Snippet #1492310

Clarice made no attempt to step away from the devilishly handsome man as he closed the space between them. Her eyes remained fixed on her, and now his, image in the mirror. The reflection was pretty close to perfection; he towered over her, and though she was not short it gave a pleasant allusion of her being fragile. Bryon's ebony hair graced her neck as he leaned forward, whispering in her ear, placing his large hand on her shoulder where the silk strap rested. The heat of his breath sent chills up her spine along with the soft words he whispered, their meaning was not hidden by a doppelganger of innocence like hers had been. They were real, every intention he had for her, every want, all the fantasies were on the table. She tilted her head slightly, letting her soft milky hair cascade from her shoulder.

Lord Bryon placed his soft lips on the hollow of her neck forcing a slight gasp to escape from her crimson lips. Maybe twelve days was a stretch and possibly she could just help the devious Lord to solve some of the issues he had faced in his marriage. Yes, she could defiantly do that. He pulled away before anything could go further, because it was obvious it could happen, very easily.

Normally, Clarice was not this inappropriate upon meeting a man, but something about him made her mind spin. They were so much alike, she doubted that one would even need to speak for the other to understand. The mistress had no intentions of remarrying, but if she did, it would have to be a man very similar to the Lord. They both could be political and public power houses, taking over Europe with no more than a few glances and a hushed word or two.

Before slipping into the lavish bed she wrote a note to Lenard and stuck it into the small box that connected outside the door, asking him to wake her before the rest of the manor arose, and draw a hot bath for her after he awoke her. After that she finally went to the bed, her mind to full to think anymore. When Clarice accepted the invitation she had no idea what she was getting herself into, from helping Lord Bryon in more than one way, destroying Genevieve's chances at happiness, keeping Maximilian satisfied by any means for him to complete his task, and finally, meeting the man who made her weak at the knees, Lord Helmut.

She drifted into a deep slumber in a desperate attempt to shut out the daunting checklist she had mentally written for herself.