“Did you have a good showing?” Lord Barnes asked.
“Besides Harley and Merry
, there were three others.” I told him about the Higgins brothers and Mrs. Cassidy.
Lord Barnes nodded, obviously delighted. “Clive and Wayne showed? I wasn’t sure they would.”
“They almost ran away.” Merry giggled. “But Harley convinced them to come inside.”
She spoke Harley’s name as one would describe their favorite meal. They’d been sweet tonight, huddled together over the same textbook.
“You’ve earned the rest of the night off,” Lord Barnes said to Merry. “Lizzie made a fire in both our rooms.”
Her eyes glistened. “Thank you, Lord Barnes. For everything.”
“Off with you now,” he said.
“Good night, Merry,” I said. “I’m proud of you. It’s not easy to do something new.”
She flushed. “I’m proud of you, Miss Cooper. Oh, Lord Barnes, you should have seen her up there. The way she made it all seem so easy. Even for slower people like me.”
“You’re not slow,” I said firmly. “You’re as quick as they come. One can’t be expected to know academics if one’s never had the opportunity for school. You remember that.”
“Yes, Miss Cooper.” Merry ducked her chin, shy, but I knew my words pleased her by the slight upturn of the corner of her mouth. She would come to learn her value at some point. These transformations didn’t happen overnight. My job as her teacher was to keep reminding her. She was the type of student who thrived under praise. “Well, good night then.” She scuttled away, still smiling.
“Are you cold?” Lord Barnes asked. “Lizzie left a pot of hot tea for you.”
“I’d love tea.” I rubbed my gloved hands together. “The night is frigid.”
“There are biscuits too,” he said, gesturing toward the library.
Lizzie’s cookies, which Lord Barnes and all the children called biscuits, were already etched into my consciousness as the epitome of comfort. “Sounds heavenly. Teaching works up an appetite.” I moved past him toward the library. What did he see when he watched me from behind? Did he see anything he liked, despite my lack of curves?
“I sent Jasper to bed early, so we’re all alone,” Lord Barnes said as we reached the library.
I hesitated at the doorway. It wasn’t appropriate for us to be alone without Jasper to supervise. Yet I wanted desperately to spend time with him.
He laughed as he sat in his usual chair by the fire and picked up a glass of whiskey. “Come on, now. I won’t eat you up.”
“You know it’s not proper.” A trail of fire raced up my back and flooded my face. I sounded ridiculous. There was something about this uninhabited land that made the rules from home seem outdated.
“What’s the worst that could happen?” he asked.
The worst? An image of him grabbing me in his arms and kissing me flashed before me. That would be bad. And very good. I didn’t think it was possible, but I flamed hotter.
I clutched the tie around my neck and shook my head to dispel my traitorous thoughts.
“Miss Cooper?” Lord Barnes asked, with a teasing lilt to his voice. “Are you all right? You’ve flushed quite pink. Are you ill?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Does that mean you’ll come in and have tea?” His eyes danced with amusement.
“Yes, I suppose it’s all right just this once,” I said.
I sat in the chair closest to the fire and allowed him to pour the tea. My mother had taught me that tea was a woman’s task, but Lord Barnes didn’t seem to know that convention. Or perhaps, like so many things, he didn’t care. After taking a sip, I directed my gaze at him, then lost nerve. Was letting my mind wander to the idea of us foolish? He was an aristocrat, rich and unbothered by such petty details as to where or even if the next meal would come. This library with its shelves of books and posh furnishings and expensive liquor was the world of Lord Barnes.
“What is it?” His eyebrows raised and he grinned, looking very much like Flynn. “Am I in trouble?”