Chapter Seven
The more time Gavin spent with Louisa, the more he wanted to spend all of his time with her. She was so confident and generous to not only those of her station, but to everyone she met, including tenants, servants, even him. He wasn’t worthy of her. No one was.
However, there was some truth to Isa’s assertion that if he was always with her, she would never have time to realize that she missed him when he was gone. So he had gathered his portfolio and chalk and started the day by going outside to locate an interesting bird or two to sketch, and now he was cleaned up and ready to read more of the journal.
Easing the door to his bedchamber open, he glanced up and down the corridor before exiting. He strode down the passage as quickly as possible and nearly collided with a maid rushing around the next turn. “I beg your pardon.”
“Lord Thornbrook? Is that you?”
Bloody hell. What were the chances that the one maid with whom he had had an adolescent dalliance, and the reason the duke had expelled him from Walsley all those years ago, would still be on staff? He had been young and stupid, and now his boyhood indiscretion could ruin everything if Louisa found out. The evidence of his guilt was piling up, threatening to crush him. She would never agree to marry him if she knew that he was the reason her first lady’s maid had been removed to the scullery.
“It is you. Fancy seeing you again after all these years.”
He glanced around, but there was no one else in the corridor. “Sally. I could have sworn Edward said you had married and moved away.”
“Aye, I did, but my husband up and died a few months ago, and the duchess was kind enough to take me back.”
Any second now, someone would come by and discover him speaking with the maid and then any chance he had with Louisa would be gone forever. “I’m sorry for your loss. The duchess is everything kind and generous.” He bowed and rushed away, hoping she understood that he was no longer an adolescent and had no interest in starting up with her again.
Moving more quickly than anyone ought to, unless one was attempting to escape the clutches of a wild animal, he rushed to the library, but Louisa hadn’t arrived yet. He took a few deep breaths and pondered how to handle Sally’s presence at Walsley. Surely he was overreacting. She had been married, for heaven’s sake. Likely even had children at home that she went to visit on her day off. And even if she wanted to press him to reignite their previous relationship, she knew better than to risk her position. He had been so young at the time, and even though his father had been abusive, the loss of both of his parents so close together had still hurt. When he was at school, it was easier to forget that he was alone in the world, but he hadn’t wanted to spend the holiday by himself at Rosemere. Edward’s family had invited him to Walsley every year following the death of his mother. Until his invitation had been revoked by the duke after the incident with Sally. He had enjoyed being among Edward’s family, but it had reminded him of how alone he truly was, making it easy to succumb to the pretty maid’s invitation.
Her presence at Walsley was an unwelcome complication, but there wasn’t much he could do other than make sure to stay far away from Sally. As long as they didn’t interact with each other, there was no reason for anyone to suspect a link between them, and it was beneficial for both of them to remain quiet about their previous…erhm…interaction. With his mind as at ease as it could be given the circumstances, he strode to the painting over the fireplace. It did seem as if Louisa’s great-great-grandmother was trying to tell them something. As if her eyes followed him. A light sheen of perspiration covered his face and a shiver slid up his neck. He turned to discover Louisa watching at him.
“What have I done?”
“Nothing that I am aware of. Do you have something to confess?”
He shook his head. Good heavens. Running into Sally had left him at sixes and sevens. He’d best pull himself together before Louisa sensed that something was amiss. “It seems as if I’ve been waiting for you forever.”
Her eyes widened, making him realize that his statement could be interpreted in more than one way.
He rushed to the sofa and didn’t so much as grimace when Nubbles settled onto his lap. In truth, he’d come to like the silly little thing.
Louisa fetched the journal from the shelf and sat next to him. “Oh.”
“What is it?”
“For some reason, she stopped writing in the journal. We’ve jumped forward about three months.”
He leaned over her. “What does it say?”
“We’ve finally found something interesting. ‘Not only has Walsley discovered the identity of my beau, but he is demanding that I give him the tiara. He plans to sell it, but I will never surrender it to him. It has been hidden.’”
She paused and flipped back a few pages. “So it looks like she stopped journaling when she began her…ahem…relationship with Bukov.”
“Of course she did. She had a vastly superior form of entertainment to indulge in.”
“For heaven’s sake, do be quiet.” Her eyes flashed back and forth across the page.
“For the sake of my sanity, could you please read aloud.”
Without looking up, she waved a hand at him. “I’ll let you know as soon as I find something interesting.”
“Of course. I’ll just sit here and twiddle my thumbs until you deem it appropriate to include me.”
“There it is!”
He leaned closer, but her arm blocked his view of the page in question.
“‘Begin where warmth abounds. Very close, yet worlds away, it is no place for the meek.’”
“Right. That was the clue that we all assumed pointed to the portrait over the fireplace. Is there any reason to think otherwise?”
Louisa shook her head. “Not that I can think of.”
Gavin tossed the words around in his head. “I’ve never understood what she meant by ‘…it is no place for the meek.’”
“I agree, but I don’t think it matters. This was the clue that led to the painting that had the grille hidden beneath the backing.”
Something was tickling his memory, but he couldn’t figure it out. “Is there a pen and paper somewhere? I’d like to write down the clues so we have them all in one place.”
She pointed to the other side of the room. “Check the drawers in the desk over there.”
He found what he needed and pulled off his gloves before carefully writing the entire clue. In the meantime, Louisa had continued reading without him. Oddly enough, her face was flushed a deep red. “Have you discovered another clue?”
“Not exactly.” She sucked in a deep breath. “A few days later, she wrote, ‘What new surprises will my lover have for me tonight?’” She flipped the page. “‘I long for the sweet torture of his touch, for the pleasure he brings me.’”
It suddenly seemed very warm in the room.
Louisa swallowed audibly. “There’s more.”
Lord help him.
“‘My pulse races as I remember the warm touch of his hands. I throb with unmet desire, craving his practiced attention.’”
“Um, perhaps we should stop here for the night.” Preferably before he spontaneously combusted.
Her eyes wide like a frightened animal, she nodded her agreement and put the journal back on the shelf, then came toward him and stopped a few feet away.
Without thinking, he lifted his hand and cupped her cheek. For a moment, she leaned toward him, and he leaned a bit nearer to her. They were so close he could feel her warm breath against his neck. Just when he decided it would be a good time to kiss her, she took a step back.
He reached for her hand, but she backed away from him. “Louisa,” he said ever so softly, reaching for her again.
She shook her head, then turned and ran from the room, her dog trailing behind her.
His throat tightened. That had not gone well. Certainly not the way things had progressed in a thousand or so of his dreams that had featured her. He wanted to chase her down the corridor, but that would probably scare her away forever. Though he was certain she was as innocent as the day she was born, he might still have a chance with her if she desired him even a fraction of the amount he did her.
…
No one had ever made a bigger fool of herself than Louisa had. She’d been pondering for days about what it might feel like to kiss Thornbrook, and at the first opportunity, she ran from him like a frightened animal. Being kissed by him might be the only way for her to determine whether he was right for her, but she may have scared him away forever with her childish antics.
A knock sounded on the door. Could it be him? She smoothed her skirts and strode to the door and opened it.
“Sally?” She held her arms out to welcome her old friend and former maid. “Her Grace informed me that you were returning to Walsley, but she didn’t say when. Welcome back.”
Sally had been her first lady’s maid. Louisa had been allowed to choose her from a pool of applicants and they had quickly become friends. It had been a shock when Sally was reassigned to the scullery a few months later and a new maid was chosen for her. No one, including her mother, would tell her why her maid had been removed. For years she thought she had done something terribly wrong, but eventually she found Eliza and the hurt lessened. Unfortunately, her worry that her family thought she lacked proper judgment hadn’t abated.
“I’ve just arrived, my lady, and I’m very glad to be back.”
“I was so sorry to hear of the loss of your husband.”
“Thank you, my lady. It was unexpected, but I’m lucky to be able to return to Walsley. I don’t want to get on the bad side of Mrs. Wollard, so I’d best get back to work now.”
Louisa smiled. “I shouldn’t wish to upset Mrs. Wollard, either. Thank you for coming to visit with me.” Still unsettled about her future, she shut the door softly behind Sally and strode to her desk. With paper and pen in hand, she sat down to make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of marriage as opposed to owning her own property, and whether it was reasonable to hope she might be able to have both. Of course, a list could not help her weigh the emotional attachment she had to Walsley, or her growing feelings for Thornbrook.