Page 22 of A Cinderella to Redeem the Earl

‘Let me help you with that,’ he said. ‘Would you like me to help you carry them to the kitchen?

‘No need. I will collect everything in the morning.’ She offered him a shy glance. ‘I have one last treat in store, if you would care for dessert.’

Dessert? It was she who looked like a sweet treat in her gown the colour of forget-me-nots. Good enough to eat. ‘You are spoiling me.’

She rose and went to the buffet table. She bent to open its doors, presenting him with a view of her derrière, a beautifully rounded firm little bottom that he could imagine naked—He cut the thought off. What the devil was wrong with him?

She opened a door to reveal another, smaller cooler.

‘May I assist you with that?’ He was pleased that he sounded calm. Unaffected.

She glanced over her shoulder with a provocative smile. His heart skipped a beat.

‘I can manage, My Lord.’ She removed two small dishes, bumped the door closed with a seductive swing of her hip, leaving him dry mouthed, and brought the dishes to the table.

He forced himself to look at what she had placed before him and not the curves of her body that had just sent his body into a frenzy of lust the like of which he had not suffered since he was a youth.

‘Ice cream!’ he said, unable to resist grinning like a schoolboy.

‘Lemon ice, actually,’ she said as she sat down, ‘with a touch of orange.’

‘Made from the oranges in the greenhouse?’

She beamed. ‘Yes. How did you guess?’

He thought about it for a moment. He recalled their conversation, about her desire to save that tree. ‘You want to prove to me that the tree is worth saving.’

‘Oh, dear, am I so easily read? Please, try it. Tell me what you think?’

‘About the tree?’ he teased gently.

Her light laugh made his body hum. ‘No. About the dessert.’

While she watched him closely, he dipped his spoon into the oval yellow ice with a swirl of orange running through it. The taste was heavenly. Tart with a touch of sweetness and he could definitely distinguish both flavours. ‘It is delicious. Ambrosia.’

She nodded, clearly satisfied with his reaction. And he felt supremely glad that she was happy.

He smiled wryly at himself. This was what he had wanted, wasn’t it? To gain her trust. To seduce her the way her father had tempted his down a ruinous path.

He finished the dessert. ‘Thank you. That was indeed a treat.’

She took those dishes from the table and stacked them neatly.

She glanced over at the table with the decanters and glasses. ‘I expect you would like to partake of your port now.’

Was she trying to escape him? He wasn’t ready to let her go just yet.

‘Won’t you join me?’

She looked shocked.

Damn. ‘If you do not wish to partake of port, then I would be happy to join you in a cup of tea.’

Confusion filled her expression. ‘I did not think of bringing a tea tray, My Lord. I presumed that once dinner was over...’

‘I have an idea. Why don’t we carry the dishes back to the kitchen and have tea there?’

She looked doubtful. ‘Are you sure?’