The room wasn’t overly large, and it was—seemingly—empty. It also wasn’t terribly well lit, with a low fire burning in the grate and a pair of sconces flickering on the wall on either side of the fireplace.
She was either beneath the desk or behind the curtain. He couldn’t see the underside of the desk from the door. It wasn’t a pedestal as Lord Evenrude’s had been.
Circling around, he saw no one hiding there. That left the draperies on the window. He moved to the far wall and instantly noted the slight lump behind the blue damask. Moving forward, he reached for the fabric but hesitated before he pushed it aside. What if it wasn’t her?
The fabric moved, and she bared her face. “You found me.” Her dark gaze registered surprise. “Oh, it’s you!”
“It’s me.”
“Are you still looking for a place to hide?”
“I am.”
She reached for his lapel and held the drapery wide, pulling him into the darkness beside her. “He’ll be done counting shortly. If he isn’t already.”
“I should probably hide somewhere else,” he said, though he was loath to move. Ensconced in the dark with Lavinia, he was acutely aware of her heat and the intoxicating scent of lilies and honeysuckle.
“Yes, I suppose you should.” She turned toward him, and they were so close, her breasts brushed against his chest. “Sorry,” she murmured.
God, he wasn’t. He was only sorry he had to leave.
“Before you go, I wanted to thank you again for the fossils.” She whispered, her breath tickling his neck as she spoke. “I can’t stop looking at them. They’re absolutely extraordinary. I hope I have reason to visit Devon one day so I can hunt for my own.”
“I hope you do too. Consider yourself welcome at Waverly Court any time.”
“That’s very kind of you.”
He heard the smile in her voice and resisted the urge to run his fingers over her mouth so he could feel the curve of her lips. He really should go—
But first, he wanted to ask her something. “Do you know the Duchess of Kendal?”
“Yes, but not well. Fanny’s sister is a good friend of hers. Why?”
Why indeed. Beck wanted to enlist Lavinia’s help to see if the Duchess might be able to help him learn who SW and DC might be. However, if the Duchess had been part of a scandal, she might prefer to leave those memories in the past. Furthermore, he wasn’t sure he should include Lavinia in any of this.
And yet, he found he simply couldn’t resist. “Do you know what happened with the Duchess when she was out in Society—maybe sixteen years ago? The Duke mentioned something, and I was curious. Because my sister was out at the same time.” He added the last because he felt he had to share a reason for his inquiry. Still, he hated bringing Helen up since he didn’t want to answer too many questions about her, particularly regarding her fate.
“She was compromised. A gentleman—I can’t remember who—wooed her. They were caught kissing, and he refused to marry her. She was ruined. It was horrible because it wasn’t even her fault. It’s so unfair. Men can kiss whomever they want, and women are blamed for any indiscretion.”
“The key is to not get caught. It sounds as though this gentleman was rather inept.”
“Are you saying it was his fault?” She sounded surprised. “Most would argue they were at least both to blame.”
“Certainly she retains some culpability, but a decent gentleman would ensure they could kiss and not get caught.”
“And how would they do that?” Something in her tone changed. Her voice lowered, and it felt as though she’d moved just a hair closer.
If he leaned just a tiny bit forward, he was sure he’d feel her breasts again. God, how he wanted to. “They might hide themselves behind a drapery in the library.”
“During hide-and-seek?”
Beck’s cock lengthened and grew stiff as the air around them heated. “Probably not. In that case, someone is actually looking to find them.”
“And yet here we are.” Her voice had changed again, going nearly breathless.
“Yes, here we are.”
“Are you going to, then?” she asked, her breasts grazing his chest as she edged herself against him. “Kiss me.”
“By God, I think I am.”
“Oh, good.”