Shay couldn't get Samuel Denyer out of her head. How dare he do what he had done? Intrude into her house, her sleep, and then to touch her body. Shay's stomach clenched. That sensation was there again, surging from her lower stomach to her breasts. Damn that man, and the way he had looked at her.

She sloshed the scrubbing brush in the bucket of water and slammed it down onto the floor with all her might. Every time she thought about his mouth on her breast, that awful feeling rushed through her body. She bit on her lip and squeezed her eyes shut as she scrubbed, trying to block out his face and the sensations he'd caused. If she was honest, the stirrings he'd created weren't horrid, in fact, they left her feeling woozy. She shook her head to stop herself from thinking about it, but the thoughts kept coming. "Damn this," she said, as she sloshed the brush again and started scrubbing the next square of floor. The truth of it kept blaring at her. Those sensations had overwhelmed her. So much so that she had to gasp in a breath every time it happened while thinking about it. She'd never felt anything like it before. Why did it have to be him to cause it? How was that even possible? An almost complete stranger, someone she'd never had a proper conversation with, and he'd done that to her. Shay sat back on her heels. Hannah had spoken about these feelings when she talked of Edmond. She'd said it meant love and attraction. Shay shook her head. "No. There is no way. That is not possible," she said to the floor boards.

"I think it is."

Shay turned abruptly at the sound of a man's voice. Her mouth dropped opened.

Samuel shrugged and leaned on the door frame. "If you keep smashing that brush down as hard as you are, there is every possibility, you'll break it." He put the corner of his thumb in his mouth and wondered if he should duck. The look on her face told him there was a chance she'd throw the thing at him. Yep, there it was. He ducked.

The brush hit the wall beside him and bounced back into the room. Samuel straightened and tried not to laugh. Perhaps he shouldn't have chosen that moment to speak. The way she was torturing that brush, he couldn't help himself. Every time she bent over the bloody thing with her backside in the air moving backwards and forwards had him thinking all sorts of things no gentleman should be thinking about. He chuckled. That wasn't true. Even the holiest of men would look at that woman's backside and want to have his tenders on it.

Shay stood with her hands on her hips and glared at him. "I'm so glad you're happy. You need to leave. I don't want to speak to you, or see you." She lifted the bucket of water with the intention of leaving the room. He was in the doorway, so she had to rethink what to do next.

Samuel held up his hands. "You're not going to throw that at me, are you?"

"Get out of my way or I will." Shay watched him bow and step to the side so she could pass. She stormed down the stairs, out through the kitchen with Cook staring at her, and then into the courtyard where the water pump was. She emptied the bucket and started to refill it.

Samuel had picked up the brush and followed. He held it out to her and turned up the corner of his mouth. "I take it you're having a bad day."

"Bad day." Shay looked at him, mouth agape, and then stepped forward and poked him in the chest. "Bad day. Bad night." With each word she spoke she jabbed him with more force. "You, sir, are a heathen. You have dishonoured me in every way."

Samuel took a hold of her wrist to stop her from poking him and looked over her head. "That's not true. Please go back to what you were doing. Miss Lytton has not been dishonoured." He heard her gasp at the realisation that the cook and three nuns had heard her words. "I am not a heathen, but am Samuel Denyer, the Duke of Irvine. Miss Lytton and I are engaged to be married. No dishonouring of anyone has been done. We are discussing wedding plans. Miss Shay doesn't like a decision I have made, and worded her disapproval incorrectly. If we could have some privacy, please?"

Shay hung her head. What a stupid thing for her to say out loud. God knows what they must think. She tried to pull her wrist from his hold. "Can you please let me go?"

"Are you going to keep poking me?" Samuel gently caressed the flesh on her wrist with his thumb, cocked his head and smiled before saying, "I did just save your honour."

Shay tugged at her hand again. He let it go. She brought it up and slapped him hard on the face. "You have done no such thing."

"Ah..." Samuel turned his head with the blow, and stepped back as he took a deep breath. "This isn't going as I planned," he said with gritted teeth, and then added, "I'm going to let that pass, because I probably deserved it, but if you do it again, I'll..."

"What? Hit me back." Shay sneered up at him. "Is that the sort of man you are?"

"No." Samuel smiled, stepped forward, wrapped his arm around her waist, sweeping her into an embrace, and then bent and whispered in her ear. "I'll take you home and do more than suckle your breast." He chuckled. "So please do hit me again."

"Oh, you rude, vulgar man." Shay stepped out of his arms. She was lost for words and had no idea how she was going to win this battle. "Please leave me alone."

"I can't do that. We're going to be married. I want to spend time with you, so we might get to know each other better. This isn't going as I planned. You keep... keep... rebuffing me." Samuel took a large breath and ran his hands through his hair.

"You had better go away and rethink your plans. Ask yourself why I might be rebuffing you." Shay lifted her bucket to walk away.

Samuel stepped in front of her. "No, you don't. That's a rebuff in itself. You will stand here and we're going to sort this out."

"Really?" Shay stood gob smacked. "I have to spell it out for you, is that correct?" She cocked her head. "I took you to be an educated man, Your Grace. You obviously want me to treat you like a child, and forgive all your mistakes. Then I have to explain, in little tiny words, all the things that are wrong about every one of your actions since, and including your proposal. Women of the ton might find all this flattering but I, sir, am not a woman born of the ton, and have no clue why you would even want to marry me. Now please leave. I have work to do while you go and rethink your plans." Shay side stepped. He moved with her. She lifted the bucket and covered him with water. Before he could react, she bolted back inside and locked herself in Sister Teresa's office.

Oh, Samuel, Shay is not going to make this easy for you.

Photo taken from ArtsDot.com