She did not say any more, but left the room with James and the door shut behind them.
Now that she was alone with the Earl, Alisa felt shy and at the same time, because he was near her and because he looked so handsome, she felt her heart begin to beat frantically.
She could not help remembering that it was in this room that he had kissed her.
It was in this room that she had realised that a kiss could give her a rapture that made her feel as if her feet no longer touched the ground and her head was among the stars.
Because she was frightened that he would guess what she was thinking, she walked to one of the bookcases to look at the books as she had done the first time she had come to his house.
“I presume the plan that your sister was referring to,” he said behind her, “is that you
