Demon of Mine (9 page)

“
I can’t see.”

He tensed against her.
“What?”

“
My vision.” She struggled
to keep her voice steady. “It’s gone in one eye, and impaired in
the other.”

He shifted his hold on her.

“
No!” she protested. If he
let go of her, she’d collapse to the ground below. More than that,
she needed someone to hold on to, craved a human touch to keep her
grounded while she felt so close to panicking. “Don’t drop me. My
legs are numb, too.”

“
An attack,” he breathed.
“You’re having one of your attacks?”

She nodded, not trusting herself to
reply calmly. This was by far the worst episode she’d ever had.
She’d never lost her vision before, though it had been slightly
blurry at times. Outright blindness was a new terror
altogether.

“
I’ll send for the
physician at once,” he said, still holding her steady.

“
Please don’t. There is
nothing he can do. My attacks come and go on their own. It is a
waiting game.” At least, she hoped it was. Hopefully this episode
would pass with time, just like the rest. She tried not to think of
the doctor’s haunting story of how his patient’s symptoms had grown
worse and worse until she’d died, unable to rise from her bed.
Could this be the first of a series of permanently debilitating
attacks?

No, she wouldn’t think that way,
wouldn’t cripple her health further with pessimism. This would
pass.

“
What can I do then?” he
asked, his silky voice tempered with urgency.

She sighed, resigning herself to
practicality. Deep down, she wanted to erupt into melodrama, wanted
to tell him to hold her through the night, to never let her go.
“See me to my bed. Please.”

“
Shall I carry
you?”

“
I’m afraid you’ll have
to.”

He scooped her into his arms with
perfect grace, as if she weighed nothing at all. She closed her
eyes as he carried her toward the house, content to immerse herself
in his scent, in the feel of his muscles shifting against her. The
moment was as perfect as it dared to be in light of her
condition.

“
Shall I take you to an
extra bedroom? There are many and you are more than welcome to
recuperate in one of them.”

“
Take me to the maids’
quarters, please.” She didn’t want to imagine what the other
servants would say if she bedded down in one of the spare rooms as
if she were a visiting lady. Besides that, Mrs. Hughes’ reaction
would surely be outrageous if she caught wind of Elsie’s midnight
escape. “The feeling is already coming back into my legs. You need
only to deliver me to the corridor, and I shall be able to make my
way inside and to my bed myself. I’d rather no one knew that I ever
strayed from my bed tonight.”

“
I understand.” He was
silent until they reached the hallway that lead to the maids’
quarters on the third floor. “Are you sure you’ll be able to manage
if I leave you here?”

“
Absolutely.” Her legs were
tingling terribly, but sheer determination would see her to her
bed, if nothing else.

He lowered her gently and she managed
to stand while gripping his arm for balance. The moonlight
streaming through the window at the end of the corridor was just
enough to let her make out the blurred, rectangular shape of the
door that would separate her from Damon, plunging her once again
into her true world – the world of a housemaid. The magic of the
unexpected intimacy she and Damon had shared still caused her lips
to tingle and encouraged her to linger, gripping his arm for half a
moment longer than was strictly necessary. “Thank you,” she
whispered, lest anyone should hear.

He lowered his head, and his lips
brushed her ear, sending shivers of delight down her spine as he
spoke. “I’m sorry if my actions triggered your attack. I never
meant to harm you.”

“
You’re not to blame. My
episodes often occur at the most inconvenient of times.” The
remembered sounds of shattering china tumbled through her mind,
complimented by passionate moans she knew she’d never
forget.

“
Goodnight,
Elsie.”

At last she relinquished her hold on
his arm and turned away. She paused for a moment, but it was
dreadfully clear that he intended to see that she at least made it
through the door safely. Her cheeks burning, she stepped
unsteadily, resting a hand on the doorframe and slowly pushing it
open. Thank God the Remington houses were kept in perfect order, so
that the door hinges never squeaked. Inside, she made her way
carefully to her bed and slipped gracelessly beneath the covers.
When she shut her eyes, her memories of the kiss she and Damon had
shared gave way to dreams of what might have happened next had she
not suffered an attack.

Chapter 5

Much to Elsie’s relief, Mrs. Hughes
decided the next morning that Elsie would benefit from some time in
the gardens for ‘a spot of fresh country air’. Elsie had feared
that the housekeeper would demand that she spend the entire day in
bed again, especially when she learned of her vision trouble. Her
left eye was no longer completely blind, but her vision in both was
frightfully blurred. Straining to look at anything for too long
gave her a headache.

“
It’s a pity you have to
see the gardens for the first time in this condition,” Mrs. Hughes
said as she guided Elsie to the rose bushes behind the house,
walking at a slow gait that was a far cry from the housekeeper’s
usual brisk pace. “The roses are lovely.”

Elsie’s cheeks warmed. Of course, she
didn’t let on that she’d already visited the gardens. “I can smell
them. The scent is wonderful.” The flowers appeared as little more
than colorful blurs against the dark green of the foliage that bore
them.

Mrs. Hughes nodded approvingly. “Now
just sit here,” she guided Elsie to a bench, “and relax. It’s early
enough yet that the sun shouldn’t be a bother, and I’ll have the
herbal tea sent out to you at half past the hour.”

Elsie sat on the stone bench,
agreeably clutching Mrs. Hughes’ proffered arm despite the fact
that she didn’t really need it. “Thank you, Mrs. Hughes.” She
couldn’t wait for the woman to be gone so she could sit in privacy,
basking in the tempered early morning sunshine and memories of her
time among the rose bushes the night before. She could have spent
an eternity pondering that kiss, though she still found it
difficult to believe it had really happened. It had been much more
real than any dream though – the softness of Damon’s lips, the
silky glide of his tongue against hers... Her imagination never
would have been able to duplicate the perfection if she hadn’t
experienced it in reality. Just thinking about it brought her
breath up short. Would she ever feel such ecstasy again?

She told herself not to be greedy. Who
knew if Damon would approach her again; if he regretted what he’d
done the night before or if he thought about it now, just as she
did? She would cherish the memory for the rest of her life –
however short that might prove to be – but she wouldn’t get her
hopes up. She’d learned her lesson well from Lord Wilkes. Not that
Damon was of the same shoddy caliber as that cad, but she could
hardly expect a Remington to truly fall for an ailing
maidservant.

“
Your tea.”

Elsie turned toward the sound of a
slightly impatient voice, startled out of her thoughts of Damon.
The maid had approached from the murky fields of Elsie’s peripheral
vision, and she hadn’t noticed her. She squinted now at the
tray-bearing figure, noting mousy locks that protruded from beneath
a mobcap. The girl sounded young, and her slender, almost boyish
figure supported the supposition. “Thank you,” Elsie said, taking
the smooth polished-wood tray and balancing it on her lap. Having
personally served tea a thousand times over, Elsie easily navigated
the tray by feel. She clutched a halfway filled cup and let its
warmth seep into her fingers as she waited for the maid to stop
staring at her and leave.

“
Wish I could spend the
morning in the garden staring ’round at the rosebushes and sipping
tea,” the girl said, her tone half wistful and half
resentful.

Elsie’s cheeks heated. “I find it
difficult to enjoy the sight of the blossoms with my vision so
afflicted,” she said tersely, “but yes, they smell
lovely.”

The girl made a small sound in the
back of her throat that might have meant anything and turned in a
flurry of skirts. Elsie listened to the soft sound of her
retreating footsteps with relief.

What seemed at least half an hour
passed before another voice interrupted her solitude.
“Elsie.”

She recognized the velvety tone at
once. Her heart began to beat in double time as she clutched her
teacup as tightly as she dared. “Yes?” Her reply was little more
than a gasp.

“
How do you fare this
morning?” Damon asked from close behind her, touching her shoulder
ever so lightly.

She stifled a sigh, knowing he
couldn’t possibly realize how the little bit of contact affected
her. He’d probably touched her out of courtesy for her impaired
vision, to let her know where he stood. The gesture shouldn’t have
set her heart racing, but it had. “My vision was somewhat improved
when I awoke. I can see now out of both my eyes, though everything
appears blurred to me.” She waited for him to remove his hand from
her shoulder.

He kept it there, exerting a gentle
pressure with the tips of his fingers. “I am glad to hear of your
improvement.” He didn’t sound glad. There was a note of weariness
that rang in the deeper pitch of his voice. Was he tired? There was
no question that he had a habit of staying up late every night.
Perhaps this was an early morning for him. Had he risen just to
speak with her?

She didn’t let herself consider it.
That sort of idle speculation would only set her up for
disappointment. Besides, it was foolish. Of course he hadn’t. The
Remington heir would not rise early just to converse with a
maidservant.

He bent low, his smooth jaw brushing
her cheek. The intimacy of the gesture sent fresh heat rushing
through Elsie as she wrestled with the realization that his touch
had strayed irrefutably beyond the bounds of deference to her
handicap. She hoped to God that they were alone in the garden. If
one of the maids saw this… But she couldn’t think of that, not
while Damon’s lips brushed her ear, causing the blood to sing in
her veins and her nipples to tighten instantly beneath her dress.
“Can you meet me here again tonight?” he asked.

“
Yes,” she answered,
without pausing to weigh the difficulties. Whatever it took, she’d
be here.

“
I think I can help you,”
he whispered. “Your illness… I think I have a solution. Meet me
here at half-past midnight and I’ll explain. Will that be late
enough for you to escape undetected?”

She swallowed a lump that had formed
in her throat and nodded.

“
I look forward to seeing
you then.” He straightened, withdrew his touch and strode away,
leaving Elsie alone with a feeling of profound sadness. What could
he possibly do to help – what could he possibly know that the
physician didn’t? She would gladly meet him, but she did not look
forward to crushing whatever hope he’d found for her in the
night.

****

By the time midnight struck, heralded
by the rich notes of a grandfather clock chiming from the floor
below, Elsie was thoroughly restless. After a relatively pleasant
morning spent in the garden, Mrs. Hughes had steered Elsie back
into bed. The hours had ticked by slowly, and night had eventually
claimed the room in a blurry blend of moonlight and shadows. She’d
spent the day anxiously daydreaming about what might happen at half
past twelve. Now that it was so close, she could hardly bear to
hold still. Her legs tingled and ached with the desire to climb out
of bed. For once, she wished she couldn’t feel them.

When she estimated that twenty minutes
had passed, she climbed out of bed, taking painstaking care to be
silent. The quiet of the room was broken only by the soft sounds of
snoring, but any of the maids might be awake. With her impaired
vision, she could make out only the dark shapes of their bodies in
their beds. There was nothing for it though – she’d just have to
risk it. Failing to meet Damon was out of the question. She stuffed
her pillow beneath the blankets and crept toward the
door.

She breathed a small sigh of relief
when she reached the hall. In just minutes she’d be alone with
Damon again. Her heart began to speed. Even if she had to destroy
whatever hope he had, it would be worth it just to see him once
more. Her lips burned with the remembered kiss.

They were still tingling by the time
she reached the outdoors. The cool caress of night air against her
cheek greeted her as she trod slowly, wary of tripping.

“
Here, let me guide you.”
Damon appeared out of the darkness and took her arm.

Elsie held onto him as a wave of
anxious heat washed over her. He led her to the bench she’d rested
on that morning and they sat together. “Did anyone see you leave?”
he asked.

“
I don’t think
so.”

“
Good.” He took one of her
hands and folded it between his own. “Elsie, what I’m about to tell
you will reveal a family secret. You must promise not to share it
with anyone.”