Nell was a sensible girl who knew her place in the world, but she always forgot herself when it came to the earl's youngest son. Hayden was handsome, true, with his family's signature black hair and blue eyes (his were darker, more like the night sky than cornflowers) but there was one thing about him in particular that always stunned Nell: he smiled at her. The Earl of Graves and his family were not cruel to her, but neither did they take much notice- and why should they? But Hayden smiled, and every time she saw him, it was an effort to keep from tripping over her own feet or stammering in embarrassment. She didn't dare to hope he really thought about her.
When she felt something touching her hair one as she collected blankets for washing, Nell moved her hand to wave it away without a second thought. Another hand caught hers, and when she turned her head to reprimand whoever was interfering with her work, her eyes grew wide. Hayden of Graves was holding her wrist in a firm grip, his long white fingers even more strikingly elegant against her callused hands.
"No need to startle," he said. "You have such lovely curls. I thought they should be appreciated."
Nell mumbled her thanks, but she was utterly unprepared for a compliment for nobility, let alone such a strange and personal one. She would remember this long after the day was over; the next time she saw her reflection, she would remember that Hayden had been kind about it. It was hard to look him in the eye, though, and she tried to shuffle away and attend to some other task.
Much to her surprise, though, Hayden did not let go of her wrist.
"So eager to get away from me, Nell?" He had never referred to her by name before. It was all so overwhelming, but although part of her thrilled to hear it, there was also a certain amount of confusion and even fear. This was silly, of course- Hayden had never given her any reason to fear him- but if anyone else had grabbed her like this, she would have already started shouting.
"I'm very sorry, sir, I wasn't trying to get away-"
"And here I thought you were so fond of me." Nell stopped cold when he said that, feeling less embarrassed than accused. Hayden's smile was as sweet as it had ever been- more so, in fact, for she had never been able to see it so close up before. His voice was not sweet, though; it almost sounded mocking.
"Did I do something wrong, sir?" Nell asked.
"No, my pretty girl. You've been a delight." And then Hayden wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her in for a sudden, breathtaking kiss. In her surprise, Nell started to flail, and she threatened to tip them both over onto the floor. Instead, the young nobleman held her close and deftly spun them both towards the very bed she had just been tending to.
When the kiss ended, Nell was lying on the bed with Hayden on top of her. His dark blue eyes gleamed, and he brushed a strand of hair off her face, gently stroking his fingers against her cheek as he did so.
"Please," Nell whispered. "Please, I'm a good girl. I wasn't trying to tempt you." The words sounded false to her own ears. She had never tried to offer herself to him, it was true, but hadn't she hoped every time he smiled at her that he might find her pretty? Hadn't she dreamed of him before and woken with a smile? Could she say for absolutely certain that she had never stepped beyond the bounds of propriety?
"Perhaps Eve didn't try to tempt Adam, but she did it all the same." Hayden cradled the side of her cheek, and even with his scolding words, Nell couldn't help leaning into his touch. No man had ever been so intimate with her; she knew she would marry someday, but her family had needed her to work more than they'd needed a son in law. And now here she was, with a man so high above her station there was no chance of marriage, torn between his tender caress and his mocking speech.
"Yes, pretty Nell," he said, seeing how she responded. "Why offer up the sin of temptation without enjoying the rewards?"
Nell waved her arms a bit when Hayden pushed up her skirt, but there wasn't much she could do to stop his wandering hands. Perhaps if she fought with all her strength she could dislodge him, but how could she treat her master- her favorite of all the lord's sons- with violence? Such a thing seemed like a greater sin than anything carnal.
