Devoted to You

by Rebecca King

  He lifted his head.

  “Petal,” he whispered, savouring the word on his tongue as he peppered kisses down her neck.

  When the room began to swirl around them again, he clung onto her tighter so he didn’t lose her. For some reason he couldn’t quite figure out, he knew it was essential that he should not lose this woman.

  “Say it,” he demanded in a low growl.

  “What?” she murmured.

  “My name. Say it.”

  At that moment, she would have done anything he asked of her. She began to tremble when one large palm swept slowly down her side.

  “Aidan,” she gasped, partly in protest and partly in a plea for more.

  “Again.”

  Before she could, his lips claimed hers again. She had thought their first kisses were swift and ruthless, but the second onslaught shattered her resolve not to allow matters to go too far. Desperate hands clung as his lips returned to hers again and again while his fingers explored every dip and hollow.

  “We can’t,” she whispered when she felt a horrifying rush of cool air sweep over the now bared flesh of her thigh. “I can’t.”

  Aidan’s body ached fiercely but then so did his head, and not in a nice way. His stomach churned but he couldn’t think about that. He knew he should let go, but he couldn’t bring himself to release her. Not Petal. She was special; she was different. If only he could remember why. Reluctant to move or allow anything to break the pleasant haze of desire that had chased away all the shadows, he placed several tender kisses against her flushed cheek while he rested his head on the pillow next to hers.

  Petal lay beneath him gasping for breath. She tried her hardest not to allow the full horror of what she had just allowed to happen to chase away the precious memories. Nobody had come to any harm. Nobody knew of this, and nobody need ever know about this. Yet somehow she knew she had just done something; shared something, so incredibly foolish that she would never be the same. Not only that, but now, never be able to have the kind of special connection with Aidan she had hoped for.

  From now on theirs had to remain a truly employer and employee relationship. After all, to consider anything else while he was paying her -

  She quickly closed that thought out and tried to ease away from him.

  Strangely, he had yet to move and seemed to have completely forgotten she was there.

  “Aidan,” she whispered.

  It was a relief in a way to consider for a moment that he had gone to sleep, but then she was quietly horrified.

  Had she just shared those stunningly delightful kisses with a man she ought not to have touched only for him not to remember any of it? She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

  In the end, tears won when she realised that whatever dream he had been having when she arrived had reclaimed him. He had indeed fallen asleep. In contrast to his previous anxiety, he was now calm and quiet, nestled in fitful slumber. Unfortunately, she was now pinned beneath his rock hard body, desperate to try to find a way out of the room without humiliating herself even more.

  If you wanted to know how much you intrigue him, well now you know, she mused somewhat wryly. You were so wonderful that he went to sleep.

  She pushed with all of her might until she could lever him up enough to slide out from beneath him, and she landed on the floor with a dull thud. Rubbing her bruised hip, she stood beside the bed for a moment and studied him. She should be blazingly angry, but couldn’t find it within her. Instead, she touched the bruised flesh of her lips with tentative fingers and felt an ache unlike no other settle around her heart.

  He had known it was her. She just knew it. He had insisted on her calling him by his first name.

  Had he realised he was kissing her? If so, why had he? Had it been the lingering effects of his nightmare? Had she been the comfort he had sought? She fervently hoped so. Or did she?

  That particular thought brought forth one rather burning question. She hadn’t considered for one moment what kind of man Aidan truly was. Although backstairs gossip about him was favourable, she had absolutely no idea what kind of man he truly was, inside, where it mattered. She didn’t want to believe he could be the kind of employer who would use a servant for his personal pleasure so blatantly, but couldn’t ignore the scandalous behaviour of the last few moments. Did he want more from her than just her reading to him, and being his servant?

  Well, he can forget it, she mused, hurt by the notion that he would think so little of her.

  The more she contemplated what the kiss had all been about, the more the steady light of delight faded until it vanished completely, and left behind it a cold wash of horror that chilled her to the bone. Suddenly, the feminine joy at being able to stir a man like Aidan turned to stunned disbelief that she could be that foolish with her future; her livelihood.

  His place in the world was secure. Hers was teetering on a knife-edge.

  “It is a mistake I won’t allow again,” she promised herself in a voice that trembled too much to be reassuring.

  She knew he couldn’t hear her, though. His soft snore confirmed it.

  At that moment, Aidan rolled over in bed but didn’t wake up.

  Petal carefully tugged the covers over his bare chest, and quietly left the room. It was best if she just put what they had shared behind her.

  Now, if she could only convince herself that he wouldn’t remember any of it, maybe she wouldn’t be a nervous wreck until he rang the bell to summon her.

  As she hurried past one of the guest bedrooms she didn’t notice the door open slightly, and the dark shadow within the room step forward to watch her. Once she had disappeared from sight the door closed again just as silently.

  Aidan awoke the following morning feeling groggy, tired and confused. His body ached fiercely, but it was more a result of the rather lurid dream he had been having rather than exertion. He had been enthusiastically kissing the delightful Petal. Intriguingly, he wasn’t perturbed by it. He rather wished he could go back to sleep so he could find out what happened next. While he didn’t usually dream about bedding his servants, this dream was so very vivid that it could have been real.

  With a yawn, he sat up.

  His head ached in a way that he hadn’t felt since he had –

  He frowned at that, and stopped to consider the last time he had felt this catalogue of ailments as soon as he awoke. In the cold light of day, his mind worked well enough to think through the events he could remember. The last thing he could vaguely recall was eating breakfast. He glanced around the room. There weren’t any meal trays anywhere. He hadn’t imagined it. He had eaten some of the breakfast that had been left beside his bed.

  “Some of it,” he murmured. Strong memories of the rather desperate need to sleep began to return and he cursed angrily. He forced the memories forward. The food had not tasted quite right. It had been laced with Laudanum. By the time he had realised, it had been too late to do anything but sleep.

  “Edwards,” he growled in disgust.

  Eyeing the bell pull he assessed how far away it was from the bed, but knew that he just had to try to summon Petal. He needed to know who had delivered that food. It didn’t dawn on him once to question Petal’s integrity. He knew it had been Edwards.

  Using his anger toward the nurse as his fuel, he pushed his legs off the bed and tossed the covers back defiantly. His legs trembled as he put his weight on them but he locked his knees and stood motionless for a moment while he willed them to remain firm enough to hold him up. There was no pain, just a mild ache here and there. Thankfully, they didn’t buckle beneath him. Confident that they would hold him upright, Aidan began to shuffle somewhat awkwardly across the room.

  “If I can’t make it, I will just have to wait for Petal to arrive in light the fire.” He frowned when he realised the room was colder than it usually was; the fire was empty.

  “Where are you?” he mused aloud.

  He glanced out of the window at the new dawn edging o
ver the horizon. She had usually been in his room by now. It was most unlike her to be so tardy. Why had she not been? Was there a problem?

  He frowned as he considered the very vivid dream he had experienced last night. The soft contours of her slightly rounded feminine shape made his palms tingle. It was just a dream – wasn’t it?

  He frowned at the bed, but that gave him no answers.

  Swearing roundly, he gave the bellpull two firm tugs. Using his hands against the wall to guide himself around, he then began to shuffle all the way back to the bed.

  By the time he was back beneath the sheets, his chest was bathed in sweat while the rest of him shook uncontrollably. However, the sense of achievement that swept through him brought forth a smile of self-satisfaction. While those first few steps toward recovery were a precious achievement he so desperately needed, it was imperative that he keep it to himself right now. The only person in the house he felt he could take into his confidence was Petal. He was bursting to tell her about his accomplishments as well as demand some answers, and glared at the room impatiently while he sat back to wait.

  While he waited for his elusive maid to appear, he began to plot where he could shuffle off to next.

  Petal winced when the bell rang again.

  Mrs Kempton threw her a warning look. “You had better go. It sounds like he is getting impatient.”

  “I will go,” Edwards announced from the doorway.

  Before anybody could protest, she swept across the kitchen, collected the tray, and hurried through the door that led to the main body of the house.

  “Where is she going with that?” Rollo demanded with a scowl. “The food goes up the servants’ stairs.”

  “She is a rule unto herself that one. You mark my words, having her in the house is going to cause trouble for us all.” It was highly unlike the usually sunny housekeeper to be the voice of doom thus, but Petal could find no argument with her sentiment.

  Petal shot to her feet. “Aidan said he didn’t want her to deliver his food.”

  Everyone froze upon hearing Petal’s overly familiar use of the master’s name.

  “What was that?” Mrs Kempton demanded with a scowl.

  “I said that the master doesn’t want Edwards touching his food. I need to arrange another tray for him so he can have something to eat. He won’t eat whatever she takes up.”

  It was evident that she was completely oblivious to her faux pas, or the shocked stares of everyone seated around the table. When Mrs Kempton’s stare grew darker, Rollo left the table.

  “I will make up another tray. You stay with it and make sure the master eats some, Petal. Leave Edwards to me.”

  Petal nodded and waited impatiently for the tray to be prepared. She put the curious looks from the staff seated around the table down to their expectation over the forthcoming altercation between her and Edwards.

  When she reached the door to Sir Aidan’s room, his anger could be heard even from the hallway.

  “You need to get something to eat,” Edwards persisted.

  “I am telling you to take that back to the kitchens. I am not touching it,” Aidan retorted flatly.

  Aidan glared down at the breakfast Edwards had just delivered. Given how he felt, and what he suspected she had done with his previous breakfast, he wasn’t going to touch a morsel. It was incredibly suspicious that she had taken to bringing his meals up to his room when she had been told not to. This was, after all, supposed to be a woman who wanted to elevate her position within the household. Yet she was willing to carry trays of food like – well – Petal?

  “Where is Petal?” he demanded.

  Something was wrong, and he rather suspected he knew what it was. Edwards was going against his wishes and lacing his meals with medication. What he didn’t understand just yet was why she felt the need to give him Laudanum again. Surely she knew he would notice.

  Just what was she up to? What purpose could it have to keep giving him medication that rendered him oblivious to the world? Not only that, but how was she getting her hands on his trays in the first case?

  What does Petal think she is doing? He thought angrily. I thought she was trustworthy.

  He studied the food and shuddered, especially when Edwards pushed the tray onto his lap and leaned over him suggestively to such a degree that her bosom was inches from his nose.

  “Eat it all up,” Edwards chirruped as she perched on a chair beside the bed.

  Petal chose that moment to make an appearance. She coughed discretely and hurried into the room.

  Aidan glared accusingly at her.

  “Mrs Kempton sends her apologies, but you have the wrong tray,” she reported.

  When neither Edwards nor Aidan moved, she put the tray she carried on the floor at her feet. She lifted the tray Edwards had brought up off his lap, and dropped it on the floor. Then she delivered the fresh, untouched food.

  “What are you doing?” Edwards protested, outraged at being usurped.

  “My job,” Petal replied blandly. “Mrs Kempton says that you shouldn’t take trays out of the kitchen without her permission. The food on it was not for the master. Surely, you knew that?”

  She didn’t give Edwards time to reply and began to tidy up the room.

  “You can go now,” Edwards snapped.

  “No, Petal can read to me while I eat,” Aidan answered. “You can leave, Edwards. When you go, take this tray back to Mrs Kempton. It has gone cold by now so the food is now fit for the fire. Petal?”

  Petal nodded, and lifted the plates off his tray. Because Edwards couldn’t see what she was doing, she slid a small piece of each food item onto a side plate and slid it under the bed out of sight. Ignoring Edwards’ gasp, she threw the rest of the contents into the fire. It was best that the majority of the food didn’t go back to the kitchen just in case someone ate it, but at least they had some to check for evidence that Edwards had gone against his wishes. She suspected from the outrage on Edwards’ face that the food had been laced with something.

  “Take the plates back to the kitchen, Edwards,” Aidan ordered.

  “Me?” Edwards protested. “It is the maid’s job. I will read to you. She can take the plates back.”

  “I am not asking you, Edwards. I am the one who gives the orders around here, and I am telling you to take the plates back to the kitchen. You were eager enough to bring them up here. Petal is going to read to me, just like she always does.”

  Rather than speak, Petal sat beside the bed, the book on her lap. It was evident even to the blindest of people that they were waiting for Edwards to leave the room. However, Petal’s posture was as subservient as she could make it leaving Edwards little room to argue without seeming impertinent.

  In silence, she snatched up the tray and slammed out of the chamber.

  “Thank you,” Aidan murmured gently as he studied the top of Petal’s head. “I hate to say it, but I think she gave me Laudanum.”

  Petal bent down and picked the small plate of food off the floor.

  “Do you know what it tastes like?” she asked curiously.

  Aidan threw her a rueful look. “Unfortunately, I do. It is bitter but is quite distinctive.”

  “Would you know if you tasted a small piece of these?” she slid the plate onto his tray.

  He stared down at the food in surprise, delighted at her ingenuity. Carefully cutting a tiny piece off each item, he tasted each individually and washed the food down with a cup of ale.

  “The ham and the potatoes are laced with Laudanum I think, but not a full dose. There is just enough there that if everything is consumed together, whoever eats it wouldn’t notice. They would, however, be asleep and unable to do anything about it.”

  “But there is likely to be a full dose in there,” Petal said. It wasn’t really a question.

  Aidan sighed. “There is enough to render someone nonsensical at best, unconscious at worst.”

  “Well, I think it is safe to assume that she is lacing
your food.” She paused when Aidan began to shake his head.

  “I am convinced she laced the breakfast I ate yesterday.”

  “It wasn’t prepared by Mrs Kempton. She went to prepare your tray later that morning, but you didn’t ring for it. I came up to check on you but didn’t disturb you. We thought you had over-exerted yourself so needed to rest. If there was the slightest suspicion she had done something nefarious like this, we would have woken you up somehow,” she assured him.

  Aidan nodded, but didn’t speak. He stared absently across the room.

  “One thing I am curious to know,” she sighed.

  “What?” Aidan asked, trying hard not to lose his temper. He had lost an entire day of his life because of Edwards’ scheming, and it made him incredibly angry.

  “Why would she do it? What does she have to gain?”

  Aidan thought about that for a moment. “I have threatened to throw her out of here because she isn’t needed,” he murmured.

  Petal wasn’t convinced, and needed to think about it a bit more. She watched as Aidan slid the plate into the small drawer in the table beside him and lifted her brows.

  “I want you to send a footman to fetch Jerry. I need to speak with my brother about this. It is important that he witnesses the food has been tampered with,” Aidan reported. “I don’t think he believed she was.”

  Petal nodded. “Of course, she could always claim that the food had been tampered with in the kitchens. All the staff were there when the tray was put together. Anyone could have done it.”

  Aidan sighed. “I think we need to play Edwards at her own game. I just need to think a bit more clearly.”

  “How do you feel now?” she asked quietly.