He smacked the heel of his hand against his fore-head, as if that could knock the mental picture out of his head. Hell, he thought irritably, he didn't want to knock that image just out of his head. He wanted to send it clear across the room and out the window. This particular line of thought was not doing anything to ease his discomfort.

He needed to take some action. The sooner he seduced Ellie into his bed, the sooner this madness would leave his blood and the sooner he could get back to the normal routine of his life.

He pulled a piece of paper from his desk and scrawled across the top:

TO SEDUCE ELLIE

He used capital letters without thinking, later deciding that this must be an indication of just how urgent this need to possess her had become.

He tapped the tips of his fore- and middle fingers against his temple as he thought, and then finally began to write.

1. Flowers. All women like flowers.
2. A swimming lesson. This will require her to remove a great deal of clothing. Drawback: weather is quite cold and will remain so for months.
3. Dresses. She loved the green dress and has remarked that all her clothes are dark and serviceable. As a countess, she will need to be outfitted in the first stave of fashion, anyway, so this does not constitute an additional expense.
4. Compliment her business acumen. Typical, flowery compliments will most likely not work on her.
5. Kiss her.

Of all the items on the list, Charles was most enamored with the fifth option, but he did worry that this might merely lead to an intensified state of frustration on his part. He wasn't at all certain that he could manage her seduction with just one kiss; it was probably going to require repeated attempts over the course of several days.

And this would mean several days of rather difficult discomfort on his part. Their last kiss had left him dizzy with desire, and he was still feeling the pain of unfulfilled need several hours later.

Still, the other options weren't viable at this time. It was too late in the evening to go hunting through the hothouse for flowers, and it was definitely too cold for a swim. A full wardrobe would require a trip to London, and as for complimenting her business acumen—well, that would be difficult before he had a chance to assess it, and Ellie was too smart not to see through a false compliment.

No, he thought with a grin. It would have to be a kiss.

Chapter 7

Ellie looked around her new bedchamber, wondering how on earth she could turn this imposing space into her own. Everything in the room screamed of wealth. Old wealth. She doubted there was a piece of furniture less than two hundred years old. The countess's bedchamber was ornate and pretentious, and Ellie felt about as at home there as she would have in Windsor Castle.