. Twenty minutes of wild passion and Lucas was out of control. She vaguely recalled her idea to experience passion just once. Somehow, it no longer held any appeal. Besides, there was still more to experience. Which reminded her of something.
“Lucas,” she whispered. “Tomorrow I’ll need you to ta
ke a note to Mrs. Verrier.”
“The divorced mother?” he asked in the same low tone.
“Yes. When I mentioned discretion just now, it reminded me. I think she’ll be able to advise me on a certain matter.”
Lucas stopped at the foot of the stairs and fixed her with a gimlet stare. “And just what would this certain matter involve?”
“Well, her rather unusual life hasn’t resulted in any, uh, consequences, if you know what I mean. At least, as far as I know.”
“What!”
“For heaven’s sake, keep your voice down.” Emily indicated the drawing room door with an agitated wave of her hand.
Lucas didn’t answer. He made an abrupt right turn and strode toward her study.
“Where are we going? What are you doing?”
“We are going to have a little conversation in order to preserve my sanity,” he ground out.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“It’s what you’re talking about that worries me.” He stalked into the study, nudged the door shut, and put her down on the visitor’s chair. He propped himself against her desk and curled his fingers around the edge on either side of his hips. “Kindly explain yourself, Miss Proudfoot.”
“Really, Lucas, I don’t know why you’re so annoyed. I’m trying to be practical here. I have a reputation to think of, and I know…that is, I’ve heard that it’s possible to, uh, prevent…” Despite herself, she faltered under his glittering stare and blushed vividly.
“You know something, Emily? I’m starting to wish your father was still around so I can ask him what the devil he was about to let an innocent girl hear things of which she shouldn’t even be aware. I presume you’re talking about preventing a pregnancy.”
“Yes,” she said, relieved at his ready understanding. Then an unpleasant doubt assailed her. “Does it bother you that I’m aware of that sort of thing?”
His expression gentled instantly. He reached down and drew her out of the chair and into his arms. “No. I’m only sorry you were put in a position where your innocence wasn’t a consideration.”
“Oh, well—” She looked up at him with a pleased smile. “I’m not so innocent any more, am I, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
His mouth quirked. “You still have a way to go yet, Emily, before you can claim to have lost your innocence. In fact, there’s something about you that I think will be innocent even when you’re a very old lady. Despite the years you spent coping with your father, you’re still very open, still gentle and sweet. Except when you’re tearing a strip off me, of course.”
“I may have expressed my disapproval on occasion,” she said with dignity. “But you appear to be still in one piece.”
“That’s debatable,” he muttered.
She was about to demand an explanation, when he bent his head and kissed her, quick and hard.
“Don’t involve your friend. You can trust me to protect you.”
“Oh?” She tilted her head. “How?”
“This is not the time,” he said sternly, releasing her and crossing the room to open the door, “for a discussion on the subject. You have things to do. And I need to recover my shattered sensibilities.”
Emily broke into peals of laughter, which didn’t stop until Lucas carried her as far as the drawing room door.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
By the time Emily finished her accounts and put down her pen, the house had been quiet for almost an hour. She took a final sip of the coffee she’d requested from Mrs. Starling to fortify herself for the exercise of balancing her books, and sat back in her chair.
Everything was going quite well. Her school wasn’t fully paying for itself yet, but a few more pupils would put that to rights, and she’d taken the precaution of laying aside a sum to cover a year’s expenses until she was well established. She had also invested in the Funds so that together with the value of the house, she, Tibby, and Charlotte would have enough to live modestly in a smaller place if the worst happened and her school failed. They would need to find respectable employment, but they would be able to choose; they would not be at the mercy of unscupulous employers.
A twinge of guilt assailed her when she thought about how she’d acquired her capital—but it didn’t last long. She only had to remember that night seven years ago when paralyzing fear had held her in its grip, to banish any twinges of guilt.
Shaking off the past, Emily closed her books and rose to replace them in her bureau. Her injured knee didn’t straighten very well but the first step she took was not a problem. The second wrenched a cry of pain from her. She dropped the books and grabbed the edge of her desk so she wouldn’t fall. Gritting her teeth, she tried to walk again, but could barely drag her right foot along the floor without being overwhelmed by a wave of sickening pain.
“Emily? What was that crash?”
Lucas strode into the study, took one look at her clinging to her desk, her books and accounts lying haphazardly on the floor, and was by her side before she could blink. “What happened, sweetheart?”
“I can’t walk properly,” she said in a small, scared voice. “I tried, but my knee hurt so much when I tried to lift my foot that I almost fell.”
“Can you put any weight on it?”
“A little.” She looked up at him. “Lucas, what do you think I’ve done?”
“Nothing too dire,” he said reassuringly. “If there’s a break, you wouldn’t be able to stand on it at all. But I think we should fetch a doctor to be on the safe side.”
“There’s a Dr. McAllister a couple of blocks away. I spoke to him when the school opened, in case we ever needed a doctor for the girls. He seems very capable, and the neighbors speak well of him.”
“All right. Let’s get you upstairs.”
“My accounts.”
He bent and replaced the books and papers on her desk. “I’ll put them away later. I want that knee examined.”
“But—”
“Hush,” he commanded, lifting her into his arms.
“Do you know something, Lucas?” she said as he carried her out of the study. “When you take charge, I find myself being swept along without knowing quite how it happens.”
He glanced down at her, a glinting smile in his eyes. “Then we’re well-matched. I haven’t been able to catch my breath since the moment I started working for you.”
“Are you saying I give you too many orders?” Emily demanded.
“Not at all,” he murmured, starting up the stairs. “I’m more than happy to satisfy your every need.” His tone of voice left her in no doubt about which needs he was referring to.
“Lucas!”
He grinned. “It’s all right. Everyone’s gone to bed. I was just doing my rounds when I heard you cry out.”
Emily glanced at the watch pinned to her bodice. “Good heavens! It’s after ten o’clock. There’s no need to fetch the doctor at this hour. I can see him tomorrow.”
Lucas’s only reply was to request her to open her door.
“And when you don’t wish to obey my orders,” she said, as if the former discussion hadn’t been interrupted, “you simply ignore them.”
“Open the door, my sweet, or none of us will get to bed before midnight.”
Emily narrowed her eyes at him but complied. As her door swung open so did another across the passage. Charlotte peeped out.
“Emily! What on earth are you doing?”
“It’s all right, Charlotte,” Emily said over Lucas’s shoulder as she was borne into her bedchamber. “I can’t move my knee, so Lucas is very kindly helping me to my room.”
“Oh, heavens, what next!” Charlotte disappeared from view. A minute later, she hurried into Emily’s room, a prim dressing-robe over her nightgown and slippers on her feet. “Let me take a look at your knee. Lucas, you will be good enough to wait in the hall in case I need you to fetch anything.”
“Of course, Miss Haymes.” Lucas deposited Emily on her bed and retired to t
he doorway.
Emily took off her shoes and tossed them onto the floor. She unfastened her stocking and rolled it down to her ankle. She didn’t dare look in Lucas’s direction. She knew they were both thinking about the way he had performed the same task only hours ago. And where it had led.
“Goodness! You certainly have a dreadful bruise, Emily, but it is just a bruise. Did you say you can’t walk?”
“I can’t lift my foot off the floor,” Emily explained. “Lucas thinks a doctor should examine me.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s necessary,” Charlotte said. “You need a cold compress on it, that’s all, and plenty of rest. Look at Miss Tibberton’s black eye. Cold regularly applied to the bruise and it was gone in two or three days.”
“Do you have a great deal of experience in such matters, Miss Haymes?” Lucas asked from the doorway.
Charlotte whipped around. “I asked you to wait outside, Lucas. Miss Proudfoot is not accustomed to men looking at her legs. As for experience, I dare say I have more than you do.”
“Uh, Charlotte, Lucas was in the army. I expect there were plenty of bruises going around. Actually, I know there were. I saw several, myself.”
“I’m sure you did, Emily, dear, but I doubt everyone with a bruise went running to the doctor. Now, I don’t want you to worry about the school. I shall handle everything.”
“I’m sure Emily will be grateful if you do,” Lucas said in a dangerous voice. “But I’m fetching the doctor.”
“Excuse me,” Charlotte bit out, in a voice equally edged with ice. “While I am in charge, you will do as I say.”
“You may be in charge of the school for a day or two,” Lucas replied evenly. “But you are not in charge of Emily.”
“Charlotte.” Emily reached out and touched her friend’s arm. “I think it would be wise for Dr. McAllister to examine my knee. It is dreadfully painful when I try to walk.”
After a tense moment, Charlotte inclined her head. “As you wish, Emily.”