As An Earl Desires by Lorraine Heath

Author:Lorraine Heath [Heath, Lorraine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

It was madness and mayhem and terror.

Camilla had been lying in bed, thinking of Archie. Did he truly desire her? It was a frightening notion. Her husband had certainly not desired her. He'd desired how he could hurt her, but what she saw in Archie's eyes was unlike anything she'd ever had directed her way. No one could want the woman she presented to the world—not really. She knew that.

Which meant if he wanted her, he was looking beneath the outer shell, and that idea terrified her more, prevented her from sleeping. So she was wide awake when the bells sounded.

She rushed into the hallway and was nearly knocked over as Winston rushed past.

"It's the school!" he yelled.

"Where's Archie?" she asked.

"He's probably already there."

Then Winston was gone, and she ran outside after him without thought to the fact that she wasn't properly dressed. Archie had gone to town earlier, and if he'd not returned, then Winston was probably right. Archie would be at the fire, trying to save his beloved school—and knowing how utterly and foolishly unselfish he was, she feared he'd put himself in harm's way.

The thought of his dying in a fire nearly doubled her over. She stumbled on the road, straightened herself, and hurried on. She caught sight of Winston charging past on a horse. Damnation! Why hadn't she thought to find him first? Why had she assumed he would run to the fire?

She glanced back at the barn, discarded the idea of trying to get a horse, and continued running, halfway wishing she had a pair of skates. She didn't think she'd run since she was a small girl.

She heard a rumble, a galloping of hooves.

"Lady Sachse!"

She stopped and turned, just as a wagon drew to a halt. She found herself unceremoniously pulled into the back with the servants. Before she could catch her breath or speak, the driver was urging the horses on again. She saw Archie's mother sitting on the bench beside the driver—the stableman no doubt.

The wagon barreled along through town and up the path toward the school. She could see flames licking at the night sky as though the fire sought to eat the stars as well as the building. Cold terror pierced her heart.

It wasn't the school. It was the building where the students slept.

She didn't remember the wagon stopping, didn't remember leaping out of it. She only knew that she was wending her way through the throng of people. Thank goodness they had a pump. She saw men pumping while another held a hose, directing it so the water hit high on the building. Others had formed a bucket brigade, splashing water on the lower portions of the building.

But the children, where were the children?

Then she spotted four huddled together. Younger boys, dirt-smudged faces, eyes large with fear. She dropped to the ground and gathered the two closest into her arms, reaching out to offer a comforting touch to those on the outskirts. "Are you all right?"

They bobbed their heads.

"Lord Sachse went to get Tim," one said.

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