Miss Honiton.
Monsieur Dupree had no notion of her being an heiress. He imagined her a friend of the family, not quite a governess, but not the heiress to a fortune. That must mean he liked her for herself alone. The idea was novel and pleasing. It made Sarah smile to think that a young and handsome man found her attractive for her own sake and, when she discovered him staring at her, she smiled.
Glancing then at Lord Myers, she saw him scowling and wondered what had caused him to look so annoyed. Surely not because she’d smiled at the dancing master? Sarah might be flattered by the young man’s admiration, but her heart was completely untouched. He was not at all the kind of husband she would ever consider—though she did quite enjoy being flirted with across the table.
* * *
When the ladies were assembled and tea was served, Francesca was asked if she would play for the company.
‘Only if Sarah plays a duet with me,’ she said, blushing prettily.
‘Yes, of course,’ Sarah agreed and took a seat beside her on the stool.
‘Allow me to turn your music, mesdemoiselles,’ Monsieur Dupree said, coming up to them with alacrity. ‘I will sing later if Mademoiselle Sarah will play for me.’
Sarah could not do less than agree. She and Francesca played a lively melody, then the girl got up and left the entertainment to Sarah. After some discussion, it was decided that Monsieur Dupree would sing ‘Greensleeves’ in English and in French.
He proved to have a delightful voice and they were asked for three encores. He sang two further songs in French and then a love song in English.
At the end of this melody Sarah rose from the
pianoforte and walked away, leaving Monsieur Dupree to take over. His playing was as proficient as his singing and she was about to say goodnight to Francesca when Rupert came up to her.
‘His song was for you,’ he said. ‘I think you have made another conquest, Sarah.’
‘Another? I assure you none of my other admirers have wanted me for myself.’
‘Can you be sure of that? Might you have misjudged some of them?’
Sarah wrinkled her brow. ‘Perhaps. I thought it was all Father’s money, but some of them...’ She shook her head and sighed. ‘I had no interest in any of them, even if—’
‘I’ve told you before, you should not sell yourself short.’
‘I have no intention of doing so. I like Monsieur Dupree, but I have no intention of listening to an offer from him—of any kind.’
‘That’s very much better. I like to see my Sarah standing proud.’
His Sarah! A tingle went down her spine and her stomach clenched. What could he mean—his Sarah? For a moment a feeling of joy spread through her. If he cared for her... But, no, his attention had wandered. He was watching Francesca, who had gone to join the dancing master at the pianoforte. The two of them were now playing together and seemed to be amusing themselves with the lively piece.
Sarah squashed the nonsensical hope. Lord Myers was a gentleman and it had merely been a figure of speech. When he looked at her again it was merely to raise a quizzical eyebrow.
He was still treating her as Francesca’s equal, a young woman of some consequence. Sarah almost regretted telling him the truth. He had shown more interest in her when he’d believed her an adventuress.
* * *
Alone in her room, Sarah undressed and sat before the mirror, wearing a soft robe. She hadn’t been able to part from all her clothes when she left her trunks behind and had brought her own under- and night-things, because no one was going to see her when she was alone in her room.
Sitting before the mirror, she brushed her hair so that it fell on her shoulders, shining and straight with just a little curl at the ends. She wasn’t truly tired and was regretting that she hadn’t thought to bring a book up with her. It would be easy enough to walk down to the library, but she could not bother to dress again and did not think it appropriate to wander at night in her night robes.
She was just about to retire when she heard the tap at the door, stopped and walked to it, her hand on the catch as she said, ‘Yes, who is it?’
‘Rupert. May I speak to you for a moment, please?’
Sarah’s heart pounded as she opened the door. What could he mean by coming to her room? She felt her pulses race as she saw him standing there, still dressed for the evening. Suddenly, she felt an overwhelming longing for him to take her in his arms and kiss her. It would undoubtedly lead to him seducing her, but at that moment she almost felt it worthwhile.
‘You are ready for bed. Forgive me for disturbing you—but I am leaving very early in the morning. You were going to give me a letter to your agent. I suppose with the picnic and then our guests for the evening you forgot?’
‘I have it ready. It was my intention to give it to you in the morning.’ Leaving her door ajar, Sarah walked
to her desk, pulled open the bottom drawer and took out her writing box. She took the key from the pocket of her robe and opened the box, extracting the slim paper sealed with wax. As she turned, she saw that he had followed her in and closed the door and her breath caught in her throat. ‘Lord Myers...should you have done that?’
‘Probably not,’ he said. ‘You look so lovely, Sarah. You make me want to do this...’ Before she knew what he was about, he reached out and drew her into his arms, lowering his head to kiss her on the mouth. It was a sweet soft kiss that made her pulses race, but she stepped back, putting her fingers to her lips.
‘You must not. You really must not, sir.’
‘Rupert. Please, call me Rupert.’
‘You should go at once. This is impossible.’
‘Is it really so impossible, Sarah?’
‘You know it is. It must be...in the circumstances.’
Did he think she was prepared to have an affair with him? What was he thinking of? Did he imagine that she would become his mistress out of gratitude? The thought was painful and she pushed it to a tiny corner of her mind.
‘Have you been drinking, Rupert?’ She could taste the brandy on his lips.
‘Yes, just a little,’ he said and then laughed ruefully. ‘Too much. The way you look and the wine...a powerful combination, my dear. Forgive me. I am merely human—and you are very desirable. You do not realise the effect that cool exterior with just a hint of the fire below can have on a man. Thank you for the letter and your trust. Goodnight and sleep well.’
‘Goodnight, Rupert.’
Sarah closed the door behind him, pressing fingers that trembled slightly to her mouth. His kiss had been so sweet—so tempting. She had wanted it to go on...to be so much more than a kiss. A hunger so swift and so powerful swept over her that she cried out as if in pain. She had never felt like this before in her life, never wanted anything so badly that it hurt. Her whole being longed to call him back, to take him by the hand
