The Captain's Bluestocking Mistress

The Captain's Bluestocking Mistress by Erica Ridley Read Free Book Online Page A

Book: The Captain's Bluestocking Mistress by Erica Ridley Read Free Book Online
Authors: Erica Ridley
next open doorway led to what must be the servants’ quarters. The beds were made perfectly and the fireplaces had not been lit. Jane hugged herself against the chill. The empty rooms were far too cold for her, but Egui was blessed with a layer of steel-gray fur. The temperature would suit him fine, and his dusky coat would be almost impossible to detect in the quickly waning light.
    Jane checked above every wardrobe and beneath every bed, but could find no trace of the missing cat.
    She rarely did until it was too late.
    Much like her interaction with Captain Grey, she supposed. She hadn’t been able to protect herself from being wounded because she hadn’t anticipated the source of the blow. Non -action hurt just as much as action. Perhaps even more so.
    Her shoulders slumped. The wounds from Egui’s sharp little claws would clear up in a week or two. But Captain Grey’s outright rejection would leave its mark forever.
    She sealed the door to the servants’ quarters and crossed the hall into the dining room. A tall mahogany sideboard lined the perimeter. An oblong table with eight wooden chairs stood in the center. No hiding places. No sign of Egui. Jaw set, she stalked into the next room—and abruptly stopped in the doorway.
    A library. Small, but comfortable. A chaise longue and a wingback chair faced the unlit fireplace.
    The bookcases were few, but contained a respectable number of titles. She couldn’t help but peruse them. Politics… agriculture… classics… Fanny Hill! She snatched the volume from the shelf and held it to her chest.
    An erotic novel! She had longed to read such a thing, but hadn’t wanted to have to hide more than one book from her brother. There might not be explicit imagery within these pages, but anything calling itself Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure was something she wouldn’t wish to explain how it came to be in her possession some night over dinner.
    Not that it was appropriate material here, either.
    She slid the book back into its slot amongst the others. Reading about fictional erotic encounters while under the same roof as Captain Grey would only make her yearn for him all the more. ’Twas better for both of them to have her curiosity remain unsatisfied.
    Although it was deliciously tempting to borrow it just for the night...
    Forcing herself to abandon the book, she inspected above and within each shelf in search of the missing cat. Nothing. Not even a telltale gray hair to indicate he’d ever entered the room. She exited the library and shut the door firmly behind her. And swallowed hard.
    The last remaining room was Captain Grey’s bedchamber. She hesitated at the open doorway.
    Flickering orange light emanated from the fireplace, giving the room a soft, warm glow. Directly across was a large four-poster bed with thick emerald curtains. An armoire stood to one side, and a table bearing a pitcher and basin stood on the other. Yet she couldn’t take her eyes from the bed.
    What might it have been like, to join him beneath the blankets? Hot, obviously. Thrilling. Unforgettable.
    But she would never know.
    She clenched her fingers against the unbidden twist in her stomach. The truth couldn’t be plainer. Captain Grey wasn’t just an ex-soldier. He was a war hero. A leader of men. If he wanted something, he took it.
    Therefore, he didn’t want her . If he did, she’d already be naked.
    She set down the basket and knelt to peer beneath the bed. No cat. She tightened her jaw. Where in the world was he hiding?
    A thump sounded in the doorway and she sprang to her feet in alarm.
    Not Egui. Excitement infused her veins. Captain Grey . Delivering her trunk to his bedchamber.

Chapter Seven

     
    Xavier took a healthy step back from Miss Downing’s trunk. She was standing in his bedchamber. He should be far, far away. Not staring at her long, shimmering hair or imagining the feel of those voluptuous curves beneath his hands. Her untouched innocence attracted him just as

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