“It is quite all right, my lord,” she hastily assured him. “I did not mean to disturb you. I will come back another time.”
She turned to leave, and Edward practically leapt from his armchair.
“No, wait, that is not necessary,” he told her in a louder voice than was entirely necessary. She turned to gaze back at him with a raised brow, and he took a moment to collect himself before continuing. “What I mean to say is that you should not feel obligated to leave just because I am in here, Miss Clifford. Please, go ahead and look for whatever it is you came to find.”
She appeared momentarily hesitant and then slowly turned back toward him.
“All right,” she said. “If you are certain I will not be a bother.”
He shook his head. “No bother at all.”
She gave him a tentative smile and started moving along the bookshelves, her gaze intent. Edward sank back into his chair and grabbed his own book, which had fallen from his lap in his haste to stand. He opened it back up and tried to focus on what he had been reading before she came into the room. He found such a task difficult, however, as he was acutely aware of her presence as she moved from bookcase to bookcase.
“Is there anything I can help you find?” he asked at length, giving up his attempt to appear distracted by his reading.
She glanced over her shoulder and him and answered, “Mrs Radcliffe and the Duchess said that there were new books that had just arrived. I was just curious as to what they might be.”
Closing his book and setting it to the side, Edward stood once more and crossed the room to stand next to her.
“Those are just here,” he said, pointing to the shelf just below the one she had been looking at. “Mother likes to keep all the new books in one place for a bit of time before sorting them out into the rest of the collection.”
Miss Clifford gave him a grateful smile and bent down so she could see the spines of the books properly.
“Oh, there are a few here that I have been eager to read,” she declared. “How fortunate!”
She reached forward and grabbed one of the books. Straightening, she held the tome in her hands and studied it a moment before opening it to flip through the pages. To Edward’s surprise, she brought the book to her nose and sniffed it.
“Did you just smell that book?” he asked, baffled.
Grinning, Miss Clifford nodded. “I did, my lord. I know it is a bit strange, but I love the smell of a new book. There is nothing like it in the world.”
Curious, Edward said, “May I?”
Her smile widening, Miss Clifford held the book up to him and leaned forward to sniff at the pages. It was a unique smell, most certainly. He caught a whiff of the dried ink along with the paper and glue, binding it all together. He could understand why she might enjoy such a smell, as it was oddly comforting.
“Well?” Miss Clifford asked, her eyes wide and eager. “What do you think?”
“I can see the appeal,” he told her with a grin. “I can honestly say I would have never thought to smell a book without your suggestion, but I am rather glad that I did.”
She laughed, and the sound washed over him like warm rain. He wanted to soak in it, as he could not remember ever hearing something so lovely.
“Well, I am glad you enjoyed it,” she said in a teasing tone. “Or, if you are merely saying that to spare my feelings, I appreciate the sentiment.”
“Believe me, Miss Clifford,” he replied with a chuckle. “I am being completely honest with you.”
“That is good to know,” she nodded. There was a twinkle in her eye that had his heart racing. It seemed as though she were flirting with him. Could he dare hope for such a thing?
At the same time, he told himself he should not be hoping for it at all. Miss Clifford was too complicated of a person for him to become involved with. She had secrets and was just as capable of deception as any other woman.
Despite these inner warnings, however, he found himself leaning closer to her, his lips turned up into what he knew was a charming grin. He watched as her cheeks flushed and her expression grew flustered. He found it satisfying that he could cause such a reaction in her. It seemed only fair that he be able to throw her off balance the same way she did him.
“I…I should leave you to your reading,” she whispered, clutching her book to her chest.
As if acting of its own accord, Edward’s hand moved to cup her cheek.
“You need not leave so soon,” he told her softly. “You only just got here, after all. You have hardly been able to explore the library fully.”
He heard her gulp before she said, “I…I am not so certain that is a good idea, my lord.”
