Tim finished the last of his simple meal and took his dishes to the kitchen area in the corner of his open living space. The plumbing that brought water to the second floor was new and not always reliable, but he managed to rinse his plate and the pots he’d used to cook before dragging himself to the armchair beside the potbellied stove that warmed his apartment.

He flopped into the chair and rubbed his eyes. Something odd was definitely going on, but he didn’t have enough pieces to put the puzzle together. The maid, Mary, had to be at the center of things, but what did she want? In spite of the way she’d thrown herself at him, he found it hard to believe that she harbored any tender feelings toward him. He barely knew her. The only person he’d had any interest in at Winterberry Park, other than the Croydon family, was Ada, and the indomitable Mr. Noakes had kept the two of them thoroughly apart.

If only he could find a way to reach Ada, to tell her what he knew and listen to things from her side so that they could put it all together. He was certain that it would take two whole minutes to sort the mess out.

To sort most of it out, at least. He glanced to his bureau and the lacy garter that still sat where he’d tossed it in disgust earlier. Schoolgirl crushes were a common thing, of course, but knowing that didn’t soften the awkwardness of being the object of one. Of course, Sam Jones and his bloody butcher’s apron complicated that whole aspect of the tangle all the more. If he could only—

A knock at his apartment door startled Tim out of his depressing thoughts. He could only imagine what new horror awaited him as he pushed himself to stand and drag his feet across the room to the door. With his luck, it was probably Sam, having discovered that he was the object of Alice’s fascination and come to finish the job he’d only threatened to do earlier.

The knock sounded a second, tentative time just as Tim reached the door. He fixed his expression into one of strength and determination, then threw open the door.

His heart dropped to his gut, then bounced up to the highest heights. “Ada. What are you doing here?”

She stood in the doorway, a look as resolute as his own tightening her expressive lips and pinching around her eyes. Her cheeks were pink with cold, but the hardness around her instantly melted as their eyes met.

“What is going on?” she asked, far more passion in her voice than a casual inquiry warranted.

Relief spilled through Tim. He opened the door wider and rested a hand on her waist as he ushered her into his home. “I was just sitting here pondering the same thing.” He shut and locked the door, then moved to take Ada’s cloak. “Come in by the stove. You look chilled through.”

She let him drape her cloak, hat, and mittens over the back of one of the chairs at his kitchen table, and warmed her hands over the stove. “I feel chilled through,” she said. “But not because of the weather.”

“No?” The twisting sensation that she was going to take him to task for something blended with excitement that they could finally speak without interruption.

Ada huffed out a breath, turning to face him fully. “I stumbled across Mary doing something…inappropriate in the bushes on my way home from an errand in Lanhill earlier.” Her cheeks burned an even hotter shade of pink, and she couldn’t meet his eyes. Tim didn’t know how to respond to the information, so he waited as she went on. “When she came up to the house later, she said that she’d been doing…things…with you.”

Tim’s brow flew up. His face and neck heated as the reasons behind Mary’s advances took on a whole new meaning. “But I didn’t do anything,” he said, half to himself. “I didn’t take her up on her offer.”

It was Ada’s turn to look shocked. “Did you encounter her earlier?”

“I did,” Tim started, but forced himself to stop and take a breath. There was no point in tangling the web tighter. He considered the best way to tell his side of the story before going on.

His home wasn’t conducive to entertaining. There weren’t enough chairs. But after a quick look around, he closed his hand around Ada’s elbow and led her to the bed. She went with him, still frowning, frustration dripping off of her, and sat as he sat. Judging by the serious look she’d fixed him with, she was ready to sort through the mess.

“I went up to Winterberry Park earlier to speak to you,” be began.

Her expression lightened. “You did?”

“Yes. I think there was some serious…confusion about everything that happened at Violetta’s cottage yesterday.”

“There most certainly was,” Ada said, letting out a breath of relief and shifting to face him more fully.

“But when I got to the Park, Mr. Noakes turned me away,” Tim went on. “He said the staff was not to be disturbed while working.”

Ada pursed her lips. “Old Mr. Noakes has been a pill since the Croydons left. He’s ruling the house with a rod of iron.”

“I’m sorry,” Tim said, reaching for her hands. A zip of energy shot up his arm as they made contact, leaving his heart beating faster. But he had a story to tell. “I left, since it was the only thing I could do. Before I got to the end of the lane, Mary chased after me.”

Ada scowled. “She’s been wretched lately, ever since I fought to defend Ruby against her and Martha when we were all called into Mrs. Musgrave’s office.”

For some reason, that information clicked into place. Mary had a vendetta with Ada. Of course that would lead to vicious behavior.

“In the course of our conversation, if it could even be called that, she, well, she threw herself at me,” he confessed.

Ada pressed her lips together hard. “That harlot,” she hissed. “Behavior like that, and she already has a fellow who she cavorts with on a regular basis.” She stopped short with a gasp, sitting straighter, eyes going wide. “I bet that’s who she was with in the bushes.”

“Who?”

“Wat. Her fellow. I thought I saw him heading out along the road just before I finished my errands in Lanhill and headed back to Winterberry Park.”

“It must have been,” Tim agreed. “Because it certainly wasn’t me, no matter what she told you. I never would have done anything of that sort with her, anything at all. I don’t know why women, and girls, have been throwing themselves at me so much of late.”

“Women?” Ada blinked at the plural. “And girls?”

Tim shook his head. “One of my older students, Alice Jones, has developed tender feelings for me.” His face burned with embarrassment. “She was there at the cottage that day.”

Ada’s mouth dropped open. “Is that who that other woman’s voice was?”

Tim sighed. “Alice is barking up the wrong tree, though. Because I—” He stopped, suddenly self-conscious about everything he was feeling, everything he’d felt for such a long time.

“Yes?” Ada asked, leaning expectantly toward him.

Their hands were still entwined, so he squeezed hers. Now was the time. If ever he was going to declare himself, put everything on the line, it was now.

“I love you, Ada,” he said in a rush, before his courage gave out. “I’ve loved you for ages. Ever since the first time you came to me asking for help reading.”

“Oh, Tim.” Her eyes swam with happy tears as she clutched his hands.

“I’m sorry if I wasn’t more open earlier,” he went on inching closer to her on the bed. “I wasn’t sure whether I was being unprofessional by falling for a student or whether the affection that I felt between us was only natural.”

“It was natural,” Ada insisted, scooting so close to him that their legs touched. “I’ve felt it too, almost from the beginning. You’ve been so kind and so patient with me. How could I not fall in love?”

A quiver of victory swirled through him. “Are you saying….”

She nodded, brimming with happiness. “I love you, Tim. More than I’ve been willing to let myself admit to.”

Tim let out a breath, his head spinning with joy. “My darling.”

“Which is why I was so confused when Mary told me the two of you had arranged to meet at Violetta’s cottage for…notorious activity,” she said, slipping back into a half-frown.

Tim’s urgency to sort things out returned tenfold. “I never arranged such a thing,” he said. “She told me that you were the one who would meet me there.”

“What? When?” Ada blinked.

“After I first took my letter asking you to the Valentine’s dance to Winterberry Park. I gave it to the footman.”

Ada’s expression pinched into a combination of frustration and relief. “Tad. The footman who gave me your letter is named Tad. And when I opened the letter and saw that it was signed only with a ‘T’, I thought Tad was the author.”

Tim’s jaw dropped. Part of him wanted to laugh. The rest of him was too stunned to speak.

“That’s why I was at the cottage,” she went on. “I didn’t know what to say to Tad, because I love you. I couldn’t crush his feelings like…like Mary or Martha would have. So, when I ran into Clara Fallon in Lanhill the other day, I asked her what I should do, and she said to let Tad down easy in a place where his disappointment wouldn’t be on display for all and sundry to see.”

“So it was coincidence?” Tim blinked. “The fact that we were both at the cottage at the same time was pure coincidence?”

“That or fate,” Ada said, her lips tilting up into a smirk. “After all, if we hadn’t met each other there, neither of us would have had reason to be confused. And if we weren’t so confused, we wouldn’t be here now, working to sort things out.”

“And I’m beyond glad we’re getting to the bottom of things,” he said, sliding his arm around her waist and holding her close. “Because I love you, Ada. And it’s about time I do something about it.

And without stopping to think about the propriety, about whether he should or shouldn’t, he slanted his lips over hers, kissing her with all the passion that had been building up in him for more than a year.

Ada’s heart sang at the press of Tim’s lips against hers. She’d longed for his kiss almost since the moment she’d met him, and it was everything she’d dreamed it could be. She slipped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer and letting him know she was open for more. Much more. She might have been a nice girl, but she was still a woman.

“Oh, Ada,” Tim sighed, tightening his embrace. “I’ve wanted this for so long.”

“So have I,” she said, threading her fingers through his hair and stealing another kiss. She didn’t care if she was as bold as Mary, she wanted Tim. She welcomed his kisses and kissed him back ardently.

But kisses weren’t enough. Excitement made her bold, and with a quick twist, she shifted to straddle Tim’s legs, sitting on his knees and kissing him with abandon. It felt as though she’d been waiting her whole life to be so shameless, and nothing was going to stop her.

To her delight, there was no sign that Tim wanted to stop either. The intensity of his kiss deepened as he nibbled at her lower lip and teased his tongue along hers. His hands moved from her waist to lift and bunch her skirt so that she could get closer to him. He brushed his hands against her thighs, tugging at her garters to loosen her stockings. They slackened, and he pushed them down over her knees, then he smoothed his hands over the bare flesh of her thighs.

Ada caught her breath. The intimacy of the touch was so unexpectedly delightful that it sent her heart fluttering, making it difficult to breathe. A delicious ache formed between her legs and spread all through her, threatening to ignite her from the inside, especially as Tim stroked higher and higher up her thighs, all the way to the hem of her drawers.

He didn’t stop there. Her eyes popped wide, and she shuddered as he parted the slit in her drawers and brushed his fingers against the center of her womanhood.

“Oh, my,” she gasped, widening her legs to allow him to touch more of her.

“Do you like that?” he asked, his voice deeper and darker than she’d ever heard it.

She loved the way he sounded, the way his eyes flashed with fire as she met his gaze. She nodded as he continued to tease and stroke her in a way that drove her wild with pleasure.

“Has anyone ever touched you like this before?” he asked on, circling the entrance of her womanhood.

She shook her head, moving restlessly along with his hand. The sensation was so exquisite that she felt as though she might burst. It didn’t seem right for the two of them to be so buttoned up in all their winter clothes while he stroked her like that.

Then he slipped a finger inside of her. She gasped at the feeling, letting out a mewling sound that was entirely unlike her. Or rather, it was like a version of her she’d only ever dreamed about. Her body felt hot, and wetness flowed where Tim touched her. He drew his finger out, then thrust two inside of her. That was even better, setting every nerve in her intimate places alight.

He captured her mouth in a searing kiss, his tongue echoing what his fingers were doing. Ada sighed with the pleasure of it, moving her hips to increase the sensation of his touch and grabbing handfuls of his hair as the pleasure grew more and more intense. Urges like nothing she’d ever known filled her, spurring her to do…she wasn’t sure what. She just knew that she was his and would be his in any way he wanted her.

“I love you,” Tim whispered, fumbling at the buttons of her blouse with one hand while his other continued to penetrate her. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” she gasped, overwhelmed with pleasure.

He was clumsy with her buttons, but as soon as she grasped what he was trying to do, she leaned back and helped. She unbuttoned her bodice, shrugging out of the sleeves and pushing it down to her waist with her skirt. Then she made quick work of her corset and chemise, all while continuing to move against his hand, which continued to do exquisite things to her.

He closed his free hand around one of her breasts as soon as they were exposed, and bent as best he could to lay kisses across her shoulder. The combination of his hand squeezing her, his thumb teasing her nipple in a way that sent shockwaves of pleasure straight to her core, and his mouth on her skin made her feel like some sort of sensual goddess. Her body burned for him, and her heart felt wide open.

She moved more urgently against his hand, following the call of ages-old instinct. He groaned in response, shifting so that he not only penetrated her, but rubbed against the part of her she’d shamefully teased to give herself pleasure on many of the nights when she’d dreamed of him. The combination was explosive, and within seconds, the familiar, delicious throb of orgasm swept over her.

“Tim,” she cried as her body thundered into completion. It felt so good to have her inner muscles squeeze around his fingers, but at the same time, she sensed there could be so much more.

“My darling Ada,” Tim panted.

The pleasure lasted far longer than she’d ever been able to create on her own, but as the heat of satisfaction spread through her, loosening her muscles and making her drowsy, she sensed that he was still wound as tight as a top. With her own needs sated, she became aware of the tension in his muscles, not to mention the stiff bulge in his trousers.

A second wave of desire swept through her, and she shifted back, standing on shaky legs and pushing the bunched fabric of her dress down over her hips. As she shed the rest of her clothing, Tim pushed his suspenders from his shoulders and tugged his shirt out of his trousers. By the time she kicked her clothes aside and stretched across Tim’s bed, he was pushing his trousers down his legs, revealing his masculine body in all its glory.

He was lean and muscular, surprisingly so for a schoolteacher. His arms were solid and his chest broad and dusted with just the right amount of hair. His stomach was flat, and his slim waist drew her attention to the thick, heavy spear of his manhood, standing stiff at attention. Excitement fluttered through her belly at the sight of it, knowing where it would be in just a short amount of time.

The prick of fear that shivered through her at the knowledge only added to the aching anticipation of joining with him. He discarded his clothes, then stretched himself over top of her, kissing her with a long, hungry sigh.

“We shouldn’t do this,” he hummed, even as he nudged her legs apart and cupped her breast. “It’s shocking.”

“It’s scandalous,” Ada agreed, gasping as he closed his mouth over her nipple and sucked. “Oh!”

His tongue teased her nipple to a tight point, and the ache between her legs grew all over again. “We could both lose our positions,” he whispered, blowing on her wet nipple.

Ada shivered. “I could end up with child.”

He glanced up at her, the fire in his eyes hot enough to melt the bed. “Wouldn’t that be something.”

He thrust into her. The move was so sudden that Ada didn’t have time to worry about whether it would hurt. There was a slight sting, but the pure pleasure of having him inside of her outweighed any pain. She cried out with the joy of it, circling her arms and legs around him and digging her fingertips into the muscles of his back.

“Marry me, Ada,” he said, his voice strained with passion as he set a slow, deep rhythm of thrusts. “Marry me. Teach with me. Have my babies.” His thrusts increased in pace and intensity until his words became mere sounds of pleasure.

“Yes,” she sighed in time to his thrusts, faster and faster. “Yes, yes, yes, YES!”

A second orgasm encompassed her as he pounded into her with an abandon she never would have expected from such an upright and gentle man. Every thrust was glorious, though, and she could barely think, let alone form more words, as the bed creaked under them, the headboard banging against the wall in a desperate rhythm as pleasure overtook her.

At last, with a strangled cry, Tim’s thrusts reached a climax and his body tensed. He slowed gradually and collapsed on top of her. Panting, Ada embraced him with everything she had, loving how undone he’d come, even if the seed he’d spilled in her was as dangerous as it was magnificent. If their wild lapse of judgment caused her to be with child, then so be it. She would marry Tim as soon as the banns were read, and no one would be the wiser.

Gradually, enough strength returned to both of them that they were able to snuggle under the blankets for a nap. Sleeping in Tim’s arms was the most glorious thing Ada could imagine. His body was hot and damp, but the feel of it, the scent of him, was magical. She thrilled to the thought that this would be every night for her in no time at all.

But sense caught up with her after Tim fell asleep. She needed to get back to Winterberry Park before too many people noticed her absence and asked questions.

Careful not to wake Tim, she slipped out of bed and began gathering her clothes. The slip of something viscous down her leg sent her looking for a washbasin to clean up before dressing, a broad grin on her face.

That grin vanished when she moved to his bureau. There, sitting on top, was a lacy, feminine garter. She picked it up, turning it over. It was embroidered with an “A”. For half a heartbeat, Ada wondered if he’d bought the frivolous thing as a gift for her. But no, the garter was clearly used. It belonged to someone else.

A thousand painful thoughts leapt to her mind at once. Why did her sweetheart have another woman’s garter?

Then, more disturbing thoughts hit her. “A” could be for Alice. Alice had been at the cottage the other day too, but why? Tim said the girl had tender feelings for him, but he hadn’t said anything about what he’d done about it. It couldn’t be…Tim wouldn’t possibly…with a girl so young? But Alice was nearly seventeen. She’d be out of the schoolroom by spring, and it wasn’t beyond the shadow of possibility that a girl that age would be married soon.

Every fiber of Ada’s being wanted to deny the wild thoughts that flittered through her head. She glanced to the bed and Tim’s sleeping form. No. Tim absolutely would not diddle with one of his students. The idea was repellant. And yet, the nasty voice in her head, the one with Mary’s voice, whispered that he had been alarmingly quick to respond to her advances. He’d known exactly what to do to bring her pleasure, like an experienced man. And even though he’d proposed to her, he’d done it while in the midst of making love. Could a man truly be held accountable for the things he said while buried deep inside a woman? Or had he said that so she would be pliant?

She dressed as fast as possible, even though the more reasonable voice in her head told her to wake Tim and ask him outright where the garter had come from and whether he’d behaved inappropriately with Alice Jones. But older, more ingrained habits of work—and the knowledge that if she was found outside of Winterberry Park in the state she was, she’d be sacked without a reference for sure—spurred her on, out the door and along the road to Winterberry Park.

She didn’t believe Tim would be unfaithful to her, in spite of circumstantial evidence. But she would have to wait, once more, to get to the bottom of things.