Theo forced himself not to grimace at the thought. He had no desire to speed along his impending marriage. Perhaps that was why he was standing in the corridor with one ear cocked for the sound of a brass knocker.
He almost tumbled from his crutches when Virginia walked around the corner carrying her wicker basket.
“You didn’t knock,” he blurted out, mortified at having been caught waiting like a puppy. “Did you bring ice cream this time, or some other misbegotten creature to add to my growing collection?”
“The color of the plumage does not determine the worth of the bird.” She set the basket down just inside the front parlor. “Walk this way so I can see how you’re doing.”
When he reached her, Virginia dropped to a crouch and ran her hands over his leg. “Does it hurt when I touch it?”
His brain emptied of all logic every time she touched him anywhere.
“No,” he managed.
She frowned. “It feels swollen.”
“I rarely need the ice,” he assured her.
To anyone else, he would not have admitted any pain or weakness. Virginia was different. From the moment he’d realized she required direct cues, he had found himself adapting to ensure she understood what he thought, how he felt.
It was not honesty that was new to him, but the vulnerability that came with it. Other people might have known him for longer, but she was seeing sides of him he had never shown to anyone.
He swept into the parlor as elegantly as a military officer on crutches could do and dropped himself into a chair near the fire.
“Join me,” he said as he lowered his crutches to the floor. “Are you peckish?”
“I hope you are.” She brought her basket into the room, then hesitated. “Do you like these visits?”
“Yes,” he admitted gruffly.
Her eyes met his. “Me, too.”
He was pleased by her admission. She had also begun meeting his gaze more often. Theo wasn’t certain if it was because she was changing or because he was.
“You have pretty eyes,” he said before he could stop himself. Curse his tongue. It was not the sort of comment one made to someone with whom one was trying to maintain a platonic relationship.
Her cheeks flushed pink. “Everything about you is handsome.”
Definitely not the icy response required to keep the heat between them at bay.
“Thank you for having the staff prepare my favorite foods,” he said gruffly. Surely that was a safer topic. “What’s in the basket?”
She opened the lid with a little smile. “Ice cream.”
He shot up straight, stomach growling in eager anticipation. He held out his hand. “You were right. I am indeed peckish.”
“Good.” She pulled a small covered dish and a spoon from the basket but handed him only the spoon.
He glanced around the room. “Shall we move to the tea table?”
Rather than respond, she carried his dish of ice cream to the furthest corner of the parlor and set it down behind one of Azureford’s decorative folding screens.
“There you go,” she said, as if her action made sense.
“There I go what?” he asked. “Searching for hidden ice cream? I know where it is. I saw you put it behind the folding screen.”
“Go fetch it.”
“Go…” He stared at her. “What did you just say to me?”
