The Duke's Love (20 page)

“I
won’t let anything like
this happen again. I’m just glad
you’re
okay
,
” Jake said
,
as
he leaned over
a
nd
kissed
her sweetly.

“That’s it
?
You’re
just going to
forget it happened
?” She asked between kisses.

“What else do you want me to do love?” He said gently.

Something did not seem right,
but
instead of pushing the issue; she asked how the weekend went. He filled her in with the latest gossip and activities. She
had forgotten how comfortable being with Jake was and how easy
it was to talk to
him. He had always been so carefree and could easily make her laugh.
She really did not want to lose the spark they had. He spoke to her as an equal
,
always
listened to
her opinions and was
wonderfully
thoughtful.
Now, before she lost her courage, she wanted to
tell him
all the secret
s she had been keeping from him
.

“Jake
,
we need to talk
,
” s
he said.

“No, we need to rest
,
” Jake interrupted her. He pulled her close
and the only thing she wanted at that moment was
snuggle up to him
; safe and secure
. She was acutely aware of Jake’s bare chest and arms as
he folded her into them
.

“We shouldn’t do this
,
Jake
,
”
s
he said quietly.

“It’s just like old times,
relax,
and sleep
,
”
h
e murmured
in her ear
.

Just like old times? This was much bett
er than anything she remembered
. Ana was not ignorant when it
came
to
the relations
between married people
and the
intimacies
they shared
.
Thanks
to
Jake, she was
also
vastly knowledgeable of what all could be accomplished outside the bedroom. She fell into a restful sleep
,
without thought to anything else, except she was here with Jake
.

Jake
was aware that lying beside Ana
was a very dumb idea
, but he
wanted
to keep Ana close,
and
to make her feel safe. Resting
,
with her practically naked body beside him
,
was not one of his finer ideas. He shifted uncomfortably
, due to his awareness of Ana and his arousal
. Ana was sleeping
, so
she
was completely
oblivious to his turmoil. He needed to think about something else. He was slowly coming to a decision about Sarah. Just thinking about
her
did the trick.
Immediately he
felt his erection go down
and he was able to shift into a more comfortable position.
 

There was no doubt that he
still had feelings for Ana, being with her here right now only proved that. Ana
had been
sick and he was doing everything in his power to help her get better
, but h
e was not a patient man.
He thought of the relief he would feel when all the guests had gone. Ana
moved,
twisted,
and placed her leg across the top of his thighs.
Jake clenched his teeth.
He
had
thought
he was settled down enough to sleep
, but now
he was
becoming more aroused than ever at
the feel of her silky legs on top of his. He threw his arm over his face and closed his eyes, knowing he would not be getting any sleep tonight.

Sarah was up early. It was time to go home. She was disappointed Jake had not offered for her, but the season was not over yet. She smiled at herself as she thought of Ana. The guests were told
that
Ana had fallen ill and
had gone
back to
London
to seek a doctor.
Sarah did not feel the least
bit
guilty
about what she had done. Ana went home and she
was
probably feeling better by now.

Lady Elizabeth was not being
at all
friendly toward her. Oh well, she
was also
leaving today. Jake had seemed a little preoccupied the last day or so
, and he
was missing a lot of the time, but she knew he was a busy man. When he was available, he spent most of his time with her, singling her out. So far, everything was working out great. It was just a matter of time before he proposed.

While everyone
else
was leaving, the family was staying in residence for another week or so. Sarah was trying to figure out a way to
garner an invitation to
stay as well. She went down for breakfast and
to her relief
,
saw Jake was already there
,
standing by the table.
When he glanced her way, she
gave him a sunny smile and she then made her way
over
to him. He was in conversation with his brother. She curtsied to the men when they acknowledged her.

“Good morning
,
Miss Fairchild
,
”
Jordan
greeted her
politely
.
Jake
echoed
the
greeting
.

“What lovely weather we are having today. Perhaps
,
we might take a stroll before I leave, Your
Grace
?”
She asked.
Jake stopped talking to his brother and faced her with hooded eyes.

“Would you like some tea with your stroll?” He asked in a bored tone. Sarah’s heart began to thud
,
wondering if she made a misstep somewhere.

“Tea?” She asked.

“Yes, I believ
e you are rather fond of tea,” h
e said.

Sarah thought very hard about what to say. “No, I would rather not have tea
.
M
aybe I
should
go find mother instead
,
as you're obviously busy
,
"
s
he said.

“
I think that is a splendid idea,
”
h
e said.

Sarah watched
for
a second while he turned and dismissed her like a commoner with little thought. Sarah stood there speechless
. However, just before she was beginning to walk away, she
heard Lady Katherine speaking about Ana. She must have come up behind Lord
Jordan
. Sarah knew
that Katherine
did not notice her standing there. She heard her ask if Ana would be down for breakfast.

“
Lady Carmichael
? Isn’t she in
London
?” Sarah asked before she could stop herself. She felt Jake tense up beside her.

“Miss Fairchild, I didn’t see you standing there. Yes. She is in
London
; I was asking if Jake has heard
any
word of her
,
” Katherine improvised.

“
I understand from the reports that she
is fine
. Now,
I must
excuse myself to
see
some of the guest
s
off
,
” Jake stated and
then
quickly exited the room.

Sarah saw Jake g
i
ve
Jordan
a pointed look before he walked away.
She
frowned
and asked,
“What was that about
,
Lord Trent
?”

“He’s been
under some strain lately.
Weren’t you supposed to be off doing something?
That is if you are finished with your
eavesdropping?”
He asked
.
Sarah knew her face was aflame.

“I’m sorry my lord….” She never finished her sentence.

Jordan
left to go after his brother. How rude of the three of them! Sarah decided she would go and investigate. Surely, they were not hiding Ana here. Now that she thought about it, she did not really see her leave. Yes,
as she
had
watched from her window
, she saw Ana’s
carriage, luggage and maid
leave, but she
never really saw Ana get into the carriage.

Sarah
made her excuses to her mother
,
and went back upstairs. Instead of going to her room, she made her way to the family wing. Everyone was busy
, so
she had ample time to
investigate
without being caught.
Going down the hall, she s
tarted opening up doors. She did not have to wait long
,
before she heard voices coming
from
behind a door
that
she
had
just
prepared
to open. Was it Ana and a maid? It sounded like her.
Surely,
Sarah thought
,
she must have been hearing things. She eased the door open a crack and peered inside.

Ana was lying down on the bed with a maid talking to her. Neither one of them noticed her in the doorway. She tried to make out what was being said, but they were
speaking
in hushed tones.
Softly, s
he eased the door shut. She couldn’t believe it.
They had lied, she
was not in
London
,
and by
the looks of it
;
she
was
not
preparing to leave any time
soon. Sarah
’s temper was
boiling;
her
plan had backfired yet again. She wanted to stomp both of her feet in frustration. 

No wonder Jake
had
always seemed
so
busy.
S
he needed a new plan.
This
time
, s
he would make sure it work
ed
. Sarah made her way to her own room thinking about what she could do. First thing
s
first, she needed to stay a little longer.

Feigning an illness
could
work
.
After all, no
one knew what
had
made Ana sick
,
so she could say she was sick from the same aliment. After conceiving a believable plan, she changed her clothes
and put on
something more comfortable. She would wait in bed for her mother to fetch her
and then
she would plead sickness. This would work, she was sure of it. She gave herself a mental pat on the back, reclined in bed, and waited. After what seemed like several hours, she was growing increasingly impatient.

Her mother finally came in with a servant on her heels. “Get up child! We have to leave
,
”
s
he
instructed
, clearly impatient at finding her abed.

“Mum, I don’t feel so well
,
” s
he said in a weak voice, making it convincing. 

“What do you mean you don’t feel
well
?” Her mother sat down on the bed.

“I’m sick. What do you think it means
,
”
s
he snapped. She watched her mother leave the room, but
failed to notice the
heavy sigh and rolled eyes as she left
.
Sarah
la
id
back
,
waiting patient
ly,
knowing
that
victory was
with
in her reach.