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since that first morning when he had had the inexcusable pleasure of touching her breasts. He had not been able to think of anything else since. Didn’t she know that she was driving him mad with desire? He inhaled deeply to calm himself down, but only succeeded in feeling more aggravated as her smell filled his nostrils.
    “How do you do it?” he asked before he could stop himself.
    “Do what?”
    “Smell so wonderful. We have not had a proper bath in a week.”
    “I assume you must be referring to my soap.”
    “Let me guess, you made it yourself?”
    “Why yes. I must admit to be particularly fond of that recipe. It is made out of the wildflowers that grow in abundance near my home.”
    “And where is that?”
    “It is, ah, time to sleep I believe.”
    Was there nothing the girl could not make or do he wondered? Whether it was making up stories, herbal remedies, or soap? What other talents was she hiding? Was she as good in bed as in everything else? An image of her naked body writhing underneath him filled his mind. He grunted before firmly shutting it out of his consciousness. He would not be long enough with her to find out. Just one more night, he consoled himself, and then he could be rid of her for good. A small pang of regret settled around his heart. Oh, no! He was getting rid of the chit and that was that! He had never bedded a female from the serving class, and he was not about to start now, no matter how tempting this particular servant may be.
    He must have finally fallen asleep after all, because he was dreaming that his nose was buried in Belinda’s lush, flower-scented hair, one arm wrapped around her slender waist. His hand moved to stroke her smooth belly, then continued upward to caress the beautiful, lush breasts through the thin fabric of her nightshirt. Eager to feel her bare skin, he undid the top buttons and exposed the fleshy mounds. He wrapped his hand around one breast. It was so warm and soft that his loins immediately hardened in response. Without stopping his caress, his mouth moved to her neck and nibbled at the tender skin. Agitated voices suddenly entered his consciousness, but he forced them out, unwilling to relinquish the best dream he had had in a long time.

    Patience did not want to open her eyes. She was dreaming that Edward was making love to her, and it felt so wonderful. Unfortunately, the sound of loud voices was intruding in her dream, forcing her back to reality. Reluctantly she opened her eyes and found her aunt and Lady Rutherford staring at her, their mouths wide open. She felt a hand stiffen on her breast and looked down to find that her bare chest was covered only by Edward’s hand.
    Lady Westbury was the first to recover. “The carriage is waiting outside. We expect you to join us as soon as you may.” She gently pushed a stunned Lady Rutherford out of the room before closing the door on the equally dumbfounded couple.
    They were riding in Lady Westbury’s carriage back to Hawkridge Manor. Patience had taken in that much at least. Things had happened so swiftly after their discovery that she had had trouble assimilating all of it. Edward — or she should say Julius — had not spoken a word to her since their discovery. He had been dressed before she had even gotten out of bed. She had not been able to move as she stared at him with a mixture of revulsion and awe. How could this grown man, whom she had been fantasizing about only moments before, be the same unsightly and unbearable youth of her childhood? Only once he had left the room, his packed travelling bag in one hand, could she shake herself into action.
    Not a word was spoken inside the carriage as they made their way in the darkness. Lady Rutherford kept her eyes on the hands tightly clasped in her lap. Lady Westbury, who was sitting next to her friend and directly across from Patience, was peering out into the darkness. Patience could have sworn she was smiling to herself. As for the Earl, he kept