Lady Adalyn (The Saga Of Wolfbridge Manor Book 1), Sahara Kelly [the best e book reader .TXT] 📗

should have disgusted her, she knew. They would have appalled just about everyone she knew, and for a few moments she indulged in some serious self-recrimination. But the languorous pleasure that still rippled through her body overrode her inner dialogue.

She was the Lady of Wolfbridge. And all four of her gentlemen were hers.

Chapter Twenty-One

“Are you well, Lady Adalyn?”

Giles appeared outside Adalyn’s bedroom door as she emerged the following morning. Daniel had gone and his pillow was cool to the touch when she awoke, but her limbs were tired and her body a little sore, so she knew she’d not dreamed the events of the night before. Jane had brought a single cup of tea and made no comment about the somewhat disordered state of the bed linens.

“I am well, thank you, Giles. Very well.” She smiled at him as they walked together toward the stairs.

“That is good to hear,” he nodded in approval. “I shall never take it upon myself to direct you in any way. Please understand that…”

Puzzled, she responded. “Of course.”

“I have your best interests at heart, my Lady, as do we all.”

“I understand and appreciate that, as you must know.”

“I do.” He paused. “I will merely suggest that you remain in command of your heart. Remember that we are all here to serve you and support you in your role as Lady of Wolfbridge.”

It somewhat surprised her to see a slight flush colouring his cheeks.

“In that regard, I would urge you to recall that you have plenty of time to explore such benefits, and that being a little reserved in the frequency of your choices may not be a bad thing.” He cleared his throat awkwardly.

Adalyn tried hard not to grin. “If I understand you correctly, Giles—and given the formal and convoluted peculiarity of what you just said, that might be impossible—you recommend I guard against over-enjoying the company of my gentlemen…in close and personal ways?”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes.”

“Good.” She nodded back. “And I do agree with you. So, that said, may I continue to rely upon you to relay my…er…preferences to the gentleman involved at such times as I—how did you put it—wish to explore my benefits?”

“You may indeed. A wise decision, my Lady.” He beamed at her in approval.

“Even I, in my ignorance, am aware that too much of a good thing can be detrimental to all concerned,” she said, as they resumed their walk along the corridor.

“Your gentlemen are devoted to you, Ma’am, otherwise they wouldn’t be here. Your favours are to be earned, and desired, and not being given casually will make them all the more precious.”

“Good point,” she acknowledged.

They reached the top of the stairs, and Giles gave her his arm as they descended. “There is a note awaiting you in the parlour, along with breakfast. I believe it is from Fivetrees.”

“Oh, really?” She raised her eyebrows. “Perhaps it’s from Judith…I do hope so.”

She hurried into the parlour and sure enough, a folded and sealed note lay waiting on her plate. With a brief smile at Jeremy as he held her chair, she sat and pulled the paper open, away from the seal.

It was indeed from Judith.

Dear Lady Adalyn,

Thank you for your recent expressions of kindness and sympathy - they were most welcome and appreciated. I have now recovered sufficiently to take advantage of your generous offer of tea, and would enjoy visiting at a time convenient to you? I would indeed find myself much improved were I able to discuss various topics with you, since I have nobody here at Fivetrees with whom I can speak of important matters.

I look forward to your response,

Sincerely yrs,

Judith Fairhurst.

“Oh, poor thing.” Adalyn sipped her tea.

“Miss Judith?” asked Jeremy. “The note was from her?”

“Indeed, yes. And she is in dire need of counsel, I would guess. Whether I can help or not remains to be seen, but I’d certainly feel better if we at least talked.”

“I can understand that,” he responded.

Giles walked in at that moment and caught the end of the conversation. “It was from Miss Fairhurst, then?”

“Yes, Giles. And you know, I think I’d like your wisdom and advice on whatever it is she needs to talk about. Would you mind joining us?”

“If Miss Fairhurst has no objections, then of course,” he approved.

“Excellent.” She turned to Jeremy. “I’ll write her a note after breakfast. Perhaps she can come this afternoon. Will you let Evan know?”

“I will,” he answered. “Both he and Daniel are checking the horses at the moment. Evan prepared your breakfast early so that they could take care of this task.”

She bit her lip. “Drat. I had meant to talk to Daniel about hiring someone on a more permanent basis.”

“After breakfast, my Lady,” smiled Jeremy. “I’ll remind you.”

True to his word, he did mention it once she was done, and she obeyed his nudge to meet with Daniel.

Walking into the Rose room, there he was, tall, handsome, looking windblown and completely wonderful to her appreciative eyes. Although her welcoming smile was met with one of equal warmth, and although that warmth found its way down to nestle between her legs, Adalyn managed a measure of control.

“Good morning, Daniel.”

He bowed, his eyes twinkling. “My Lady.” His grin was wicked and delightful. “I trust you passed a pleasant night.”

She gave him back look for look. “I did indeed. Most pleasant. One might say I had the best night’s rest I’ve enjoyed in quite some time.”

She knew her cheeks were flushed, but she held steady, standing behind her desk with just the right amount of steel in her spine.

“I would discuss the matter of stable hands, if you please,” she began. “I meant to raise it earlier, since I don’t want any of you to add such duties to those you already have.”

He nodded, all business now as she motioned him to his seat.

Within the hour they’d settled on a plan to formally hire two temporary stablehands with the aim of making one position permanent upon