Her heart raced with questions as the ladies turned their backs on her and Theodora, continuing their conversation with Benedict. She felt like a bird caged in the corner, being forced to watch while a fox stalked its helpless prey.
Livinia turned away from the group when she realized that Lady Theodora had been keeping a close eye on her and Benedict. “What was it that you wanted to discuss?” she asked Theodora quietly, trying her best to be mindful of the others.
“Anything at all; honestly, I can’t stand another conversation that revolves around Societal snobbery,” Theodora whispered back, her eyes pleading after the pain she must have suffered during dinner.
From what Livinia could hear, all the women could speak of was who no longer held favour within their circle. She would have lost her mind if she had to sit through an entire evening of conversations like that.
Benedict glanced in their direction again, allowing his eyes to rest on Livinia. She couldn’t help wondering what he was thinking, but she tried her best to ignore him.
“I know evenings like this can be tiring, but you will get used to them in time. You aren’t used to these kinds of social obligations, but you will learn how to navigate them,” she tried to reassure Theodora but felt the tingling down her spine from Benedict’s heated gaze.
“I never feel this way when it’s just you and Benedict with me in the parlour.” Theodora lowered her voice even further as she looked into Livinia’s eyes.
Her safety and comfort lie with me and Benedict.
The pit of her stomach clenched with the thought. What would happen to Theodora if Benedict married Eleanor? Whatever idea she had concocted about them would inevitably need to be dismantled.
It’s not just Theodora.
Livinia swallowed hard as Eleanor let out a sharp laugh that rang through the air and grated on her ears. She’d been harbouring hopes and never-to-be-realized dreams about the man who sat across from her in the parlour.
Benedict held her gaze as he rubbed the tip of his finger over his thumb. A shiver of pleasure ran down her spine despite the others present in the room. His eyes darkened with the same passion she’d seen in them on the night they had kissed.
Chapter 24
Benedict felt his desire pulsing through his veins as he made his way to Livinia’s room. It was almost as if an invisible force was pulling him towards her door. He knew that nothing could come from the attraction, but he needed to speak to her to see her reaction.
The evening had gone as planned, yet he hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off of her. Eleanor had noticed it as well; he knew from the way she kept glancing at them that she could tell. Her reaction later on when they’d eventually found a moment alone, however, had left him more confused than he had been before.
The house was silent as he reached for the handle, stepping into the room as quickly as he could before shutting the door.
“My Lord?” Livinia gasped and lifted the sheet to her chest, covering her nipples that had been showing through the fabric of her dress.
His desire pulsed in his trousers as he caught sight of her loose hair that hung over her slender neck. The sight of her partially clad appearance in the moonlight was breathtaking to him.
“Please, call me Benedict while we are alone.” His voice was softer than he had intended as he took a step towards the bed. “I needed to speak to you; it couldn’t wait until morning.”
Livinia seemed panicked as her eyes ran over his form. He had made such a hasty decision to come to her room and speak to her that he hadn’t bothered changing his thin breeches or even the white cotton shirt.
“Did Lady Eleanor accept your proposal?” Her breathy voice was barely above a whisper as she pushed the sheet aside and stood, meeting him just as he reached the edge of her bed. The battle lines had been drawn between them and there was no backing down from the truth now.
“Yes, I asked her this evening when everyone else had left. She agreed to be my wife.” Benedict went over the moment in his mind when Eleanor’s eyes flashed with pleasure. It wasn’t the same kind of passion that he now observed in Livinia’s eyes, it was something far greedier and more animalistic in a cruel way that made him question his decision.
“Congratulations, My Lord, I wish you both many years of happiness together.” Her face was expressionless as her body went rigid.
Is she truly happy for me?
Benedict’s eyes wandered down to her breasts with the firm peaks that pressed against the fabric of her nightdress. Why wasn’t she crying? Or even showing the slight bit of emotion she had shown the night before? He wanted her to be jealous; the selfish part of his heart realized that he wanted her to react in a way that suggested she cared for him.
The coolness in her eyes made him want to press her back against the wall and force her to react, to say anything that would indicate her feelings towards him.
“Are you truly happy for me?” he demanded and came closer, his body inches away from hers as he lifted his hands, hovering over her cheek with the back of his knuckles. Her skin was soft and inviting, beckoning him like a siren’s song.
“I am happy for my place in this house; whatever you decide to do beyond that is none of my concern, My Lord.” She swallowed hard with a slight gasp as he ran his knuckles over her cheek.
“I asked you to call me Benedict,” he growled at her as his face drew closer to hers. The smell of lavender wafting from her hair was more intoxicating to him than anything else. He wanted her with a fiery lust that burned in his soul.
“I am just a governess, My Lord. I have no right to address you in such an open manner or speak my mind.” Her gaze lowered to his lips as her breathing deepened. The steady rise and fall of her breasts beneath the nightdress was almost too inviting as he raised his hand but left it beside her arm. He needed to be sure that she wanted this as much as he did before he made his move.
Gently cupping her chin, Benedict forced her to look into his eyes. “Call me Benedict; I want you to be my equal at this moment.” His voice was gruff with desire as he pleaded with her. He wanted her to be his equal because if she were, he could make her his wife and not have to fight the desires that burned in his flesh.
Livinia hesitated for a moment as her breathing quickened. “But I am not your equal, Benedict …” She yielded to his demand and breathed his name.
The sound of every syllable on her lips caressed his ears like a gentle kiss in the middle of a raging storm. The clouds burst, unable to contain the desires that had been building for weeks.
Benedict felt her gasping as he drew her into his arms and kissed her lips. His tongue hungrily sought the inside of her mouth as her lips parted, granting him access to the warm depths. Her reaction was all he needed to confirm his suspicions.
She wants me as much as I want her.
Placing his arms beneath her buttocks for support, he lifted her against his chest. The feel of her hair cascading around his face as she returned his kiss drove him wild with passion.
“Benedict …” She whispered his name against his lips after drawing back for a breath.
“I’m here now …” he felt himself responding without knowing what he was saying. Lowering her into the bed, he climbed beside her and stared down at the gold waterfalls of hair floating over her pillows. She was a marvellous vision in the white night dress that fed his desires like wood in a blazing inferno.
All reason was lost to him when Livinia reached up and placed her hand beneath his shirt, moving the tips of her fingers over his skin as she held his gaze. The look in her eyes melted any resolve that remained as he leaned down and kissed her again.
The feeling of floating above the clouds quickly gave way to fiery sensations as he repositioned his body over hers with her legs on either side of his hips.
