The poshness of the place was eye-blinding. The marbles looked like they were made of fine mahogany, his walls painted in an angelic white. The lower part was panelled with a plank of dark blue wood.

"You can take off your hat and beard," Robert said as they stood in the lobby.

Ella's jaw dropped. Had he lost some brain cells? Why on earth would she take off her beard when she was already introduced to Mr Griffiths as a man? It seemed Robert understood how stupid that was and spoke.

"Mr Griffiths wouldn't even mind if I brought in a man dressed as a woman. He knows you're a lady," Robert said with an amused expression on his face.

Ella felt embarrassed as she took off her bead. "If you thought I looked ugly in men's clothing, you could've just said it."

Robert leaned on the winding staircase by the side of the lobby that lead to another floor. He raked over Ella's full form with his eyes, making her heart flip over. He should stop looking at her like that. She didn't like the effect they had on her.

"Trust me, you would look ravishing in the ugliest clothing," he said, hitting the inside of his cheek with the tip of his tongue.

Blushing red, Ella gave Griffith her hat and beard. He didn't appear to be shocked in the least. Maybe she didn't have to bother herself about him.

"What about your household workers?" She asked, looking around nervously.

She remembered when she wasn't too keen on the idea of dressing up as a man. But now, she was tensed up at the thought of being found. Why shouldn't she be? She was in the home of the rake of London. Who knew the number of women he brought in here?

Was she just another one of them? She couldn't be. She was here strictly to see the surprise he had for her. Not to get into bed with him. Aye, that was it. She wasn't like those girls who were eager to rush into his arms at the slightest opportunity. She was here strictly on business.

"I let them go home early," Robert said, opening his arms as Griffith helped him out of his tailcoat. A button of his shirt was open, revealing a mat of hair on his chest. She wondered what it would look like in full view. How it would feel like. Goodness! What was wrong with her?

Business, Ella. Business.

"Mr Griffith, is the room ready?" He asked his butler.

"What room?" Ella blurted out before she could catch the words.

"It's a surprise," Robert replied.

Griffith stood straight as a rod. "Yes sir, it's ready."

Was he taking her to his bedroom? There was no way that would be surprising. He claimed it would make her forgive him. Surely he didn't think that taking women to his bedroom would make them forgive him. Or was that some sort of bloody Rake mentality?

"This way," he held his hand up at the stairs, gesturing for her to climb up. She did as he asked, feeling his tall presence behind her. She could feel it, his eyes on her back. The stairs opened to a long corridor with beautiful paintings lining the walls. Far ahead was a double door with knockers in form of a golden lion head.

"Should I go forward or..." She trailed off as she watched him reach the door. He swayed the wings of the door open, his strong arms flexing. Deep inside was pitch darkness. Ella's heartbeat paced. Why was he taking her into a dark room?

"The surprise is in here," he said, an easy smile on his face.

He was joking, wasn't he? There was no way she would enter that dark room with him. His reputation preceded him. A part of her wanted to believe he wouldn't treat her the way he treated other women. Maybe she wanted to feel special. But why? Why has she always wanted to prove to Robert she was different?

The first time was that day on the balcony when she told him the answer to his physics question. The second time was when she went ahead with dressing like a man. The third time was in the office when he did everything he could to get rid of her, but she still stood strong. The fourth time was when she agreed to distract Gerrard for him.

Not only did she want to prove she was different, but she also wanted to help him. They've only known each other for a month but were closer than she would've expected. Now he was asking her to enter a dark room with him. Could she trust him?

"Trust me," he said, almost like he read her mind.

Ella saw his blue eyes, hard with determination and clear with sincerity. He had trusted her in the beginning. Ever since that day, he let a random girl he met on his balcony work for him dressed as a man. Most men won't try it. But he had honour. It was rare to find in people.

Seizing a deep breath, she said, "I trust you."

"Then take my hands," he whispered, stretching a hand to Ella.

Not hesitating, she took it, his hands like velvet on granite. He led her into the room, darkness encompassing them. She tightened her hold on his hand, as their footsteps echoed in the room she presumed to be large.

"Over here," he walked naturally in the darkness and Ella assumed he must've been here a lot of times. They stopped and he moved her hands to touch something metal-like that sent a chill through her arm. "Pull down."

She wrapped her hands around the metal and pulled hard, the sound of gears whirring coming after. Her eyes weren't ready for what happened next. Above the ceiling parted revealing a glass roof, the silver moon hanging in the company of a constellation of stars.

There was a loud tick and a white light too bright and pure to exist shone from the middle of the room. She put a hand above her eyes, protecting them from burning out. When she brought them down, she gasped, her heart flipping over. It was magnificent.

Hanging from the glass roofing was a chandelier with round bulbs filled with silver light that flowed with lunar divinity. Her eyes sparkled with elation as the moon lamp glowed in her warm brown eyes. Taking her eyes off the lamp, she looked around her. Large gears were fixed on the walls, rolling their teeth as they moved in sync. Spanners, screwdrivers, saws and other tools were sprawled on a table that ran the length of a wall.

"Am I forgiven?" Robert asked from behind her.

She turned to see him with a smug smile on his face. Damn it, he really knew how to surprise someone. And here she was thinking that he wanted to bed her. Rolling her eyes, she said.

"I assume I can't stay angry at you for showing me such a beautiful invention." She narrowed her eyes, remembering one tiny detail. "But I thought you needed the metal to make the moon lamp?"

"The moon lamp was already in progress. I needed the metal to be able to charge the moon lamp with the light from the moon. Which is basically from the sun though. But still, you understand the angle I'm coming from."

Ella covered her mouth as she turned to look at the lamp again. "I have no words to describe this."

"You could start with, Robert you're a genius."

She chuckled. "Well, we can't doubt that."

"Here," Robert walked to a red chaise lounge that was placed at the part of the room that gave a good view of the moon lamp and the beautiful night sky. Sitting, he tapped next to him. "Have a seat. The view is better from here."

As Ella was about to move to him, she spotted a familiar machine by the corner of the room surrounded by a bunch of other engineering equipment she wasn't familiar with. She rushed to it, her hands running along the black metallic surface.

"Is this the Bessemer converter?" She asked, looking like she could stare at it all day.

"The one and only."

She continued inspecting it like it was a priceless piece of art. "I've read about this but never seen it before. A machine that was heavily relied upon to create steel in the nineteenth century."

"I'm impressed you know the Bessemer converter. A lot of women don't even know what a ruler is."

Ella gave him the 'don't start look,' before she said, "Quite the exaggeration you have as an opinion."

Robert raised his hands in surrender, his face turning serious. "So tell me, why do you want to be an inventor? What's your reason?"

Ella was hesitant to speak, but she felt there was no reason to hide it from him. He was helping her achieve her dream. Spinning on her heels to face him, she crossed her arms.

"When I was a child, my father caught me reading a physics book I had taken from his office. He asked me why I was with it and I told him I wanted to be a famous inventor and he laughed at me saying a woman could never be smart enough to do so." She pursed her lips, her fingers tapping the Bessemer converter. "I could still remember the multiple verbal fights we'll have whenever he caught me reading a physics book. It was hard for me having a father who didn't believe in me."

Robert's eyes softened as he listened to her story. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"No need to feel sorry for me," She said heaving a huge sigh as she looked dreamily at the moonlamp. "I'm one step closer to proving him wrong."

"Indeed," Robert side glanced at her a smile playing at the corner of his lips. "Can't wait to see the look on his face."

Ella laughed. "Me too. What about you? Why do you want to make this moon lamp?"

"Do I have to say mine?" Robert winced, scratching the back of his head. What was he embarrassed out? Surely he had a plausible reason for why he wanted to make the moon lamp so badly.

"I told you mine, it's fair for you to say yours," Ella revealed, sitting next to him.

He blew out air, locking his hands together as he stared out to the sky. "Growing up, my father always distanced himself from me. He was always cold, choosing to throw balls instead of spending time with me." He glanced at Ella and later stared off to the wall. "It made me not feel good enough and unloved. I could remember the agony of trying to get his attention when I was a child. I began by throwing tantrums and making trouble. But none of that seemed to work. Instead, it made him distance himself more.

When I grew older, I began sleeping around since that was the only way I could feel appreciated. I also noticed it got my father's attention, so I continued."

He rubbed his nose. "It got me his attention for a while, and after some time, he stopped caring. He was always thinking of his status in society, so I decided to do something so big that I'll become the standard everyone in society would strive to reach."

"That's why you made the moon lamp," Ella said in realization. Poor man, he was just going through some internal struggles. She was too quick to judge him. He truly wanted this but was still willing to risk her working for him when he knew it could lead him to trouble. If anything, she owed Robert a big apology and Gerrard a hot slap. He was making it hard for Robert to achieve what he wanted.

"I know it's stupid I just-"

Ella placed her hand on his veined ones. "No, it's not."

"It's not?" Robert looked like she had just asked him to kiss her feet.

"Yes. You're smart, brave, caring and you even put my needs over yours when you allowed me to work for you. If that's not good enough for your father, I wonder what is."

"Do you mean that?" You could see his eyes glossing with a smear of tears. They wanted to drop but he was holding them back.

"I meant every word." Ella felt her heart ram against her chest once Robert's eyes went to her lips. She could feel the tension brewing between the both of them and she knew what was bound to happen. Both of them were the same, both wanting to prove something to their parent. They needed each other. She needed him and he needed...her.

As if she was locked in a daze, she felt herself moving closer to him as he closed their distance too.

"Ella," He said, his nose grazing the tip of hers, his breath fanning against her face. She could feel his heart thudding heavily, her hands on his chest.

"My Lord."

"Call me Robert, please," he pleaded, his thumb grazing over her creamy cheek.

She smiled like a child. "Robert."

"Good girl," he smirked, against her lips.

Her breathing quickened when he brushed his lips over her forehead, her cheeks and then he travelled down to her neck, his fingers unbuttoning the buttons of her white shirt. The sane part of her mind warned her not to go any further. But her body wanted otherwise. She was burning with desire and wanted Robert to kiss her as he did in that carriage.

She could still remember how his hands tortured her with pleasure she never knew could be felt. She wanted that now, this moment.

"I've been thinking of you since that day in the carriage," he said against her neck, his breath making her shudder in anticipation of what the night held.

"Me too," she gasped, feeling his fingers travelling down to her wide hips.

"I want to feel the soft contours of your lips again, Ella," he confessed, nibbling on her ear. "Do want that, Ella?"

She did. Goodness, she did! She had been so lost in this moment that she didn't realise that Robert had her in his hold again. She wanted to say no but her bloody head nodded. Robert took the opportunity and took her lips with a heart-melting kiss. She could feel the saltiness of the tears rolling down Robert's cheeks. But she didn't mind. She savoured the taste, her tongue rubbing against the contours of his lips, begging them to open.

He complied, their tongues rolling together, his arm wrapped behind her pliable body, slowly descending her to the chaise lounge. She could feel his rock-hard erection rubbing between her thigh, heating it. Before she knew it, they were both ripping each other's shirts apart. She wanted to feel his body against hers. She needed to be in his naked embrace.

By the time they were done taking off their shirts, they were both left with Ella's bosom pushed up by her tight corset and Robert's broad hairy chest. The mere sight of it above her made her heart skip a beat. He was beautiful; a Greek god carved into human skin.

He noticed how her eyes took in his lovely torso and smirked. Lowering himself, he kissed the mounds of her breasts as he worked her corset with a hand. He was an expert at this, Ella assumed. In the blink of an eye, he had already taken it off, tossing it across the room.

"You'll have to pick that up later," she joked.

He bit his lower lip, looking at her in her silk inner dress that showed her erect nipples, his blue eyes glossy with already shed tears. Ella loved this; a man who could be vulnerable around her. It meant he trusted her and that thought had a special place in her heart.

"I suppose," Robert said, his hand latching onto her breast, her hard nipple in between his fingers as he teased them.

"Oh God," she moaned, her head reeling backwards once his mouth connected with the hard bud of her nipple.

His fingers dug into her bare thighs. "God is not the one touching you, I am."

The fact that he wanted to take credit for pleasing her drove her nuts. He sucked harder forcing her to bite her lips and moaned his name shakily.

"That's how it should be," he whispered against her ear, kissing her neck. "You belong to me. You're mine."

I'm his...

It made her heart do backflips.

Passion had turned his face hard and intense and she knew if they didn't stop now, it would lead to something worse than this.

She whined as he spread her legs wide, her white drenched underwear visible, his hardness rubbing against her groin. Her hand rubbed down the ridges of his abdominal muscles, his hands settling on the curve of her waist. He kissed her harder, her eyes closed, her long lashes lying on her rosy cheeks.

Her hands ran through his blonde hair, as he claimed her body, kissing her passionately, their bodies linked together, dancing to the dirty tune of their tempo.

Just then, the bell of a nearby church rang. Then reality hit her. She was meant to be home soon if not Mr Finn may begin a search party for her. As much as she was enjoying this, she had to go home to avoid trouble.

"What's the time?" Ella asked, pulling out of their kiss.

Robert confused bent down to pick up his pocket watch. "It's ten."

"Goodness, I have to go. Mr Finn must be scared to his wits by now," Ella uttered, picking up her corset. "Help me with this please."

She knew he didn't want this end too. But surely he would understand. Standing behind her, he tied her corset and planted a soft kiss on her neck making her blush like an idiot. Ella from a month ago would be ashamed of her. Blushing because of the kiss of a man. Congratulations Ella, you've sold yourself short.

By the time she was done dressing, she remembered something she should've brought up a while ago.

"Can you help me with something?" She asked, buttoning her shirt.

Robert chuckled, reclining back on the chaise lounge, his abdominal muscles making Ella salivate.

"We just kissed, do you expect me to say no?"

Ella chuckled, he always tried to joke. Silly man.

"So what is it?"

"It's about my friend, Juliet."