Page 59 of Unbound Duchess

Ellen groaned, feeling more embarrassed than ever.

“Let her,” Laurence insisted gently. “We will make it fun, I promise you.”

Ellen looked up, her gaze darting from Laurence to Madalene, then, with a sigh, she nodded.

“Very well,” she muttered.

An hour later, Ellen found herself giggling with Madalene as Laurence chuckled. Despite being sure that the lesson would be anything but fun, the brother-and-sister duo had proved otherwise. Madalene had started by asking her to list her favorite foods in front of them and the servants before they ate. Then Madalene motioned one of the servants over to her, whispered something into his ear, and he disappeared.

A short time later, he returned with a full platter of steamed trout, hard-boiled eggs, porridge, and stewed greens. Ellen had wrinkled her nose at the plate, as she had been looking forward to two-minute eggs, buttered toast, and sausage. Still, she reached for the platter, figuring that any food was better than none at all. Her fingers were just about to grasp the silver tongs when Laurence leaned forward and slapped her hand away.

She had looked at him, startled, and was met with a stern look.

“Give. Yourself. What. You. Want,” he’d said, emphasizing each word.

So she did. She pushed the platter away, and instead of relying on someone else to speak for her, she told the servant precisely what she wanted. A while later, her favorite breakfast was set before her, and she’d received her first round of applause from Madalene and Laurence.

The lesson continued as they broke their fast. Madalene had asked more questions about her likes. What colors she preferred, what fabrics she thought felt best. What books she was inclined to read. This time, though, Ellen was prepared for the lesson, and as Madalene sent servants to fetch other things, Ellen stopped them and politely asked them to bring her what she wanted, not what Madalene had chosen for her.

“I think this has been a good lesson for the day,” Madalene sighed.

“I agree,” Laurence added, smiling as he looked down at the small, torn-up velvet pillow sitting in front of Ellen. It had been the last test. Instead of listening to her request, to bring her the embroidery she’d been working on, a servant, whom Ellen assumed had been told to purposely disobey her, brought her the small pillow wrapped in purple velvet. Ellen responded by taking her knife and shredding the fabric to pieces, sending fluff and bits of thread floating through the room.

“I apologize for ruining your pillow,” Ellen replied, offering them both an apologetic smile as she nudged the ruined thing.

“No need; that thing was ghastly,” Madalene said as she rose to her feet. She winked at Ellen as she added, “I do not like velvet either.”

Ellen beamed, grateful that her show of hatred had not gone too far.

Madalene rounded the table and bent to give Ellen a kiss on each cheek.

“I am proud of you for finding your fighting spirit,” she praised as she rose back up to her full height. “But now I must take my leave. I have a few friends meeting me in town at the jeweler. Do you wish to join us?”

Ellen’s smile widened, knowing she was being goaded with one last trick.

“No, thank you,” she said with an assertive nod. “I wish to stay here.”

Madalene winked at her, then turned to leave.

“Have a pleasant day, you two,” she called over her shoulder. “Try not to ruin any more pillows!”

Ellen giggled as Laurence chuckled, but as they were left alone, the silence became palpable.

“Shall we continue our lesson in my office?” he asked. He waved a hand toward the messy table between them. “I believe the servants need the opportunity to clean up this little mess of yours.”

Ellen tilted her chin slightly at the invitation, feeling emboldened and empowered; not at all diminished by his slight taunt.

“Yes, we should,” she agreed. “I am curious to see how far this lesson is going to go.”

Laurence’s eyes darkened as the air between them suddenly filled with static.

“As am I,” he replied, a seductive tone slipping into his deep voice.

A shiver of excitement raced down Ellen’s spine as Laurence rose from his seat and offered her his hand. Sparks flew off her fingertips as she slid her palm into his and allowed him to help her. He let go as soon as she was on her feet, but before she could even give in to the disappointment from his loss of touch, she felt his warm hand press into her lower back and guide her out of the dining room.

They remained quiet as they walked down the hall toward his office, but the moment the door was closed behind them, Laurence pressed her back to it, his hands tight around her waist. At once, Ellen’s heart began to pound against her ribs, caught between confusion and relief.

“Tell me to stop touching you,” Laurence commanded, smoothing his firm hands down her waist and to her hips.