The Seduction of Sarah Marks Read Online Free PDF Page A

little animal gave her a sense of purpose that was near to exhilarating. “Please notify Mrs. Whistlethorpe that I’ll be taking the puppy with me when we leave.”
    Color rose in the maid’s cheeks. “You mean to take that little runt?”
    Sarah nodded. “If you can have a basket prepared in the morning that can accommodate it, I’d be glad to.”
    The maid pressed her fingers to her lips. “Oh, won’t Mrs. Whistlethorpe fairly dance with joy. The poor pup is the sweetest little thing. We couldn’t bring ourselves to do it in. I’ll see meself that Lord Eastleigh gets the basket. Victuals for it, too.”
    “No! What I mean is, since this will be my doing entirely, my brother has no say in the matter.” It wouldn’t do to slip and let on that she wouldn’t be staying long with the Malverns. “You’ll take care of the matter for me?”
    The maid’s wide grin nearly split her face in two. “Oh, indeed, milady. We done lied to Mr. Whistlethorpe. Told him there were six pups, not seven, so he’ll never know the difference. Been trying to figure out what to do with the poor thing for nigh on eight weeks, so both the missus and I will be resting a bit easier now.”
    “Good. Then if you will, deliver the basket to the carriage right before our departure, and place it on the seat that faces forward.”
    While the maid towel-dried Sarah’s hair and ordered in more hot water for the bath, the storm worsened. Guilt piled upon guilt at the idea of Eastleigh being out in it. Oh, how she would have loved to have inquired about him. And the Malvern family. But what a brainless thing to do.
    A light tapping sounded on the door, and a young maid marched in with warming pans. Behind her came two more maids with steaming buckets of fresh water. Lightning lit the edges around the window curtains, and thunder shook the room. Sarah jumped. Oh, dear, to think he was out in this. Well, he couldn’t be. Not enough time had passed for more than a few sips of whisky. She had nothing to feel guilty about. Absolutely nothing. Tell that to my conscience.
    The warming pans went between the sheets along with another layer of guilt.
    “Yer gown seems to be clean enough, but if ye would care to hand over yer chemise and unmentionables, I’ll see to having them washed and fresh for in the morning.”
    “Oh. Yes. Of course.” While it only made sense to have her underclothing cleaned, somehow Sarah had the feeling she’d never bathed naked. “If you’ll wait outside the door, I’ll hand them over to you.”
    A curious expression ran through the maid’s eyes. “I’ll leave ye, then, milady.”
    When the door closed behind the woman, Sarah divested herself of her remaining clothing, rolled them in a ball, and handed them through the smallest opening she could manage. Slamming the heavy panel shut, she twisted the key in the lock and scurried to the tub where she lowered herself into the scented water. Naked or not, she doubted a bath had ever felt so welcome. The water flowed around her and over her skin like heated silk.
    Heavenly.
    She picked up the soap and sniffed. Chamomile and lavender. How lovely. Lord Eastleigh was right—keeping her thoughts in the present kept panic at bay.
    Eastleigh.
    Try as she might, it didn’t matter that he was not part of her present moment, thoughts of him overtook all else. The viscount was a presence, to be sure. All heads had turned when they’d entered the inn, with none focused on her, thank heavens. And it wasn’t merely his large stature or the low timbre of his voice. Something else about him captivated, and she wasn’t at all certain what it was.
    Her hair clean and her body scrubbed, she donned the oversized nightrail, blew out the candle, and settled beneath the warm, downy comforter.
    Don’t try to figure out anything. Live in the present. What matters but the moment, anyway? Wise words, those. Lightning flickered again. She counted the seconds—One. Two. Three. Thunder boomed