Chapter 3 #2
“I mean to see you out of here.” She tossed the jacket onto the chair. “The shoes,” she said and pointed at them. “I know they are not yours.”
“And my pants too?” He looked down at her. “Shall I take those off?”
Octavia very nearly said yes. Thankfully, she paused, realizing before she spoke how ridiculous this was. She could not ask this man to take off his pants! If they were found that way, no explanation would suffice.
“The shirt,” she said. “Unbutton it.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes!” She snatched for the shirt and started to hastily undo the buttons.
“You will have to sneak out the window…” The top buttons came undone, exposing a thick layer of chest hair that covered a muscular chest. Her hands started to shake…
“Perhaps running through London without a shirt on will be awkward, but it is a small price to pay.”
She was halfway through unbuttoning his shirt, just as she was doing her best not to stare. With each removed button, more skin was exposed, and with the way that this strange man eyed Octavia… it was a wonder she was able to concentrate at all.
It might be easier if he were not so handsome and muscular. How did a simple street thug develop a build like this…
“I think I need to stop you now.” His hands gently took hold of hers. “Before this goes any further.”
She tried to pull her hands free, but he hung on. “Let me go.”
“Only if you promise to stop undressing me.”
“You think I want to do this?” She glanced at the closed doorway. “We do not have time for this. They will be back any second!”
“Who?”
“Who do you think? The Duke!”
Still holding Octavia’s hands, he effortlessly overpowered her, forcing her arms to her side. There, he stood tall over her, his dark eyes locked onto her, battering her back, sucking away her confidence so that she felt small and powerless.
She tried to stand tall. She tried to act confident. But it was as he stared down at her that the situation, and what Octavia had been doing, slowly became realized. How hastily she had acted. How insane! Furthermore, the longer she looked into those eyes, the clearer it all became…
Oh no…
“Who exactly do you think I am?” he asked her.
“I… I…” Octavia swallowed, for she had no answer.
Just then, the door to the room burst open.
The stranger acted quickly, taking a hurried step back and turning his back on her. His hands went to his shirt, hastily doing up his buttons so that Miss Spencer, in all her haste, did not see. Rather, she saw Octavia, standing there, stunned.
“Miss Finch,” she said. “I am so sorry, I was unable to…” Miss Spencer trailed off as the stranger turned back. “Oh! Never mind. Here I am, getting ahead of myself.”
“Miss Spencer,” the stranger said. His shirt was buttoned again, and he did not look in the least amused. “You were searching for me?”
“I was, Your Grace,” she said.
Octavia’s eyes widened, and her stomach dropped through the floor.
Somehow, she forced herself to look up and meet the stranger’s eyes… no, not a stranger. The Duke! He watched her without blinking, and there was no indication in those eyes of how he felt about what she had just done.
They were dark. They were empty. And the world shrank so that those eyes were all which remained. From them, Octavia could not look away. Her body started to tremble…
“Concerning?” he asked, still staring at Octavia.
“I see the two of you have already met,” Miss Spencer said pleasantly. “Your Grace, this is Miss Finch, and she has just applied for the role of governess.”
“Is that right?” he said, still staring at her, his expression emotionless.
“It is,” Miss Spencer continued pleasantly. “I must say too, she is just what we need. On my reputation, I think she will make a welcome addition to this home. Of course, the final verdict is up to you, Your Grace, which is why I thought the two of you should meet.”
He continued to look right at Octavia. She wanted to look away – she tried to! Her entire body trembled with embarrassment, the sense that she had ruined everything… worse than that, even. Not only had she accused the Duke of being a thief, but she had tried to undress him.
Bury me here, for there is no point in living.
“Very well,” the Duke said slowly, his voice deep and filled with command. “Send her to my office, Miss Finch, and I will speak to her personally.” A final look for Octavia, still unreadable, and he tore his eyes free and strode from the room.
Octavia gasped once he was gone.
Her body shook. Her knees buckled. Was she alone, she might have been sick. Octavia did what she could to try and center herself, to try and convince herself that this was not the end of the world. But it was hard to do, because she knew the truth like anything else.
Any chance that she had of being hired as the governess was now null and void. Why, she would be lucky to make it out of this place without being arrested!
“Shall we?” Miss Spencer appeared beside her, thankfully not seeming to notice how undone Octavia had become. “He is much kinder than he seems,” she said. “Truly, once you get to know him, I am sure you will realize what a wonderful man he is. Working for him has been a great honor.”
It was a nice sentiment, but Octavia doubted it very much.