Page 24 of The Mistress (Foxgloves #1)

GIDEON

G ideon reined in his horse and dismounted outside of Coventry House. He could feel the regret pushing to the forefront of his mind as he remembered yet again how he had left yesterday. He would do things differently today. He was going to treat her with the warmth and kindness she deserved from him.

Stepping up to the front door, Gideon prepared to knock, but the door opened before he had the chance. Amelia stood in the doorway, her sweet face serious, heavy with emotions, and those fresh brown eyes not meeting his. She didn’t say a word, just stood off to the side, waiting for him to enter.

Yes, she was still hurt. But he was here to fix it. He felt the purpose and focus settle deeply within him, and he would bring that same security to her as he was supposed to. Starting now.

“My dear,” he greeted her, pitching his voice into a low, intimate tenor. He lifted one side of his lips up in his usual, relaxed smirk to lighten the weight he’d allowed to build upon her. He stepped into the house, facing her with the door still open behind her back. He cupped her face, tracing his thumb along her soft, full cheek.

Finally, she looked up, and he found those expressive, warm eyes shuttered and wary. His worry grew alongside the regret. She stepped out of his touch and closed the door. Without another word or glance in his direction, she led the way back to the drawing room. Gideon followed, undaunted by the tension and challenge she presented.

Unlike yesterday, Amelia didn’t sit on the couch or pour him a ready cup of tea. Instead, the windows were drawn, throwing the usually light and open room into darkness, and a fire was lit, forcing a literal heaviness to the already emotionally charged air. He instantly felt overheated. Gideon understood without needing to ask that she’d lit the fire to fight the chill he’d left her with the day before.

As if in proof, Amelia took up a place standing directly next to the mantle with her arms wrapped around herself. Gideon took off his coat and folded it across the back of the couch, making sure the usual amused tilt to his lips remained securely in place. He then strode right up to her and placed a chaste kiss on her lips as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Stepping back, he sat on the arm of the couch, crossing his own arms, and watched her, waiting for her to warm under the heat of the fire and his control.