8 In My Arms

Anthony halted in front of a large wooden door and glanced at Rosaline. "You shall go in, Miss Rosaline," he said humbly and pushed the door in for her. The door opened, and Rosaline walked in.

She turned to look at Anthony, who had closed the door from outside.

Wait! Why did Butler Anthony not come inside? She pondered and found that only one candle was glowing in the room. She recalled the words of Martha, where she mentioned how Jedediah did not like to light much.

Rosaline took a step forward when her toes got stuck at the edge of the rug on the floor, and she lost her balance.

A low scream escaped her mouth as she was going to bang on the floor but then a solid arm wrapped around her belly and was pulled up.

Her eyes met Jedediah's eyes while her hands rested on his cold forearms. She stopped blinking for a few seconds when she heard his deep voice.

"Be careful, Rose!" He slowly pulled his hand back and stepped back.

"Thank you, Lord Jed," Rosaline lowered her eyes and twiddled with her fingers.

Jedediah removed the black overcoat that he had put on. It fell on the floor, and Rosaline saw it. Her eyes widened, and she immediately lifted her eyes to look up at him.

'Why is Lord Jed undressing?' She drew her brows together.

Jedediah read the expressions on her face but stayed quiet. He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt when he got amused to see the reaction of Rosaline.

She placed her palms in front of her eyes and shut them tightly. "I did not watch anything," Rosaline whispered.

Jedediah chuckled and put his hands down. "There was nothing obscene to watch," he stated and saw her gulping.

Rosaline took a few steps back, keeping a safe distance from him. She did not want anything wrong to happen. She wanted to escape, but how?

He enjoyed her reactions and thought to tease her a bit.

"Rose, could you please pass my shirt that's on the bed?" He asked her and smirked.

"It's behind you. I am half-naked, so do not open your eyes," he stated.

"Why can Lord Jed not take his shirt on his own?" She questioned him.

"It is just a small task. Can you not do it?" He questioned her back. "You told Martha that you would do household chores. I suppose this is also a part of it," Jedediah asserted.

Rose immediately turned her back towards him and looked at the bed. But there was no shirt. She moved ahead, and this time her foot tangled in the shoe, and she fell forward.

Again, Jedediah caught her, thus saving her from falling. Her arms tightly clutched his solid forearms.

"You love to be in my arms," he said with a grin.

Rosaline instantly stood straight and stepped back. "Why did Lord Jed lie to me that he is half na-naked?" She stuttered and then looked at the floor. The shoe had flipped, so she put it straight.

"It is not a place to keep your shoes, Lord Jed." She picked them up and took them near the door. Putting them at one of the corners, she turned to look at him.

"Why did Lord Jed call for my presence? Is he hungry?" She asked with a bit of hesitation in her tone.

"Come here," he motioned his hand in the air.

Rosaline walked to him and halted a meter away from him when Jedediah, with the blink of an eye, appeared before her and startled her.

"I told you to come near me. Listen properly to what I demand." His tone seemed threatening to her when she felt his cold finger on her right side face.

He lightly fingered the loose tendril of hair on her cheek, then tucked it behind her ear.

Their eyes met again when Rosaline quickly lowered them.

"Forgive me, Lord Jed," she said when Jedediah walked to the other corner of his room.

Rosaline stole a glance of him and saw him coming towards her again while his hands were behind his back.

"Sit on the bed," he told her.

"What? Why?" Rosaline exclaimed and then bit her tongue while furrowing her brows.

"How can I sit on Lord Jed's bed?" She changed her question. "That's inappropriate," she murmured.

"How is this inappropriate?" He hovered over her, and she felt so small in front of him.

"What goes in this little head of yours?" He asked amusingly and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"You should listen to my command since I am the savior of your sister's life, Rose."

Rosaline tilted her head to gaze at him and found him leaning back. He again repeated his command, and this time Rosaline silently followed it.

"It is a tough job even to make you sit, Kittie!" He suddenly nicknamed her and went to her.

Rosaline gulped as Jedediah approached her. Her heartbeat, which had just turned normal, had again started to hammer against her chest.

She clutched her dress tightly when those weird thoughts in her mind stopped.

Jedediah got on his knees and had a beautiful pair of golden-toned leather flats in his hands. A bluish-colored, circular-shaped flower was attached at its top with a blue pearl at the flower center.

"You have fair skin, so this color will be perfect for you," Jedediah said.

"Lift your gown!" He urged her.

"That seems expensive, Lord Jed. I cannot afford them," Rosaline refused to take those shoes.

"Who is asking you to pay? I told Martha to burn your old shoes. I only replaced them with new ones," Jedediah stated.

He pushed her gown up and grasped her right foot gently. Her toes curled because of the coldness of his palm. He slid the shoe on her right foot first, followed by the second foot.

He rested his forearm on his knee and lifted his head.

"How does it feel?" He asked her and then stood up. Jedediah extended his hand and pulled her up.

Rosaline found how soft the soles felt. "It's comforting," she replied with a smile.

"I never wore such shoes, Lord Jed. Thank you," she expressed her gratitude. Her heart fluttered like the wings of the butterfly.

"Since you liked them, then you should return it with something more," Jedediah voiced and traced his fingers up her right arm, which initially was on her wrist.

His finger danced on her bare neck and halted where it met her shoulder. He leaned down as the blood oozed out from the cut. Rosaline tightly shut her eyes, ready to surrender her to his mercy.

Jedediah inhaled the scent of her blood before leaning back.

"You may sit, Kittie," Jedediah told her.

Did she hear right? Was he again letting her go? She opened her eyes and found him near the desk piled with many papers.

Rosaline quietly settled on the mattress. Her fingers pressed tightly on the silk bedsheet.

"Kittie," Jedediah called her by the nickname he had given her a few minutes ago. She instantly lifted her head and peered into his eyes once again.

"Sit properly. Remove your shoes and put your feet on the bed," Jedediah commanded her.

She wanted to question him, but it would be inappropriate to ask him. She quietly followed his command and moved a little back on the mattress.

Her back touched the soft pillows behind, and she brought her legs up on the mattress. Jedediah sat down near her feet and found her gulping.

"Are you scared?" He read her expressions.

Rosaline found his gaze piercing through her soul, so she lowered her eyes.

"What do you think happens when a man and a woman are alone in a room?" He asked while smirking.