Page 71 of A Cinderella to Redeem the Earl

‘Not at all. For some reason I thought you were of noble birth.’

He shrugged. ‘It is possible. On my father’s side. But how is it one could know?’

‘It doesn’t matter one whit to me,’ Damian said. ‘You are my friend.’

‘New clothes will make a difference, too. They must be the height of fashion. You will see. You will dazzle them into blindness.’

She smothered a laugh as if the idea was madness, but Damian could see she was beginning to weaken. After all, it was a chance for her to shine.

He felt slightly ill at the thought of all that brightness he saw in her eyes being snuffed out in an instant.

Dammit. He would not think like that.

She hesitated, then finally nodded.

Instead of feeling delighted, he felt...sad.

‘So,’ Damian said, forcing himself to sound carefree, ‘it is decided. We will close the house for the season and you will travel up to town with me tomorrow.’

‘The furniture should be put under holland covers,’ she said. ‘The pantry emptied and the remaining food donated to those in need.’

‘Do not worry about it. I will put all in the hands of my agent.’

‘Wonderful,’ she said. ‘Then all I need to do is pack.’

‘Exactly,’ Damian said. He pulled her close and kissed her lips. ‘But not tonight. It has been a long day and I need you in your bed.’

Her gaze turned hot.

Pip threw up a hand. ‘Excuse me. I will retire. I bid you goodnight.’

He closed the safe, locked it and left.

‘Poor Pip,’ Pamela said. ‘He needs a wife.’

‘I think he would be horrified by the very idea. He is too much of a butterfly to ever settle down.’

Pamela laughed.

Damien reached for her hand. ‘Come here, my lovely. I have been looking forward to holding you in my arms all day.’

And that really was the absolute truth.

Pamela clung to the side of Damian’s curricle as they bowled along the frosty country lanes with high hedges and tight corners at a pace she could only describe as foolhardy. His vehicle was of the high-perch sort. Exceedingly fashionable among young blades, but, in her view, exceedingly unstable.

Damian must have sensed her concern because he snaked an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. ‘Do not fear, my dear, I am an excellent driver.’

‘You cannot possibly know what is around the next corner.’ she said, ‘You are going too fast.’

‘If there is something around the next corner, there is lots of room to pass. I have travelled this road many, many times and not once have I run into problems.’

Even so he slowed their pace.

For which she was grateful.

She was grateful for a lot of things. The improvement in her financial stability, the passion she had found in his arms, the joy she had found in his company, even though it was coloured by the sadness of loss. She could not deny she would miss him. Or that the thought of him leaving made her heart ache.

She could not imagine wanting another man, the way she wanted Damian.