At least, that had been the plan. Until Caro put a small but strong hand on his shoulder. Until the fresh scent of her curled round him like a breeze. He wanted this growing attraction as much as he wanted this house.
Not at all.
But if kissing her silenced the ghosts… shewashis wife… if he must stay for the moment, he might as well take solace in whatever distractions from memory could be found in this cursed place. And, maybe, his wife’s lusty nature was the way to lure her back to London.
He descended the stairs with a bounce in his step. And found the parlor crowded, at least a dozen women waiting for him, including his scowling wife.
Chapter Nine
Felix sauntered intothe parlor as if he owned it. And he did. Technically. But he’d promised to let her do with it as she pleased. It was written into their marriage contract! That made the house hers. In spirit if not in actuality. Damn the laws.
“Good morning, ladies,” he said with that charming grin at the assembled women. “Thank you all for coming today. I’ll ask you all to wait in the hall. I’ll call you in one at a time.”
“What in Hades’s name is going on here?” Polly hissed. She’d helped Caroline dress then joined her as the village women poured into the parlor. The small blue room had become so crowded, they’d pushed all the tables, chairs, and the small writing desk to the edges. That had the unfortunate consequence of revealing just how damaged the rugs were. She’d addprocure new rugsto her list of things to do.
“I know as much as you do,” Caroline admitted. “Less, likely.” She’d done much with Felix’s lips this morning, but talking had not been much of it. What he had said… illuminating. She’d gotten it all wrong. She did not repel him. Quite the opposite. Her hand floated up to touch her lips. She could still feelhisthere, tingling.
Had he been deceiving her for some reason? Trying to make her think he desired her? Unlikely. Impossible to pretend that level of arousal. The thought made her stomach flip and the star between her legs…well. She bit back a smile. It still glowed a bit, keeping her warm.
“He’s ruining your plans,” Polly said. Wasn’t he just. “We cannot do anything while he’s here. It was fine when he was fixing things and hiring tradesmen, but this!” Polly held her arms out wide. “Establishing a harem!”
Caroline choked. “A harem? Polly. Utterly ridiculous.” Though a man as ravenous as Felix had been this morning, might have need of a communal means of slaking his lust.No!Utterly ridiculous. “He’s… he’s interviewing them.”
“For a harem.” Polly snorted.
“For…”Aha!“Servants.”
“We can’t have those. Not many at least, and they have to be carefully chosen.”
“Iknow,” Caroline ground out.
With that wide, easy smile, Felix was ushering the women into the hall. He would not takenofor an answer. If he wanted servants here, he’d have them. And if she refused, he’d want to know why, and there was no terribly good reason for a viscountess to refuse maids and housekeepers and cooks. Unless she was broke. And she was not.
Curses.
“We will have to… put off the plan. For now. We will resume once he leaves.” And fire everyone he’d hired.
Most of them, at least.
Polly made a clucking noise. “The more people about, the easier to lose our secret.”
As if she didn’t know that. As if keeping a skeleton staff only wasn’t a principal backbone of her plan. “As far as anyone knows, this is merely a private residence in need ofimprovement. They will never discover more than that. That must be all Lord Foxton ever knows, too.”
“Of course. Like I’m goin’ ta tell aman.”
Caroline bristled. Felix was not simply a man. He was a fighter, agoodman. If he knew, he would… he would… what would he do?Hm.Something to think on. She’d not considered it while she’d been trying to drive him away. Now that she knew she couldn’t, the idea of telling him everything slipped in like fog through a cracked window.
Room emptied of the applicants, Felix closed the door and sauntered toward Caroline and Polly, his gaze for Caroline alone, his intent expression brimming with memories of their morning together.
She almost stepped into his arms.
But Polly poked her in the ribs. “Stand your ground.”
Yes. Stand her ground. Why was she melting anyway? This wasFelix! And now she’d seen him shirtless. And he no longer laughed at her request for kisses, but took them mercilessly, as if he’d nevernotkiss her.
“What was that?” Polly poked her again.
“What was what?”
