Featured Author: Pepper Basham
He served.
It’s what he’d done for years as a valet.
And perhaps he could disappear to everyone else in the room, but not for her.
To Lady Amelia Kingston, Jason Elliott took up the entire dining room, a handful of memories entangling her life with his as much as her grandfather’s history bound him to this estate.
Her breath caught. Now her estate, a world as new to her as the gown fitting her body.
The responsibilities weighed heavily, but the question she had for Jason proved more distracting than even becoming an unexpected countess.
Would he willingly forgo his plans to … be with her? Exchange his life as a valet to step into aristocratic shoes similar to those he’d polished for years?
She fidgeted with the soup spoon on the table, only to catch Jason’s pointed look—a raised brow and tip of his lips, alerting her to her faux pas. Fighting her smile, she lowered her hands to her lap, careful to keep the etiquette he’d gently taught her over their last three weeks together in England—rules of the English aristocracy she’d never learned in her Egyptian upbringing as an adopted daughter to a ruthless archeologist.
No. That life had taught her to keep her heart cold.
Until Jason upended her lonely world with his kindness and care.
She couldn’t imagine life without him now. Without him near her.
Even in their unusual situation compiled of secret conversations and glances across crowded rooms, their connection was secure.
She was unapologetically his.
Her smile faltered. But Jason planned to leave in the morning to return to employment with Lord Astley. She needed to work fast.
After a week of discussions, Amelia had finally gotten her grandfather to agree to the unusual match of a countess and a valet.
She swallowed through her tightening throat.
Now she only needed to ask the potential groom.
“Amelia dear, are you well this evening?”
The tenderness in her grandfather’s voice brought her attention to his aged face, a face she’d all but forgotten when her parents’ early deaths on an Egyptian holiday left her abandoned and raised as a thief.
“A little warm this evening.”
Her attention flitted back across the room, and this time she caught Jason’s look, watchful, searching over her face as if looking for any hint of discomfort.
Perhaps she shouldn’t blame the warmth on the temperature of the room.
Her breath shallowed at the intensity in Jason’s stare, the memory of his fingers threading through her hair and his lips on hers a delightful and ready recurrence.
“Your grandfather mentioned your adventures in Egypt,” the guest of the hour, Lord Casper Roth, posed the question. “Treasure hunting, was it?”
“Of sorts.” Her smile wavered at the hateful memories of her former life. “I assisted an archeologist there.”
“Archeologist?” Lord Roth dabbed at his lips with his serviette. “What a singular occupation for a future countess.”
“The poor girl didn’t know she was a countess, Casper.” Her grandfather rallied to the defense. “It’s a wonder we ever found each other again at all.” He covered her hand with his on the table. “A miracle, really.”
He showered her with love, and her parched heart gratefully soaked it up.
“You truly are a most delightful creature,” Lord Roth’s gaze traveled over her. “And quite the prize to win with your position and beauty.”
In her periphery, Jason’s posture stiffened even more than usual.
“Indeed.” Grandfather cast a look in Jason’s direction, before returning his attention to her with a glint in his eyes. “In fact, she’s already spoken for.”
Amelia shot her grandfather a look. How could her grandfather so brazenly make the claim when Amelia hadn’t secured Jason’s response?
She met Jason’s gaze, the previous glint in his eyes gone.
Did he think Amelia was engaged to one of the options among her grandfather’s aristocratic circles? No!
Almost imperceptibly, Jason slid out a small door in the wall, leaving the service to grandfather’s butler and footman.
All heat drained from Amelia’s face. She had to fix this. She couldn’t let him leave without knowing the truth of her feelings.
With a loud scrape of the chair, she stood from the table, drawing the attention of both men. “Please, excuse me.”
And in a swirl of golden gown, she rushed from the room.
The sight of Jason’s strong silhouette ahead increased her pace. “Jason.”
He barely broke his smooth stride down the hallway.
“Stop.” Her voice tremored with her breaths. “Please.”
He obeyed but didn’t turn, the drastic rise and fall of his broad shoulders the only clue to his internal struggle.
She rounded him, staring up into his stoic expression. “It’s not what you think.”
“I am in no position to think about your choices, my lady.”
His formal reference sliced through her, distancing him. She wouldn’t allow it. “Actually, my choices have a great deal to do with your thinking.”
“Do they?” One brow angled high like a dagger of doubt, challenging her.
A servant passed in a nearby corridor, so without hesitation, Amelia took Jason by the arm and pulled him through a narrow doorway … which, to her dismay, turned out to be a closet instead of a private room.
Not the best location for a marriage proposal.
She flipped on the light and turned to face him, attempting to still the rapid beats of her pulse with a deep breath. “And your heart as well, actually. I’d like both of them in working order if you’re going to make the right decision.”
“What?” His low voice nearly growled out the word.
“On whether you agree to marry me or not.”
The tension in his face relaxed into a look of utter disbelief.
Amelia’s rehearsed speech emerged. “I know you have your responsibilities and duties, but I assure you—”
“You want to marry me?”
His rasped question inspired her courage, so she gave a gentle tug to his suit lapel, drawing him closer. “How could I want anything else, Jason? You saw me, the broken me, when no one else did, and you cared anyway.”
He gave his head a small shake and narrowed his eyes. “You want to marry me?”
Without another hesitation, she rocked on tiptoe, pulling him close enough for their lips to meet.
As if waking from a momentary slumber, his arms wrapped around her waist, completely encompassing her in his strong embrace. She melted against him. Nothing but the sounds of their breaths and the slow, deliberate reprise of kiss after kiss filled the silence.
He drew back first. “Lady Kerth—”
“Amelia,” she corrected. “I always want to be Amelia to you.”
One corner of his lips tipped ever so slightly. “You can’t really mean—”
“With my whole heart. Grandfather told me to choose who I wanted.” She tightened her grip on his lapel. “And I want you.”
The reality began to dawn in those wonderful eyes. “You’re serious?”
“With my history as a thief, I know I’ll only prove an unconventional countess. Why would an unconventional romance surprise anyone?” She searched his face. “All that matters is what you and I choose.” Her confidence faltered. “I know it would be a huge decision on your part. You’d give up a life you’ve loved—”
“Amelia.” His smile made a slow and steady debut. “I’m certain I would love a life with you even more.”
She chuckled. “I’m so glad you find me more attractive than sorting through Lord Astley’s shirtwaists and dress shoes.”
“Indeed, my lady. I’ll even choose you above his favorite dinner jacket.”
He caught her laugh with his lips and spent quite a lovely bit of time erasing any thoughts of Lord Astley’s wardrobe and confirming her extremely secure position in her dearest valet’s heart.
Her latest contemporary romance, Positively, Penelope, released August 2023. Up next is her historical romance, The Juliet Code, which releases December 2023.
She loves connecting with readers and other authors through social media outlets like Facebook and Instagram. You can learn more about Pepper and her books on her website.
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