She slapped a hand over her mouth, stifling her yelp of distress. Her heart raced against her ribs, but then she realized she knew the voice. She looked up and saw a shadow lumbering in the darkness beyond the desk.
She breathed a sigh of relief. “George. Step into the light this instant.”
He did so, looking imposing and unforgiving, despite the one arm nestled in a sling. He’d left off the bandage he’d worn about his head earlier in the evening and his thick, brown hair stood up in every direction over eyes as green as a forest at midnight. The stubble on his jaw seemed to collect darkness, making his profile sharp and unforgiving. From her crouched position, he seemed impossibly tall and broad, a giant of a man, a goblin king come to kidnap a virgin maiden to be his bride. Jane tore the image into unrecognizable pieces and blew them into the wind. She’d been listening to Lillian speak about her books too often.
George was no magnetic goblin king. He was George, reliable, stuffy, and… and…
She hoisted herself into Edmund's chair behind her and leaned her head against the back of it. She closed her eyes and stilled her breathing. Unable to process any more thoughts of George, she spoke instead. “You terrified me. What are you doing sneaking about in the middle of the night?”
“Me? You're the one sneaking. I'm following.”
She opened her eyes and scowled. “You should be in bed. Sleeping. Your poor head.”
“My poor head is exactly why I'm not sleeping. Hurts like the very devil.” His voice sounded gruff.
“You should still try. Lying in bed is likely better for you than standing, scowling, above me.”
“Thisis better. The head hurts as bad, but I do not have the added frustration of not being able to sleep.”
She understood that. Even when she felt most exhausted, if her mind raced, she could not sleep. The thoughts proved too potent for her exhaustion, and she squirmed in bed all night long, desiring nothing more than sleep but unable to acquire it. London had been full of sleepless nights, as she had wondered ceaselessly why no men danced with her or looked at her, not even the old ones. Wondering how she’d never before realized how empty her future would be. And then, at the end, wondering if the scandal would break, and when it finally did, if thetonwould laugh and forget it. They had not.
She leaned forward, dropped her elbows on the desk, rested her chin in her hands, and continued scowling back at him. “You're going to tell Edmund about this, aren't you?”
“It depends on what you're doing, Lady Jane.”
She toyed with the nearby candle, running her fingertip through the flame over and over again. “Looking for the information you mentioned. About my suitors.”
“I suspected as much.” George ambled forward and perched himself on the corner of the desk. He wore nothing but his shirt sleeves and trousers as he had earlier, and she could see the fine crisp hair on his forearms and chest. Just a hint at thevwhere his shirt opened. He watched her fingers dance about the flame.
“You'll burn yourself.”
“I know what I'm doing.”
“I'm sure you think you do.”
Were they speaking of the candle, or were they speaking of something else? Either way… “I do. I have found nothing so far. My research has proved fruitless.” She flopped back into the chair with a sigh.
“Whathaveyou found?”
“Ledgers. Sweets. A surprise but not useful. I’ve not checked all the drawers, though.”
George scratched his chin with his free hand. “You continue with the desk. I’ll look through the shelving and books.”
“You need sleep, George. I can do this myself.”
“Or you can let me help you. I’m going to do it whether you wish it or not. Can’t sleep.” He grunted and turned from her, walking toward the bookshelves across the room.
Jane squatted once more and opened a drawer. She peered into the barely lit darkness inside but could not focus on her purpose. “George?”
“Hm?”
“Why are you helping me?”
When he did not answer, she sighed and rummaged deeper into the drawer.
“Because…” His voice sounded hesitant and heavy in the darkness. “It was my fault. I should have kept a better eye on you. Edmund requested I do so. I let him down. I let you down.”
“It was in no way your fault. I did not even know Edmond had asked you to watch over me.”
