The Earl's Desire by Alexia Praks

again,” Jacob commented as he narrowed his eyes at a small figure walking toward the stables. He waved his arm and shouted, “Master Chris!” He turned to Merrick and smiled. “He didn’t tell me when he wanted to come back. It seems he has been walking.”
    Merrick gritted his teeth in annoyance. That little brat, he thought, hadn’t even bothered to inform him that he was visiting his family at the cottage yesterday. Merrick himself had been in a panic when he couldn’t find the youth anywhere. The servants had turned the Hall upside down looking for him.
    Christine turned to see Mr. Jacob waving at her. Beside him she saw Merrick and his black stallion. Her heart skipped a beat, and then it started drumming fast. Her smile froze for he looked as though he was ready to slay her. Even this far away from him, he still had the power to frighten her out of her wits. Yes, she was right. He could look dangerous when he wanted to. She knew she should’ve told him where she was going. But she didn’t want to see him at the time. That was a good enough reason for her.
    “ Hello, Mr. Jacob. How is your day today?” She smiled sweetly at the stable master, hiding her anxiety underneath and ignoring the angry beast that was ogling her.
    “ Where have you been?” Merrick scolded.
    Christine shuddered at his cold voice. Of course he knew where she had been. He was just taunting her to make her feel sorry for her actions.
    “ I’m sorry, my lord, that I didn’t tell you I was visiting my family,” she said. His masterly position made her feel even more vulnerable.
    “ Why so down, Master Chris?” Jacob asked.
    “ Get back to your work, Jacob,” Merrick said, his eyes still blazing at Christine.
    The stable master nodded, smiled reassuringly at Christine, and left them—leaving Merrick’s thunderous silence killing Christine deep down inside.
    “ Merrick?” she started and licked her lower lip with her small tongue.
    “ You have the gall to call me Merrick?” he demanded.
    “ I’m sorry I left without telling you,” she said meekly, and her hands were twitching behind her back.
    “ Don’t you ever do that again, do you hear?” he gritted out. “I was damn worried.”
    Christine winced and peeked up at him for she heard that painful hurt in his voice. When she saw him, he was staring at her intensely, and there in his eyes, she saw it. The grief in his eyes was so raw that she could not find words to describe it. Her heart constricted for his pain, for him. Then she realized that this deep pain within his heart was not because of her at all. She was sure he wasn’t worried about her absence. After all, he had left her here alone for months. It must be something else, or rather someone else. She wondered if one of the women was hurting him. She guessed the person responsible was Lady Anne.
    She lightly touched his thigh. She wanted to comfort him, to help ease his pain. He stiffened and shifted his stallion so that her hand slid off his thigh.
    “ Did somebody hurt you?” she asked, and her voice was sincere and low.
    He stared at her. His jaw tightened. “Yes, somebody is hurting me.”
    Christine sucked in her breath. So she was right. Lady Anne was hurting him.
    “ Where are you going?” she asked.
    “ Out!” he replied.
    Christine stared at her hand that he had rejected. So he didn’t want her to comfort him. The realization hit her hard. She felt very desolate indeed.
    Merrick turned his stallion and nudged it to go—riding out fast—leaving dust and gusts of wind behind.
    Christine stared at the handsome figure of man and horse galloping farther away. Tears spilled from her eyes.
    She hid in desolation, crying for an hour. When all her tears were drained, she ran back to the Hall. She approached the back door and heard noises in the kitchen. She knew Mrs. Ross was organizing the menu for dinner again with Mrs. Thompson, the cook. She poked her head in the kitchen, and sure enough, Mrs. Ross