Manservant

7

I couldn't sleep that night. It was late, more morning than night, and the party had been long and exhausting.

But my thoughts just wouldn't keep still. Notably, they insisted on circling back to one person.

Theo.

There was no denying it. I missed him. Yearned for him.

Finally, I clambered out of bed, impatiently drawing on my shoes. I opened my bedroom door and checked the hallway to make sure all was silent. I crept downstairs, grabbing only a shawl for the cold as I crept out of the house and made my way towards the shed.

Walking across the grass in perfect darkness, with the moon looking on overhead, I felt a surge of excitement, not to mention surprise at my own self. I'd never done anything like this before. It felt wonderful. It felt like I was finally making my own choices. Mother and everyone else be damned.

I made it to the door of the shed, my breath coming out in white puffs. My hands were beginning to shake from cold. I knocked, lightly at first, then more loudly and insistently.

At last, I heard something stirring on the other side. A minute later, the door opened, and a sleepy-eyed Theo blinked at me. "Miss Alicia?" With his hair messed up and the husky quality of his voice, I felt desire come alive inside me in a roar and a rush.

"I couldn't sleep," I said simply, as if this explained everything.

Theo nodded knowingly. "Come on in then."

I brushed past him, and his fingers reached out, grasping the edge of my shawl. With a gentle tug, he took it off my shoulders so that I was only in my nightdress. I turned around, giving him a questioning look.

"You won't be needing this," he said, folding it up carefully and placing it on his desk, beside a mess of clothes and tools.

"But I'm cold."

"Not for long." He grasped my wrist as he took a seat, pulling me down into his lap. Strong arms circled me, drawing me close, and the heat of his body immediately fed into mine. Within moments, I had stopped shivering.

"Better?" he murmured, kissing my bare shoulder.

"Much. Thank you."

"Anything for you, Miss Alicia," he said, making me smile as he trailed kisses down my arm.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner," I said.

He raised his head at that, looking off at nothing for a while, like thoughts were coiling in his head. "Did you have a good time?" he asked.

"What?"

"At the party?"

"Oh. It was alright."

His gaze met mine, bright even in the shadows of the shed. "Just alright?"

"Yes." Why did he look unconvinced?

"You didn't ... fancy any of them?"

"Lord, no."

"All those men, and not a single one caught your eye?"

"It's the truth, Theo. This is all my mother's doing."

"This isn't about her. It's about you."

"What are you talking about?"

He didn't answer right away. He clutched me tighter, hands gripping me above my hip. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"I'm here with you, aren't I? Only you."

"Only me, is it?" he asked, sounding like he wasn't sure whether to believe me.