With that said, Alice turned and began making her way to the door. She’d only taken a few steps when she heard, “It appears my little jest had gone a bit too far.”
Alice froze. Dreading what he was going to say next, her heart sank but she didn’t turn, not even when she heard his slow footsteps coming closer to her. “No Nightingale did ever chant, more welcome notes to weary bands.”
This time, her breath caught in her throat. He was standing right behind her now, perhaps only a foot away. But that wasn’t what had her breathless, what had her mind filling with questions. It was the lines he spoke from one of her favorite poems—'The Solitary Reaper’.
“I’ve said it once, Lady Alice,” Lord Erlington drawled, coming to stand before her. She met his eyes, no retort flying to her lips. “I am much more than what meets the eye.” Then he cocked his chin at the desk. “Lady Elizabeth is waiting.”
Lord Erlington gave her his usual smirk, then tipped his head at her before turning away. Alice watched him leave, his parting words giving her a sinking feeling. She knew that poem by heart, understood the soulful prelude to the words he’d spoken—the song of a saddened woman.
No one knew it was her favorite poem and yet he’d prattled those lines off his tongue as if it had been engrained in him. With a slight frown, Alice looked over her shoulder at the book still sitting on the desk.
Is he really…No! Rakes only wish to charm any lady they come across. It should not come as a surprise to me that he is well read on Romantic poets.
Nodding decisively to herself, Alice turned and made her way back to the desk. She chanted those words in her mind, reminding herself of the sort of man he was. Those men were good at what they did, but Alice reminded herself she was not like other ladies. Her hardened heart had already set the path for her life, and she would not allow the mischievous grin of a handsome Marquess throw her off course.
Chapter 5
Alice stayed completely quiet throughout breakfast, much to her father’s disappointment. Emma, too, was a bit worried about her silence but Alice didn’t ease her mind until they’d left the presence of the Millington brothers. Alice told her that she simply was in a reticent mood and that she would be spending the rest of her time in the library.
And she did just that. Pushing all thoughts of Lord Erlington aside, Alice locked herself within that large room and immersed herself in the many tomes available to her. She steered clear of the scientific publications and poems and, instead, chose to lose herself in the few fictions that were there.
The entire time, Alice expected Lord Erlington to find her.
She didn’t understand why. Every time she thought about him, she grew so unreasonably irritated, but when she looked up at the door expecting to see him stroll in—coincidentally—at any moment, something akin to disappointment seized her instead. It was honestly far too preposterous for her liking and so, after spending nearly the entire day locked away in the library, Alice sent word to the others that she was feeling ill and that she would retire to bed early after a brief dinner.
Emma, of course, didn’t leave her be.
After dinner, when Alice was sitting up in bed and was preparing to put out the candles on the bedside tables, Emma slipped into the room. She was already wearing her nightgown, her midnight-black hair a shroud around her features as she padded over to the bed and crawled in without a word.
Alice waited until she was settled before she said, “I’m sorry, did I invite you?”
Emma ignored her slight jab, curling into Alice and resting her head in Alice’s lap with a sigh. “Are you sure you’re all right? It isn’t like you to miss a meal.”
“I am an English lady,” Alice muttered. “A gentle figure is usually well-sought after, if you recall.”
Emma lifted her head and, in the glow of the two candles on either side of the bed, her green eyes glittered. “I take it since you are jesting so much, you are completely fine and I had no reason to worry?”
Alice smiled, even though it was the quite the opposite. Physically, she felt fine. Mentally, she felt…unlike herself. She’d hoped to sequester herself in her room so that she could come back to herself, but having Emma here brightened her spirits in ways she hadn’t thought of.
“You don’t have to worry,” Alice said, stroking Emma’s hair a few times before she let her hand drop to her lap. “I was only feeling a little more tired than usual.”
“It doesn’t have anything to do with Lord Erlington, does it?” Emma inquired.
Alice frowned. “Why would you ask that?”
“Well, during dinner, when Father told us you would not be joining us tonight, he caught him smiling to himself. It was only for a moment, but it was quite an unusual reaction to hearing that you were feeling ill. I’d thought that perhaps he might have been the cause of it.”
“Lord Erlington is an unusual gentleman,” Alice mumbled, stifling the rise of annoyance. Here, in the quiet of her room with her dear sister, she wouldn’t let the Marquess bother her. “Pay him no mind.”
Emma studied her for a moment longer before she nodded. “Very well, then. If you say so.”
Alice tugged lightly on the covers, jerking her chin toward the door. “Now that you’ve gotten what you came here for, you can leave.”
Emma’s response was to roll over and blow out the candle on her side of the bed, before getting comfortable under the covers. “Oh, stop being such a recluse and blow out the candle next to you. I’ll be sleeping in here tonight.”
Alice didn’t bother to hide her smile. After a moment, she did as she was told and once the room was plunged into complete darkness, she snuggled under the covers. They hadn’t done this in a while, not since they were little girls. Alice was still happy to see that Emma enjoyed her company as much as she did.
And because they were as close as they were, she could almost hear Emma’s thoughts echoing around the room. “Go on,” Alice said into the silence. “Tell me about Lord Christopher.”
