Mina couldn’t hide her smile, and now it no longer came from amusement. “Thank you,” she said. “Professor Carter took a chance on me. It only seemed fair.”
“It’s not so common for women to be secretaries, not to men,” Stephen said slowly, calling up facts that had never been important to his mind and had never really left Mina’s.
“No. And even less common for girls from my part of London.” Even now, the memory of the first few letters of inquiry she’d sent out made Mina wince, and remembering her first interview made her mouth go dry. “So I owe him a lot, you see.”
Stephen nodded. “You pay your debts,” he said, still in the same thoughtful voice. His eyes met hers, searching, though Mina couldn’t tell for what. “And you don’t go back on a bargain. You said as much, didn’t you?”
“I did,” she said. “And I don’t.” Under Stephen’s gaze, she felt quite exposed. She folded her arms over her chest, putting up a barrier that was all the more necessary because she wouldn’t have minded a more literal sort of exposure. “Have you found anything more? Is that why you’re looking for your brother?”
“Not yet.” Stephen sighed, and while that broke the uncomfortable intensity, he looked weary enough to make Mina wince inside. “I’m hoping for a message any day now, but Mrs. O’Keefe’s man had little to say concerning when she’d return.”
“Little to say about anything, from what you told me,” said Mina, and shrugged. “Butlers are generally like that. Not that I know many of them, but that’s what Alice says. I tried to be the same way with Professor Carter’s visitors. You have to.”
“I rather guessed as much,” said Stephen, and Mina was glad to see a smile return to his face. “Perhaps you should speak with Mrs. O’Keefe’s man—I’d match you against him any day.”
“Now I feel like a prizefighter,” said Mina. “Be off, will you, before you make the spiders angry?”
“I believe I can defend you fromthose,” said Stephen, “but I’d best find Colin and perhaps wring a sponge out over him.”
“I’ll see who has the black eye next time we meet.”
Laughing, Stephen left, and Mina stared at the closed door behind him for longer than she meant to, a fact she only noticed when she shook herself and turned her attention back to her letter.
I look forward to seeing you again, and to—
Life after dealing with Ward held bright enough prospects, if Mina went after them—and she knew she would. The real problem, the one she’d been trying to hide from herself, was how much she’d miss the life she had now.
Twenty-six
“Six weeks?” Colin leaned back in his chair and laughed. “She’s a remarkably patient girl, then. I’d have been climbing the walls.”
“You’d have been climbing the walls after two days,” said Stephen. “Even if you’d wanted to stay inside before. Contrary-minded little devil,” he added.
“Prig,” Colin replied amiably. “She must be a torment to you in turn, though.”
Stephen quickly stifled the reaction that went through him. Torment, yes, but not the sort he wanted to discuss with his brother. “How do you mean?”
“She doesn’t seem the sort to follow orders meekly.”
“You make me sound like quite the tyrant,” said Stephen, because he couldn’t deny Colin’s statement. “I’ve not had any complaints. Not from most people,” he added, “and Mi—Miss Seymour doesn’t truly complain. She’s been quite adaptable.”
“Has she, now?”
“Not like that,” said Stephen, glaring even as he repressed more memories. “We’ve strictly a business arrangement, and only for as long as Ward’s a threat.”
Early afternoon had found them in the drawing room again. Rather, Colin had found Stephen there reading, and now stood by the fireplace and toyed idly with the music box there while he spoke. “Pity,” he said, “I’d imagine you could use a good secretary.”
“Perhaps I could,” said Stephen, “but she’ll be employed elsewhere.”
Even if he made the offer, he knew that Mina would refuse and be absolutely right in doing so. He wasn’t going to make the offer, of course. Foolish idea.
“Where is the girl in question, exactly?”
“Probably the library,” said Stephen, who had avoided that door. He and Mina had talked at breakfast. They would dine with Colin again, and he had no need to see her any more, even if he wanted to. Especially if he wanted to. “She’s going through the books there, and it’s about time someone did.”
“Not surprising. Father wasn’t much for cataloguing.”
“Father rather lost track of this place,” Stephen said, thinking of the papers he’d gone through. “Came up for a day or four at a time, since Mother passed onward, but never more, and that maybe every few years.”
