She wasn’t exactly dressed for it. She fingered the delicate green silk of her evening gown, disheartened that no one complimented her on her finery. True, the earl had, as had Lord Randall and Caden. Come to think of it, Lady Lillian had remarked on her gown. Oh, bother.Hehadn’t noticed.
Zeke, Zeke, Zeke. She had to get him off her mind. She grasped the rails of the ladder and started up. Her slippers skidded on the rails, so she kicked them off and continued climbing.
Halfway up, she peered down to where her shoes lay. They seemed very small from this distance. Probably best to set her sights on the top shelf and press on.
Reaching the top, she saw right away her perseverance had been worth the effort. Grasping the ladder rung with one hand, she used her free hand to finger the spines, reading the titles as she went. Milner’sDescriptive Atlas,S.D.U.K. Family Atlas, Bromme’sIllustrated Hand Atlas. They all looked promising.
There looked to be more atlases further down the shelf. Which meant climbing down, sliding the ladder over and climbing back up. Or she could glide sideways on the ladder. How hard could it be? Grasping the curved mahogany edge of the bookshelf, she gave a little push.
The ladder took off at breakneck speed toward the other side of the room. Using one hand, she grasped the passing shelf. The ladder came to a jerking halt. Her body did not.
Chirping in alarm, she clung to the ladder’s rails as the lower half of her body levitated. Heart racing, and feeling rather like a monkey, she wriggled toes of her right foot back onto a rung, then swung her left foot to join the first. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead on cool railing—and giggled. Monkey indeed. A bloody lucky one.
“Is there a bird nesting up there, or was that you I heard just now? And what the devil are you doing up there, with no one about to hear if you fall?”
Zeke. Of course. She giggled harder and prayed he hadn’t actually witnessed her graceless flight.
“Are you quite all right?”
She opened her eyes and peered down at him. “Quite. Why do you ask?” Another giggle escaped her. She bit her lip.
He stood, hands on his hips, directly beneath her, staring up. “Oh, I dunno. Your death grip on the side rails, perhaps?” His gaze roamed over her, searching for further ways to insult her no doubt. “Your…”
She waited, but he didn’t go on, merely continued to stare up at her. No, not at her. Under her. She scooted her stocking-clad feet closer together. “What are you doing in here?”
“Looking for you. What’re you doing up there?”
“Looking for a book.”
“You couldn’t find one down here?” He moved his hand in wide sweep.
“Are you saying you’d like me to come down?” she asked.
He appeared to give her question some thought.
Mostly just to annoy him, she perused the titles she’d risked her life to reach. “Oh, my. Hullo there.” She traced the spine of the book with one fingertip.
“Yes, I’d like you to come down,” he finally said. “Are you having a conversation with yourself up there?”
She couldn’t wipe the grin off her face. “Did you know you have one of my parents’ works?Atlas to the Historical Geography of Europe.”
“Wonderful. Feel free to bring it down with you. Now.”
“Yes, my lord,” she said with a tiny salute. She pulled the tome from the shelf and hugged it to her chest with one arm. Hmm. Getting down would be tricky with only one hand holding the rail.
She stretched one foot downward till her toes contacted solid wood, then shifted her weight. Sliding her gripping hand lower, she lifted her upper foot and navigated it to meet the lower, then began the process again.
“At this rate, you’ll be up there till morning.”
She gritted her teeth. “I’m going as fast as Icaaaan…” A blur of leather book spines passed before her eyes as she plummeted toward her death.
She landed in a pair of strong, masculine arms.
Breathless, speechless, Kitty gazed up into Zeke’s face. His smoky blue eyes shimmered with suppressed emotion. Anger? Amusement? She couldn’t tell.
“Thank you?” she said.
He shook his head and strode from the bookshelves. “I can’t leave you to your own devices for five minutes.”
