Chapter 19

CHAPTER19

Amy woke up the next day feeling the most refreshed she had ever been in years. Suddenly, she seemed to see everything with new eyes. Like everything just burst out into color all around her.

She laid in bed for a while, blinking up at the canopy as a faint smile traced itself across her lips. What happened last night?

Well, it seemed she had pushed the right buttons with His Grace—no, Evan—and he barely leashed his desires before he unleashed the most unimaginable pleasure on her. And yet, he told her it was but a taste...What more if she had the entire feast?

I never thought that I could be so insatiable, she mused to herself, giggling a little at that. Who would have thought I would desire a man in such a way?

And who ever thought that surrendering herself to his expert hands would give her a sort of power she had never wielded before? Their relationship was so unlike those she had witnessed in the ton. By yielding herself, she gained even greater power. What a paradox!

She swung her feet over her bed and padded over to the dressing table. The mirror revealed her flushed face, and when she tugged her neckline, she saw a little red mark on her breast. Recalling how Evan had impatiently kissed her in that spot, she turned an even deeper shade of red.

At least I do not seem to be the only insatiable one between the two of us, she thought gleefully. It was just that he had better restraint than she did, for she was ready to surrender everything to him in that gazebo last night.

She had never before trusted a man to take so many liberties with her body—not even Lord Clarence when he had been engaged to her.

In the end, he had broken off the engagement, and when she refused to shed even a single tear, he had called her cold and unfeeling. How could she be cold and unfeeling when she all but felt herself burst into flame at Evan’s touch? It must be that Lord Clarence simply failed to evoke such passion in her...and it was not her fault but his.

A polite knock resounded from her door, and Amy hastily pulled up her neckline to hide the mark that Evan had left behind.

"Come in, Edith," she called out to her maid.

If Edith ever noticed anything amiss with her mistress that morning, she wisely kept her mouth shut as any good lady’s maid would. It was one thing to celebrate with one’s betters, but in serving the aristocracy, it was always more prudent to keep one’s tongue in check.

"Do you want me to arrange your hair as before, Lady Amy?" she asked as she moved the heavy tresses out of the way.

Amy shook her head. "I think I have had enough of those drab-looking buns, Edith. Do as you please, but nothing too ostentatious, mind you."

She thought that Evan did not particularly care for the overly elaborate styles that young ladies fancied. Besides, she remembered how he particularly liked to run his fingers through her hair…

Speaking of Evan...

"Did His Grace send his card this morning, Edith?"

The maid shook her head. "Not that I know of, Milady, but it is still rather early..."

Indeed, she had woken up much earlier than she usually did, and that was because she was much too excited to waste the rest of her day on sleep.

As her maid busied herself with Amy’s hair, Amy continued to muse about the events of last night. She wished she could see him again...she had so many things to tell him—things she had never told anyone else.

For the first time in ages, she felt like she could finally open her heart to someone, and it was the most liberating feeling she had ever known.

* * *

As it turned out, the Duke of Leonbridge did not send her a card that morning, but he did send her a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and a letter.

My dearest Amy, it read. I could scarcely sleep last night with thoughts of you. I know I might have tired you out last night and hope you could rest for the day. I am sending you these flowers to let you know that although we might not see each other today, I am thinking of you.

Always, your Evan, it was signed.

Your Evan.

Who would have thought that His Grace would have a rather romantic side to him? She had always thought him to have a domineering air, and even when he held her ensnared last night, she could feel his tight leash on that same aura. It thrilled her to know that she, too, was pushing him over the edge.

But although Evan did not call on her that day, Esther did drop by later in the afternoon for tea.

Amy thought that there was something different in her best friend. It was as if Esther had stepped out from the monotony of her books to burst out in full color like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.

Or maybe it was just the effect of the new way she saw things?

Nonetheless, she noticed that her best friend also moved with a new confidence. Could it be that she had found someone, too?

"You seem to be dressed differently today," her best friend remarked. "Not that I find it repugnant... just odd."

"I could say the same thing about you," Amy replied with a wry grin. She delicately took a sip from her cup as Esther tilted her head to the side like a curious sparrow.

"Truly, Amy. There is something amiss. Don’t tell me—" she trailed off, her eyes widening in shock as Amy scrambled to put her hands over Esther’s mouth.

"Shh!" she admonished her friend. "Not so loud!"

Esther mumbled something and nodded, her eyes still wide open in shock. When Amy released her, she looked around furtively and hissed, "Amy, don’t tell me that you and His Grace—that you..."

Amy shook her head as a furious blush stole across her cheeks. "No, nothing yet. He told me he wanted to wait for the right time. That waiting makes it more special."

As impatient as she had been, it was marvelous that Evan had so much more restraint than she did. Sometimes it felt like waiting—whatever he meant by that—was going to kill her slowly, but she trusted him.

"Well, of course he is right!" her best friend huffed. "He has not even asked Lord Irington for permission to court you! What makes you think that you can go off gallivanting about in such a scandalous manner?"

"Honestly, Esther, I do not know," Amy sighed in frustration. "All I know is that I do trust him—more than anything in this world."

"More than even me?" Esther looked a little glum at this sudden revelation.

Amy smiled teasingly at her. "Dearest, you are my best friend... but there are liberties that even you cannot be allowed."

"Oh, for goodness’s sake!" her best friend blustered. "One thinks you live for shocking the living daylights out of everybody."

"Not necessarily," Amy giggled. "But it does provide for good entertainment every now and then."

"Well, I do not want to know what sort of liberties you have allowed His Grace," Esther muttered. "Although I am quite happy to see you so overjoyed. If anyone deserves to be happy, it is you, Amy."

Amy felt the sting of tears at the back of her eyes at her friend’s words. For so long, it had only been the both of them who could share confidences with each other. Now that she had found this small sliver of paradise on earth, she wished her best friend could experience it, too.

"I hope for you to be happy as well, my dearest Esther," she told her sincerely.

Esther’s cheeks turned a little pink at that. "Well, about that..."

She looked away uneasily, and Amy tilted her head to the side in curiosity this time. Was Esther actually shy about something?

"Esther," Amy said slowly, "is there something you mean to tell me?"

"No, not really!" her best friend shook her head in a flustered manner. "Well, nothing for now, at the very least. I shall let you know once I have verified everything..."

How just like Esther to view everything as some sort of scientific foray! Her best friend was deemed a bluestocking by the fashionable crowd, but Amy had always admired how Esther proceeded with caution and prudence.

"Very well, dearest," she smiled. "Whenever you are ready, I am always here to listen to you."

"Thank you so much, Amy," Esther murmured. "For everything. You are truly my dearest friend!"

Both girls shared a look and smiled together. For the rest of the afternoon, they diverted their attention to their other interests although both of them knew that at that point in time, their own two hearts had changed.

They were about to let go of their limiting beliefs about the world and were now about to explore it in all its glorious wonder.