Saved By A Siren: Spencers in Love Book One (5 page)

Chapter 6

            The next morning, Elise took her time rising and
dressing for breakfast. She'd considered requesting a tray but she'd never done
so before and didn't want to make anyone suspicious. She supposed Spencer would
think it was because she was ashamed of her behavior and she hated the idea.
Truthfully, she didn't regret going to him and she certainly didn't regret the
physical intimacy. It had been lovely and she'd never felt as whole as she did
when their bodies were touching as they kissed. Her nerves were in chaos and
she was pacing the floor because she was afraid that he'd sent her away because
he hadn't enjoyed it as much as she had. She was dreading whatever it was that
he wanted to talk about. What if he wanted to tell her that she shouldn't have
been in his room and he didn't want to kiss her again?

            Elise understood that nothing lasting could come
of whatever happened between them. Spencer needed to marry and produce an heir.
But he didn't seem in a rush and as she'd waited for sleep to claim her she had
decided that she'd been granted an unusual opportunity. Why couldn't she have
an affair with him? He was handsome, kind, experienced and conveniently in the
next room. She was a widow. Isn't that what widows did? Weren't they expected
to have affairs with rakes? Wouldn't a rake expect that? One moment he was
doing wicked things to her hand with his mouth, making every bone in her body
turn to jelly. The next, he was offering to show her the door. Something had
changed his mind. She had to find a way to change it back.

            When Elise finally entered the informal dining
room, she found it empty. Normally, her plate was prepared and waiting, at her
seat. Instead, covered dishes waited on the sideboard.                        

            Shortly after she sat, Holderson entered and
began arranging her plate.

            "Has his lordship come and gone?" She
couldn't smell any trace of him.

            "No, my lady. He went for a ride. He said
he prefers to engage in exercise before breaking his fast"

            Holderson set the plate before her. Eggs, toast,
ham and berries. Her usual breakfast arranged in the usual way. Coffee was set
off to the right, the handle pointing out.

            "His lordship left quite some time ago, he
should return soon, I think." With that, Holderson took himself off and
she was alone with her thoughts.

            Elise sighed. She hadn't realized how tired she
was of being alone with her thoughts until Spencer arrived at Longwood. Her
life hadn't seemed so bad when she sat down to breakfast the day before. She
thought her life was ideal. She was comfortable and safe. She had all her needs
tended to by a caring staff that took great pride in their work. And she cared
for them deeply. Her hours spilled away at the piano with occasional breaks for
tea, walking in the garden or visiting the horses in the stables. Of course,
she had worried about leaving Longwood but that would have meant starting over
at Harwood Grange. It would have been difficult and slightly terrifying but she
wouldn't have been homeless and she'd still have Holderson, Anna and much of
the staff with her. She'd thought her life was as perfect as could be expected.

            Now, it felt so empty. What did she have,
really? A piano to play, some marble statues to visit with, a few horses to pet
and a bloody lot of tea to drink. Her days amounted to nothing and she could
see no alteration to her schedule in the foreseeable future. Cold eggs. Cold
eggs were in her future if she didn't stop feeling sorry for herself and start
eating. Elise picked up her fork and was about to dig in when she heard the
sound of a door and footsteps on tile before they were muffled by rug. The
stride was long and determined. It was Spencer and he was quickly approaching.
Elise felt her hand shake and put her fork down. She rested it in her lap and
looked up as he entered.

            The room felt smaller with him in it. It sounded
as if he was bowing.

            "Good morning, Lady Elise. I trust you had
a peaceful night?" He dismissed Holderson and began opening dishes and
filling a plate. She felt her face grow warm. What could he mean by that?

            "Did you enjoyed your ride, Spencer?"
With the addition of a hint of horse and a lot of the outdoors, his scent had
her inhaling rapturously. It was already so familiar to her. Bergamot, spice,
soap, mint, leather and in the evening a mingling of brandy. Especially when he
leaned in close. Elise nearly jumped when she felt his cool lips against her
cheek. Spencer took the seat to her right, at the head of the table. First,
that question about her night and then what she hoped was a discreet kiss. She
let her senses stretch. She sensed no one else.

            "It was brilliant! Lucifer was overjoyed to
get the chance to stretch his legs and the estate has plenty of space for it.
It's a beautiful property and the morning's perfect."

            Elise smiled. She sensed Spencer's content and
heard his fork scraping as he attacked his plate. She picked up her fork.

            "I think my eggs have gone cold." She
took a small bite and grimaced.

            "Let me get you a new plate." Spencer
removed her food before Elise could stop him. She heard him working at the
sideboard.

            "You weren't waiting for me, I hope?"
He set the plate in front of her and squeezed her hand gently.

            Elise held her fork in her hand, not certain how
to proceed.

            "They'll get cold again." She felt
Spencer stare.

            "I'm not sure where anything is." She
said softly, not wanting to offend him. It had been kind of him to prepare a
new plate but Holderson always did her plates. He knew how to arrange
everything so she knew where each part of her meal was. She didn't want to seem
picky or ungrateful but it enabled her to eat as normal people did. Having to
feel her food before she used her fork made her self conscious.

            "What do you mean? I put the eggs at the
top, the ham just to the right, berries at the bottom and the toast on the
left. Nothing is touching."

            "You did? How did you know to do so?"

            "I noticed that Holderson made your plates
at tea and dinner yesterday. This morning, the layout was similar. Main course
at the top, fruits and vegetables at the bottom right and the toast was on the
left just as your roll and potatoes were last night. Your drinks are always set
on the right, just above your plate with handles outwards." He took a bite
and began chewing.

            "Thank you, Spencer. That's was rather
perceptive of you." She dipped her fork in her eggs and took a bite. Her
eyes began to water. It had been a long time since anyone outside of the staff
had been so thoughtful.

            Spencer swallowed and chuckled. "I wouldn't
have been very good at my job if I hadn't been very perceptive." He drank
some coffee and set his cup down. Elise felt his fingers brush hers again and
she suppressed a shiver.

            "I like knowing things like that about you
and I like doing things for you. I want to learn and do more." He'd said
it so softly but it felt as if someone had fired a pistol in the room.

            Elise's heart raced and she felt a little dizzy.
She was so confused. This morning she'd been afraid that he might regret what
had happened the night before. Instead, Spencer was cheerful and treating her
like... Like a lover. Also, it was quite hard to eat a decent breakfast when
her stomach kept flipping over.

            Elise took a steadying breath and whispered,
"But last night..."

            Spencer interrupted her. "Last night was
one of the best nights of my life. But also quite frustrating and highly
improper." She heard him shift in his seat.

            Elise was relieved and flattered that it had
meant as much to him as her and she understood why it had been improper.
"Why frustrating?"

            Spencer took a deep breath and leaned forward,
once again his fingers stroked hers. "Thanks to these hands of yours, it
took quite a bit of time and a letter home to relax enough to go back to
sleep."

            She felt her face flood with heat as she
recalled the feel of him in her hands. He'd been so large and extremely hard,
yet surprisingly soft. Like silk over marble. His entire body had been hard and
almost too hot. Her palms and fingertips itched to touch him again.

            "I'm sorry. My intention had been to help
you relax. Do you usually write letters when you're frustrated?"

            Spencer laughed. The sound rippled through her
and left warmth it's wake.

            "Darling, I'm rarely frustrated. And
there's no need to apologize, I would endure far worse if it meant waking up
with you in my arms."

            There went her stomach again. Elise pushed her
plate away.

            "It gave me plenty of time to consider our
situation."

            "Our situation?"

            "Yes. I don't want you to leave Longwood.
This is your home as long as you choose to stay. I want to stay here,
indefinitely. I can't explain it but between the house, the land and you, I
feel I could find myself and be happy again. Something happened when I came to
Longwood. I haven't felt this calm, this content in years. I need to be here.
And that leaves us with a problem, especially after last night."

            Elise's head tilted to the side.

            "A problem? But you said you enjoyed
it."

            Spencer shifted again.

            "You can't imagine how much I enjoyed it
and how much more I'd like to enjoy." He said in a voice that was suddenly
very low and much deeper. "The fact remains, the two of us living alone
will raise too many eyebrows. You getting caught in my bed would ruin both of
our reputations."

            It was Elise's turn to laugh.    

            "Spencer! I have no reputation. Even if I
did, I'm a widow. It's not as if anyone assumes I have any virtue to protect.
And you're a rake! You can't expect me to believe that society isn't aware of
any of your past affairs or mistresses."

            Elise felt him stiffen.

            "This is entirely different. A blind eye
may be turned when it comes to affairs and mistresses as long as one is
discreet. If it was thought that you were living with me here as my mistress,
it would be scandalous. Especially since you are in my care. It would be
assumed that I took advantage of you. Widow or not. I know that there are other
estates and large households in the area. I understand that you don't often go
out in society here but the ton has long arms and eyes and ears all over. This
staff is loyal but eventually, someone would say too much to the wrong person
and your reputation here would be destroyed. You would be shunned. What little
company you have here would disappear entirely."

            Abruptly, Elise scooted her chair back and rose.

            "Truly, you have no need to worry about my
reputation, Spencer. We haven't had social calls at Longwood since Martha fell
ill. No one's ever called on me. I was shunned long before you arrived. Not
that I've ever minded." With that she left the room.

            Spencer rushed after her. "No one calls on
you? You're the Countess of Cambroke, the highest ranking person of nobility in
Surrey. Why would they shun you?"

            Elise hurried through the ballroom, the fingers
of one hand clicking while the other hand squeezed the bridge of her nose as a
headache threatened. She didn't want to discuss how empty her life was or all
the ways she was unsuitable. She cleared the small hallway and stormed into her
sitting room. Elise flung herself into her chair. Spencer sat in the chair to
the left. She waited for him to say something. She endured the heat of his
stare for as long as she could before she bolted from her chair and attempted
to rush towards the French doors to the garden. Elise got as far as the couch
before she felt Spencer's hand lock about her arm.

            "Sit." She felt him lower to the seat,
pulling her arm downwards. She followed and attempted a glare. "Why would
your neighbors shun you?"

            "I don't know. Perhaps you should ask
them."

            "Lady Elise." His tone made it quite
clear that he wouldn't tolerate her present attitude. "Why on earth would
decent, Christian people abandon a lonely, blind young lady? Especially if she
was a countess and utterly enchanting?"

            Elise snorted. "Decent Christians? That's a
clanker, if I've ever heard one. I remember ladies with children coming to
visit when I first arrived. They were horrified when they saw that I was blind.
I wasn't fit for their sons and daughters. A few came for Martha's funeral. Not
because they cared for her or how heartbroken Basil was. They came to get a
peek at me. I heard the whispers, Spencer. They said I was unnatural and that
it was shameful that I had taken advantage of Basil and Martha for so many
years. The only people that came when we married was the vicar, his wife and
her sister. They whispered too. God, but they whispered! They said that I was
probably happy when Martha passed away, I could finally trick the poor old earl
into marrying me. They said I'd probably seduced him long before she died. Which
was to be expected from someone like me. The rumor was that my mother was a
fallen women and had been diseased when she'd given birth, which is how I lost
my eyesight. It only made sense that I'd take advantage of a man that old, so
soon after his beloved wife's death."

            Only when Elise stopped did she realize she'd
been crying. Her hands were fisted in the fabric of her gown. She was furious.
She'd never told anyone what she'd heard and had spent years avoiding the
memories.