A moment of silence fell between them before she suddenly laughed. “Lawks, when reality returns, it trulyreturns.”
He mirrored her sentiment. “Indeed.”
“Thank you for your offer,” she said lightly, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “I shall take your proverbial key and keep it safe.”
He let out a low breath, relieved. “That is all I ask.” All hecouldask. He could offer her no more, other than his sincerity that he would not abandon her completely once they parted ways. If only their societal connection wasn’t so complicated. But he couldn’t ignore the fact that she was Talbot’s daughter, and neither could she ignore that her father would never allow even the slightest of friendships.
Then there was the secret that hung between them. A secret that she didn’t know even existed, and it certainly was not his place to reveal it.
Wasn’t it?
No, it couldn’t be. Even though he had been the one to go against his father’s wishes and help her escape, if Talbot hadn’t seen fit to inform his daughter of the details of her return home, there must be a reason for it, and he suspected it had to do with the trouble she had sleeping.
He might make it worse.
“The night...” Oliver trailed off, not certain whether he should ask or not.
Louisa arched a brow. “The night...? Do you have something to ask? Now is the time. The moment we enter the house, you shall not have another.”
Also so direct. Always so keenly aware of the shifting sands between them. “The night I fell asleep beside you in the second cottage—”
“Oh,thatnight.” Her eye glinted with sudden mischief.
His pulse did something odd with that look. “Yes, that night. It didn’t seem like you had trouble sleeping.”
“Is that a question?”
He exhaled, rolling his shoulders to rid himself of whatever had compelled him to bring it up in the first place. “Not exactly. I suppose I was just curious about it.”
“About you perhaps being the cure to my sleeping problems?”
God. His stomach twisted. “I never said that.”
She laughed, the sound light and airy, yet a shadow crossed her features. “Most nights, I struggle, yes, but there are nights that I am so exhausted that sleep claims me without effort. They are rare, but they exist.”
He nodded, but the answer did nothing to quell the unwelcome pit forming dead center in his chest. “I hope that changes in the future.”
Her smile turned sweet. “Thank you.”
“Shall we go?” He still didn’t know why he wanted to know. Had to know. Perhaps because that night had lingered with him far longer than it should have. Perhaps because he wasn’t accustomed to being needed, even in the most unspoken ways.
“Yes, I must admit, I am famished.”
“Miles cooked a pot of stew.”
Her eyes lit with intrigue. “This Miles, why have I never seen him before? He is like a phantom.”
“He doesn’t like to be seen.” Oliver opened the door and jumped from the carriage, landing with effortless grace before turning to offer his hand. She placed her palm in his and stepped out, only to gasp.
Oliver followed her gaze skyward.
Thousands of stars sparkled above them, stretching across the vast, endless night, not one cloud obstructing their shine. His gaze drifted back to her, and Oliver swore he saw those very stars reflected in her eyes.
The stars had caught her breath.
And she had caught his.
Chapter Eighteen
