"Your Grace. I forgot the time. Were you waiting for me?"

Gervase came around the desk to stand over her. He almost cursed out loud when he saw what she had in her hand. It was his fault for leaving it out on the desk, but what in God's name was she doing with that particular piece of parchment?

"I knocked over a pile of books and when I was putting them back, I found this." She waved the grubby, almost illegible puzzle at him and gave a complacent smile. "I love puzzles and I decided to try my hand at it."

His expression must have warned her that something was amiss because her smile faded and her voice became less certain. She gestured at a second sheet of parchment. "I don't think I've done any harm. I had more sense than to scribble on the original."

Gervase barely glanced at her neat penmanship before he slipped both pieces of parchment beneath his blotter. His mind worked furiously for a way to distract her. He caught her elbow and pulled her out of the seat in one easy motion.

"I expected you to be in bed, waiting for me." He kept his tone mild but she was quick to detect his censure. She blushed, pushed her spectacles further up her nose and tried to pull out of his hold.

"I was waiting for you, Your Grace. I just chose to wait in here."

He tightened his fingers on her arm until he drew her hard up against him. Then used the tip of his index finger and thumb to remove her spectacles. He dangled them in front of her and then dropped them onto the desk where they came to rest on top of his pistol.

"Ah, but you are supposed to be my mistress and it is for me to say where you should wait, is it not?"

He half smiled when she refused to meet his stare and instead studied the silver buttons on his waistcoat. He repeated, "Is it not?"

He swore he heard her teeth grind together as she mustered a reply. "Yes, Your Grace. Of course, you are right. I can only apologize."

He placed his fingers under her chin and made her look at him. "Do I detect a note of sarcasm, Elizabeth? Have you decided that you wish to be in charge of our liaison?"

"No, Your Grace, I was simply..."

She seemed unable to complete the sentence as he rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. He wondered if she could taste the residue of gunpowder on his fingers. He had used his gun to wound a suspected spy earlier that night.

"You are still an innocent in many ways, my dear, and occasionally I'm quite glad of it." He bent and kissed her cheek. "In truth, you thought to avoid my presence in your bed by meeting me here."

She nodded, her chin pressing into his fingers. With a swift movement, he dragged the robe from her shoulders until she stood before him clad only in her ivory silk nightgown. She made an ineffectual attempt to cover herself but he would not allow it. He gathered her into his arms and turned her until her back was against his chest. He wrapped one long arm around her hips, pressing her against him from chest to toe.

Her warm, womanly scent curled around his nostrils and he buried his face into the side of her neck. For some reason a brush with death always made him think of more carnal matters, of burying himself inside a woman's warm, wet body, of giving and receiving pleasure until he was so sated he could forget the horrors of death.

"I could lie you down on my desk and ravish you there." He rotated her toward the library. "We could even make good use of the chair you so recently vacated."

He released her as suddenly as he had captured her and bent to pick up her robe. His desire to add to her education had intensified to a point at which he was sorely tempted to pull her down onto the carpet and show her exactly what he meant. He grimly reminded himself that lust never made a good master and that he'd made a bargain with Elizabeth not to bed her.

He tossed the robe to her.

"Put this on and go to bed. I will join you in a moment."

She ran like a startled fawn, her bare feet soundless in the corridor and on the stairs. Gervase drew in a deep breath and strove to gain control of his lust. What was it about Elizabeth that made him want to ravish her? She was no match for his sensual games. With that thought severely in mind, Gervase followed Elizabeth up the stairs and into her room without pausing to knock.

*** *** ***

Elizabeth discarded her dressing gown, unbraided her hair and sat on the edge of the bed, hands folded primly in her lap. Her breathing was still a little unsteady when the duke strolled over to the bed and drew her upright.

In her bare feet, she hardly reached his shoulder.

"I want you to undress me. As my mistress, you will need to become adept at this."

She looked up at him and nodded briskly, her hands already reaching for the buttons of his black coat. He caught hold of her wrists.

"I'm not a little boy to be helped out of my clothes as speedily as possible. Your aim is to heighten my desire and to make me want you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Grace," Elizabeth whispered and he released her hands. She took her time easing him out of his superbly cut coat, allowing her body to brush against his at will. His embroidered silver waistcoat had three buttons, which she undid as slowly as possible, and then she hesitated.

"Do you wish me to remove your boots first, Your Grace or your cravat?" She kept her voice calm, although she was a little breathless as she waited for his instructions. He obliged her by helping with his boots and removing his cuff links, leaving her to deal with the intricate folds of his cravat.

His fine linen shirt fell open at the throat, revealing the dark, curling hair on his chest. She hesitated as she inhaled the unique scent of his skin and her fingers stilled on his cuffs. A memory of the first time he touched her stole into her head. She tried to block out the unwelcome image but her hands remained locked on his wrists.

"Pull my shirt over my head, cherie."

His soft, yet compelling voice recalled her to her duties and she managed to release her grip on his wrists. She closed her eyes and allowed her hands to slide down to his waist. She discovered his shirt was tucked into his breeches. He took hold of her hand and guided it to the buttons. With a stifled sound, she fumbled to unfasten them.

Gervase watched her intently as her fingers brushed against his hard cock. She blushed and tried to pull away.

"The shirt, my dear," he reminded her, one eyebrow raised, as if he thought she had forgotten what to do. He lifted his arms to help her pull the shirt over his head. With that off, her hands settled on his naked chest as though they belonged there. He took advantage of her temporary unsteadiness and sank down onto the bed with her.

He steadied her against his chest and drew her into a kneeling position opposite him. At first, she tried to look everywhere but at his body. To her great embarrassment, her gaze kept stealing back to his muscled arms, broad chest, and flat stomach. His right shoulder was still a little bruised from its encounter with the clock.

The duke did nothing to cover himself and allowed her to look until she no longer felt the need to hide her interest.

"It is not so difficult after all is it?" he said quietly. "Do you think you have succeeded? Do you think you have aroused me?"

Elizabeth glanced at his half-opened breeches and nodded.

The duke followed her gaze. "Yes, you are right. I'm hard for you." He took hold of her fisted hand and she tensed as he uncurled her fingers and laid her palm flat on his chest. His skin pulsed with warmth and she could feel the steady pounding of his heart beneath her fingertips.

"I wish you to touch me now," he said. "You may do anything you want. You will soon learn what pleases me."

Something in her expression must have given away her unease and he continued to talk. "Women need to be caressed gently and aroused with tenderness and care." He leaned forward and palmed her silk-covered breast, bringing the nipple to life with the soft brush of his thumb. He glanced down at his handiwork and smiled. "You see? Men like to be touched as much as women do, but they tend to respond to a firmer caress. Are you feeling brave enough to try?"

"Yes, Your Grace," Elizabeth replied. In some strange way, her anxiety had lessened simply because she had more clothes on than the duke. She wondered if he knew that.

"You must call me, Gervase when we are alone. 'Your Grace' is a little formal in these circumstances, don't you think?"

Elizabeth couldn't manage to reply. How could he joke when she was afraid her heart would leap out of her chest with nerves? She almost recoiled when he reached across and took her hand again. Her cold fingers dropped onto his thigh as her curious gaze fixed on the opened buttons of his breeches and the shadows within.

After a deep, steadying breath, she leaned closer and placed both of her hands on the duke's shoulders. His skin felt hot beneath her fingers. Greatly daring, she ran her hands down his arms and back up again, enjoying the flex of his muscles and the quiver of his response. She traced an old scar that ran from the base of his throat to his shoulder.

Intent now on his interesting reaction to her touch, she reached around and stroked his back. He groaned in apparent enjoyment and, emboldened, Elizabeth drew circles on his skin with her fingernails until he captured her mouth in a deep kiss. He tasted of brandy and the rain. When he released her, she placed her hands on his chest and experienced a whole new set of intriguing sensations. His nipples tightened under her stroking fingers and he murmured her name.