“I would carry you gently, not drag you,” he protested.
She snorted. “I’m too heavy to carry up the stairs.”
“Want to make a wager?” He waggled his eyebrows. “Loser has to slice off the other person’s clothing.”
“You’re barely wearing any,” she pointed out. “Half my work is done.”
“I’ll have you know, installing banisters is hard, sweaty labor.” He pretended to have a sudden idea. “Mmm, do you know whatelseis hard, sweaty labor?”
She frowned. “Did you say banisters?”
He made a dismissive gesture behind him. “On the stairs. Don’t worry, I waited until you were done with each before making my adjustments.”
Mortification and fury warred within her veins. “If I needed your help—”
“—you would ask for it,” he finished calmly. “I didn’t say I was coming home with you to install handrails everywhere you go. But this castle is soon to house many small children, is it not? Not to mention at least one woman of advanced age.Youmight be athletic enough to manage any terrain, but I doubt Miss Oak wants the entire castle to be made up of accidental murder rooms.”
“That… is a good point,” Elizabeth grumbled. And, in fact, hadn’t she wished for banisters from the beginning? Perhaps if she’d beenless obsessed with appearances and more concerned about advocating for herself and the conditions she needed to be safe, she wouldn’t have nearly tumbled down the stone steps to start with. “Very well. Carry on with your modifications.”
“As my lady wishes. How areyoudoing?”
She held up the small stone slab, “WW” side out, then flipped it over to reveal its gilded backside.
Stephen made an impressed expression. “Just when I thought my aunt and uncle couldn’t get any more peculiar. Any clue what it means?”
“That I have to think faster. Reddington will be here at any moment to negotiate. He wants to take possession of the castle on the first of June—which is in four days. Without the will, Miss Oak has no proof that she is the legal owner of this property. Densmore’s wager with Reddington may not be legally binding either, but your cousin made that ‘gift’ in front of witnesses and signed a paper promising ownership.”
Stephen drummed his fingers on the stone stairwell. “Reddington has more than enough money, time, and power to make trouble for Miss Oak indefinitely. She won’t be able to run any kind of school with the son of a viscount stomping about with an armed militia.”
“Nor is Reddington willing to wait indefinitely. He threatened a siege if we fail to deliver the deed in time to stop him. There’s no doubt he fully intends to storm the castle and take possession by any means necessary.” She rose from the stairstep and winced.
Stephen started forward, then corrected course, and visibly forced himself to resume lounging against the stone wall.
“What percentage are you today?” he asked quietly, his gaze intense.
Elizabeth clenched her teeth reflexively, then reminded herself not to assume the worst. He’d asked a fair question, not branded her aworthless weakling. And shehadbeen hobbling around the castle all day.
This was new territory. No one outside of the family had ever asked her about her percentages before. No one outside of the family knew her well enough to know what the numbers meant. But if Elizabeth wouldn’t be cross with her siblings for making the same inquiry, she could hardly take exception with Stephen for caring about how she was doing.
He was safe. She could trust him.
“Sixty-five,” Elizabeth said at last. “Fifty and above is good.”
“I have more than a passing acquaintance with mathematics. Fifty percent is the definition of middling.” His gaze softened. “Is there anything I can do?”
She shook her head. “It’s one of my legs. Probably from crawling to the catacombs. Though I wouldn’t change a moment of it.”
“Would you like me to rub your muscles? And before you take umbrage with my presumption, let me state for the record that I am happy to rub anything of yours at any time, regardless of its current percentage. This is not me taking pity. It’s me taking advantage. I’m purely driven by lust.”
“Well…” She considered him. “I suppose I could allow you tolustfullyrub my sore leg. Just for a minute.”
He brightened and made an expansive gesture. “Sit back down, my sweet.”
She eased back onto the stone step, her legs askew before her.
“This one.” She indicated the left side.
He knelt between her knees and lifted the hem of her skirts. “Do you know whatelseI could do for you in this position?”
