Page 16

J onas had now spent that last four nights sleeping on the sofa in his study, a fact that engendered great consternation in his loyal staff, since it meant their sleeping accommodations were finer than his own, at present.

But he dared not move into any of the guest bedchambers because they were not far enough away from Ailis, who was proving to be more of a temptation than he ever expected.

The pretty spinster should not have made any significant impact on his life. Yet here she was, ensconced in his ducal bedchamber and making him yearn to keep her there far longer than the course of this snowfall.

For this reason, he dared not have her remain once the skies cleared and the roads safely reopened. He needed to take her home. She was already in a fret over the Christmas charity ball as she had fallen behind in the preparations.

“Your Grace,” Grimes said, silently crossing the study to draw aside the velvet drapes and allow sunshine to flood into the room. “The snow has stopped and the sun is shining.”

Jonas blinked to accustom his eyes to the morning light that seemed brighter than usual because of the sun’s reflection off the snow. “I can see that, Grimes. Botheration, it’s blinding.”

“But is it not a relief? I was beginning to fear the snow would never stop falling.”

“Yes, it is positively marvelous,” he replied, his voice laden with sarcasm as he groaned to a sitting position and stretched his stiff back.

Lord, he missed his own bed.

He would miss not finding Ailis curled up in it even more.

After taking another moment to stretch, he strode to the window and peered out.

The sky was the most vivid blue he had seen since last spring, unmarred by a single cloud.

However, with the weather now clearing, he could also see the snow was hard packed.

The blanket of white on the ground was itself covered in a sheen of ice that glistened under the sun.

Icicles had coated the tree branches so that they shimmered like crystal prisms and created a magical effect.

Ailis would love this. He wondered whether she was awake and looking out onto this view. It was as though his estate had been transported into the realm of the Winter Queen of local lore.

Everything was covered in gleaming ice.

“Will you be taking Miss Temple home today, Your Grace?” Grimes asked, regaining Jonas’s attention.

“No.” The word slipped from his lips without a thought, for he was not ready to send her back yet.

Not that he would ever keep her against her will, nor did he wish to have her with him a moment longer than was necessary.

But was it not wise to give her another day or two of rest in order to ensure her shoulder properly healed?

“Everything is covered in ice and nothing is melting. The roads must still be treacherous. Common sense requires she remain with us until we are certain they are safe to travel.”

Grimes nodded. “Shall I have your shaving gear brought down here?”

“No. I’ll see to the horses first, and then ready myself for the day in the East Room.” He was getting used to staring at those butterflies and flowers on the wallpaper while he groomed himself. “Let Mrs. Fitch know I will take my breakfast with Miss Temple afterward.”

“Very good, Your Grace,” Grimes said, and left to carry out his instructions.

Once alone, Jonas went to his desk and wrote out two bank drafts for one hundred pounds each, representing kisses four and five, which he was determined to give Ailis before he took her home.

These needed to be soft and wholesome kisses, a necessity to erase the surprising ardor of that third kiss. Numbers four and five were to be without heat. Just sweet and tender.

He grumbled in frustration, for he did not have a sweet and tender nature.

As a duke’s heir, he had been raised to take charge, fight for what was his, and hold on to it fiercely. That he took care of all those in his demesne arose from an ingrained sense of duty and not from a soft heart.

Ailis was the one with those gentle traits of kindness and compassion.

Therein lay the problem, for she could be so easily hurt. So deeply hurt by him, if he weren’t careful.

The simple solution was to lower the heat for Ailis’s sake.

Under no circumstances could he allow their hearts to become involved.

He would apply the same rule to fending off the debutantes brought along by his mother—not that he expected those young ladies half his age to feel anything for him, even if he wooed them in earnest.

Those young ladies would quickly get over the disappointment of not winning his heart, and move on to make more suitable matches for themselves.

But Ailis… The two of them had already established a rapport over the years, a lively, bantering friendship that could easily turn into something more with little effort.

She lived in Broadmoor. He would constantly run into her while on his errands, and there was no avoiding her when he attended church every Sunday.

If she lost her heart to him, there would be no moving on for her.

She was that sort of dangerous temptation, the sort to give her heart fully and love faithfully for all the days of her life.

There was nothing for it but to assure this game of ten kisses remained only a game.

After preparing the drafts, he set them in the top drawer of his desk and marched down the hall to grab his cloak and gloves.

A blast of cold air struck his face the moment he stepped outdoors, making him glad he’d thought to wrap a scarf around his neck before heading out. The wind was surprisingly strong and chilling as it swooped down from the north.

Not even the brightly shining sun could warm the earth today, which meant this deep freeze that settled in one’s bones would not melt the roadways, and they would remain dangerously icy.

A trail of vapor spilled from his mouth as he let out a breath.

For medical reasons and weather conditions, the decision was easy. Ailis would have to stay at least one more day.

“Morning, Your Grace,” Silas said as Jonas met him and his grooms walking Avalon, Sheba, and several other horses—including Ailis’s little mare—out of the stable for their morning run in the paddock.

“Good morning.” Jonas took Avalon’s reins and led the beast himself. “How were the horses overnight?”

“No problem,” the leathery-faced head groom said, giving Sheba a pat on the nose. “Snug as bugs, they were.”

“How about you and your grooms?”

“No complaints, Your Grace. Those braziers do the trick to keep us warm. But it is cold as a witch’s heart out here, isn’t it? We dare not keep the horses outside too long.”

Jonas nodded, for he was already feeling the chill despite being fully wrapped in a cloak, scarf, hat, and gloves. This unpleasant cold could not be good for the horses either.

Since Silas and his grooms appeared to have all well in hand, he left after fifteen minutes and returned to the house to wash and dress. He had taken several sets of clothes from his bedchamber the night before and did not need to disturb Ailis by rummaging through his wardrobe this morning.

But once he had readied himself for the day, he was eager for her company. Since his staff was up and stirring, he expected Ailis might be awake, too.

He knocked at her door. Martha opened it, and then stepped aside to let him in. “Morning, Martha. How is our patient today?”

She bobbed a curtsy. “See for yourself, Your Grace.”

Ailis, still wearing his black robe and those seriously garish red stockings, stood at the window amid a circle of light.

Her hair, once again that beautiful, burnished gold in the sunlight, was drawn back in a loose braid that fell below her hips.

Clearly, her hair had not been brushed yet, for stray wisps fell on her brow and curled at her ears, the result of a night’s sleep.

Whether it had been a good sleep had yet to be determined.

His heart seemed to open up when Ailis turned and cast him a brilliant smile. “The snowfall has stopped, Your Grace. Did you see?”

“Yes, I noticed,” he said, striding to her side to join her at the window. “Did you sleep well last night?”

She gave him an emerald-eyed look that did odd things to his heart again. How was he to keep kisses four and five soft when the mere sight of her had his body in a roil?

And she was not even trying to be alluring.

“Yes, an excellent slumber,” she proclaimed, although he did not believe her because she looked a little pale despite the cheerfulness of her greeting.

The pursing of her mouth and shadow of strain in her eyes revealed she had passed yet another uncomfortable night.

“Will you take me back to the vicarage today?”

He felt like an ogre in having to deny her.

This had been their constant push and pull, each knowing she had to leave as soon as possible. Yet her need to heal, as well as the dangerous road conditions, required her to stay.

“No, it is freezing outside and the roads will be too slick.”

“Oh, were you out already this morning?”

He nodded. “To check on my horses and yours, and make a determination as to the safety of the roadways.”

She nibbled her lip.

Ah, her lips would be his undoing. They were the loveliest shape, so gracefully curved, and that lower one was enticingly plump.

“But the day might warm up and melt the ice,” she said with a frown.

“It might. However, it hasn’t yet.” He gave a casual shrug, trying not to stare at the face that he found so endlessly fascinating.

Ailis was beautiful in a quiet way that snuck up on a man and left him helpless to resist. “Not even the birds have dared come out of their nests yet. They are the harbinger. I’ll consider taking you home once they come out. ”

“But you took the horses for their run.”

“They are very hardy beasts and needed their daily exercise. We usually leave them out in the fields for hours, but no animal could handle the deep freeze for long today.”

“I see.”