License to Kiss by McKinley Kate

Author:McKinley, Kate
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kate McKinley
Published: 2017-09-25T04:00:00+00:00

It had been two days complete since Emily had clapped eyes on Stephen. After their last encounter, he had all but vanished from his daily visits.

In his place was the tall, strikingly handsome footman, James, who appeared at her door at precisely the same times each day—eight in the morning, before the guests were likely to be awake, and nine in the evening, when they were at dinner or otherwise engaged.

James was charming and amiable, but she wondered at Stephen’s motives. Why would he thrust such a man into her path? Was it an attempt to divert her attentions and cast her off?

Bess had arrived earlier to deliver Emily’s dinner—on a tray, as usual—and light the fire in the hearth. Emily was just finishing her lamb and potatoes when there was a knock on the door.

She dabbed her mouth with her napkin and turned in her chair toward the door. “Come in.”

The door opened to reveal James, his dark, wavy hair charmingly disheveled. “Good evening, Miss Michaelson.”

He was striking in his uniform—handsome and polished in the way all footmen were. Indeed, it was so common to see an attractive footman she would not be surprised to find they were bred purely for their ornamental qualities.

But James, it seemed, had more substance than the others, a characteristic she welcomed. On their long walks, they conversed on matters of culture and economics, their hopes for the future. Speaking to another soul on matters of equality was quite refreshing and she found herself looking forward to each of his visits.

The night was clear and unblemished when they stepped out. There had been talk of rain earlier in the week—or so Bess had told her—but it had all come to nothing. The air now was crisp, a gentle wind curling up from somewhere west of Grosvenor Street.

“Are you cold?” James asked, attentive as usual.

Emily pulled her borrowed fur cloak more snuggly against her body. “I am quite warm, thank you.”

All was silent save for the sound of their boots hitting the cobbles. Halfway down the street, James stopped and turned to her. “Might I ask an impertinent question?”

Emily stopped with a polite sigh. She had been cooped up all day and was impatient to stretch her legs. Indeed, they tingled with the need to stretch. “If you must,” she answered.

“Why does Lord Devon keep you confined to your room?”

She was taken aback by his frankness. “I could not tell you. His motives are as mysterious to me as they must be to you.”

She wasn’t entirely ignorant of his motives, but she only had her assumptions. He had yet to explain, explicitly, his reasoning for keeping her confined.

“And yet you allow it…”

She glanced down at the cobbles, then back up at his face. The street lamps illuminated his features and glinted off his dark hair. “There is something I need from him and so I bide my time. Once I have what I require, then I will be free to live my life however I wish.

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