Barbara Pierce by Naughty by Nature

knees and had allowed him to mount her like a wild animal. If she had not awakened, he would have taken her again and again.
    The writhing, aroused female in her dreams desired him. She would not have denied him. It was a chilling revelation.
    It was only a dream.

    Patience held on to the thought as if it was her personal talisman.
     
     
    “Scrimm tells me that you took your breakfast with the other servants,” Ramscar said, trying to keep the irritation from his voice. He had expected Miss Winlow to join him and Meredith at the table this morning. Miss Winlow’s absence and his reaction had not improved his disposition.
    “Yes, my lord. We did not get around to discussing my duties last evening. However, I assumed I would be taking all my meals with the other servants.”
    “You shared dinner with us.”
    She kept her gaze demurely lowered. “And it was generous of you to invite me. Still, it would have been presumptuous of me to assume that I would continue to join the family.”
    Ram heard two servants talking on the upper landing. There were too many people in this house for him to speak openly. “Walk with me.” He did not wait for her consent. The air was crisp as they stepped outside. Before he had sought her out in the servants’ hall, he had dressed for riding. Miss Winlow had swiftly donned a faded blue spencer over her dress and a bonnet so the temperature would not be intolerable.

    In silence, they strolled down the long gravel drive. “Have I done something wrong, my lord?”
    She had yet to meet his gaze directly, which he thought odd, considering her forthright nature. It was possible she had sensed his interest the previous evening and did not know how to respond. Was she embarrassed or intrigued? Ram would have paid her a small ransom for the truth.
    “Only insulted me,” he said teasingly. Her startled expression had him elaborating. “I must insist that you indulge me. The circumstances that have brought you to Swancott are unique. This trip to London is unsettling to my sister. I have added to her discomfort by bringing a stranger into our home.”
    “I understand, my lord,” she said, staring out at the horizon.
    The corners of his mouth lifted indulgently. “I believe I asked you to call me Ramscar or Ram. The familiarity will comfort my sister.”
    Patience halted and glanced at him, suspecting that he was teasing her. Satisfied with his innocent expression, she resumed walking. “Ramscar, you are master of an unusual household.”
    “You will become accustomed to the routines, Patience,” he assured her. Politely, he placed his hand on her arm and guided her away from the gravel lane to a smaller path that disappeared into the woods. “And the master of Swancott.”

CHAPTER EIGHT
    Patience could barely look at his face without blushing.
    Thank goodness, Lord Ramscar was oblivious to her discomfort. She would rather throw herself in front of a coach on one of London’s busy streets before revealing her dark, intimate secret. Patience was struggling to understand why that scoundrel Phoenix appeared in her dreams. Now she had to contend with him. At least Julian Phoenix was
dead. According to Lord Ramscar, she would be seeing him daily. How was she going to bear it?
    “Is something troubling you?” he politely inquired.
    “N-no,” she stuttered, hating herself for babbling like a dimwit. “I was just—this position, it is so different than anything I have ever done. I pray you will not regret your decision.” She hugged herself, silently chastising her lack of composure around this man.
    “Life is too precious to waste it on regret, Patience,” he said, after a lengthy pause. “How can anyone experience true happiness without taking risks?” His hazel green eyes swept over her. “Forgive me. You are cold.”
    “I am fine. I—”
    Patience frowned as he removed his coat. Ignoring her protests, he slipped her arms into the oversized sleeves and tugged the front