Enticing the Earl by Christie Kelley

that something most couples do?”
    “Tell me, Mia, did you enjoy it?”
    “Yes,” she said in an amazed voice. “I’ve never felt anything like that before.”
    “Then why are you embarrassed by it? A couple should do what both enjoy. I certainly enjoyed what you did for me.”
    “Oh.” She looked up at him with a little smile.
    “But what we did today only made me want you more,” he said softly. “I want to be inside you when I come next time.”
    “Oh.” She stared down at her hands. “Shouldn’t we wait until we marry before doing that?”
    “I suppose we should.” He glanced over at her. “Are you telling me you have agreed to marry me?”
    She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I cannot until I know for certain that I am not with child.”
    “And?”
    “I don’t know yet.”
    As much as he wanted to press her with the information her mother had given him, he couldn’t betray Mrs. Featherstone’s trust. Plus Mia might be very upset that her mother had talked to him about such a personal matter. “When do you think you will know?”
    “I am not completely certain,” she replied in a tight voice.
    “Very well.” Simon stood and held out a hand for her.
    “I am quite tired. I believe I will take a nap and have a plate in my room tonight.”
    “As you wish,” he said stiffly. He escorted her back into the house and then went downstairs to the punching bag.
     
    Mia watched as Simon walked away. She hated lying to him about being tired and dining in her room, but she had to find a way out of the house alone. Once he was out of sight, she headed to the library hoping any servant who might see her would assume she was going to read. She picked out a book and left it open on a chair.
    After a quick glance outside, she opened the door to the terrace and walked out. She strode toward Mrs. Perkins’s cottage. With her knife training this afternoon, she was tired but knew she had no choice but to do this today. Once Simon discovered she was with child, he would ask her to return to her mother’s cottage. Then she might never have the chance to help him with his finances.
    The trip to Mrs. Perkins’s cottage normally took her only fifteen minutes but she still couldn’t walk at her normal gait. Almost half an hour after she started, the cottage came into view. She peered into the old woman’s cottage and noticed her sleeping in a chair.
    Mia grabbed a shovel and started to dig small holes around the back of the house. Sweat dripped down her back as the sun waned in the sky. Unfortunately, she found nothing but some shards of pottery.
    She sat down and rested for a while. One thing she still hadn’t figured out was how she would get the money to Simon without his knowing. If he truly wanted to review the books with her, perhaps she could keep two sets of books. The real books with the extra money and then the one she would show him. Slowly, she could put some of that money into the fake books as the crops came in and the rents too. Eventually, he would realize he was in better shape than he had known.
    Picking up the shovel, she decided to try once more before heading back to Simon’s house. She stepped on the edge of the shovel to go a little deeper and then pulled it out. A few more pieces of pottery were in the dirt and then a small flash of green sparkled in the hole. She pulled it out and stared at the small emerald. It must have been part of the hilt she’d found last year. It had been missing a few jewels.
    While the gem was small, it was still worth some money and it would help Simon out. Quickly, she covered the holes she’d made and placed the shovel against the back of the cottage. She brushed off her hands and put the emerald in her pocket. A slight rustling from the bushes behind the house startled her. She rounded the corner of the house to be out of sight in case an animal wandered out.
    Instead, she spied a flash of brown hair. Dear God, Allan was here. On Simon’s property.