As an Earl Desires Read Online Free PDF Page A

and in control, when she was anything but.
    â€œFinding another duke will be a bit of a
challenge when Lord Sachse seems to take up an inordinate amount of
your time.”
    â€œLord Sachse is no bother, I assure
you,” she responded hastily, not understanding her need to
defend him when she’d never felt a need to defend any man.
“He is nothing like the old earl.”
    Which makes him oh so much
more dangerous .
    She returned her gaze to the window. Archie was
indeed nothing like the old earl. He was handsome beyond measure.
Young, energetic, fit. She loved the way his eyes sparkled when he
discovered something new, and she’d been able toshare so many discoveries with him in London.
They’d attended concerts at Albert Hall and seen Madame
Tussaud’s wax figurines. They’d strolled through art
museums and gone to operas.
    She’d never met anyone who possessed as much
curiosity as he did. He asked questions about everything, studied
all around him as though unable to be fully satisfied with any
explanation, as though there was always more to discover.
    And when his inquisitive gaze fell on her, his eyes
would darken, causing her to quiver with anticipation—of what
she didn’t know, but it hovered just beyond reach, a silent
promise as yet unfulfilled.
    He did more than watch her. He studied her as
though she were a butterfly housed beneath glass. What did he see
when he stared at her so intently? What was he able to discern from
his constant perusal? Obviously he did not see her true self, or he
never would have pressed his mouth against hers.
    And what a marvelous mouth he had. So skilled at
eliciting pleasure. She’d found the movement of his lips, the
sweep of his tongue incredibly tantalizing. As much as she’d
wanted to retreat, she’d been forced to stay, because
she’d never known anything as sweet or enticing. Or hot. The
heat had seared her blood, had warmed her throughout. Then the
tears had come because for the firsttime in her
life, she experienced the rising tide of passion. She
couldn’t give in to it. He would discover her secret
then.
    And with the discovery, he would cease to look at
her with interest because she had little doubt that what he valued
most, she lacked. She’d faced rejection countless times
throughout her life, but she had an odd feeling she’d not
survive a rejection from him.
    â€œLillian, have the driver stop the carriage.
I wish to walk in the park.”
    While Lillian saw to the task, Camilla kept her
gaze on the grassy green knoll that had come into view. Children
scampered over it, and she imagined the games they were playing.
Their laughter and cries were filled with innocent joy. She hated
that a time would come when all that would be stolen from them,
when the realities of life would shove aside hopes and dreams.
    The carriage rolled to a stop. The footman opened
the door and helped Camilla climb out. She knew Lillian would no
doubt join her, but she had no desire to wait.
    She began walking along the path, enjoying the
rustling of the leaves in the breeze. She preferred the bustle of
London to the slow waltz of the countryside. If not for
Archie’s need of a hostess and the fact that it would be
unfashionable to doso, she would remain in
London after the Season came to an end.
    She stopped walking and studied the children
dashing hither and yon. They were the one thing in life that no
matter how diligently she worked or conspired, she would never
attain. She would never know what it was to feel a child growing
within her, to see love reflected in a man’s eyes because
she’d gifted him with a son or a daughter.
    The old Sachse had taught her that a woman who
couldn’t bear children was not one worth having. She’d
thought she might die from the lessons he gave.
    Instead, like delicate skin constantly chafed,
she’d grown tough and hard. She’d found other things
within herself to