Eli looked at Jane for a second, and she felt his selection like a current of energy. She stood up as he crossed the floor, not wanting him to have to kneel at her feet as he had for Miss Linden.
“My apologies for this, Miss Bishop,” he said softly. She didn’t know where to look, so she fixed her gaze on Eli’s chin.
He leaned in slowly. Too slowly. Had it taken this long for him to kiss Miss Linden? Though she tried her best not to move, she tilted her head back in spite of herself.
It was a chaste kiss, very different from the one they’d shared before. He didn’t coax her lips apart with his tongue or clutch at her gown now. It was only the barest touch of his mouth upon hers.She knew a hint of his taste and warmth—enough to make her long desperately for more—and then it was over. She held herself rigid, hoping it wasn’t obvious how badly his touch affected her.
Once he withdrew, there was nothing left but to watch Eli kiss Cecily.
She would have liked very much to look away, but a self-punishing compulsion held her gaze steady. Eli completed the task in good time, kneeling down at Cecily’s feet (of course she would enjoy that part) to peck her lightly and retreat to his place again, the forfeit finally complete.
Cecily looked thoroughly pleased with herself. “Well, now you’ve kissed the one you admire the most, whomever she may be.”
It was clear from her tone that she was confident of the lady’s identity.
Cecily set her sights on Hannah next, who was forced to perform what turned out to be a very passible impersonation of Lord Melbourne, to general amusement. As their laughter died off, more than one guest hid a yawn behind their hands. It was nearing midnight, and Uncle Bertie called for an end to the evening. “We have another full day tomorrow.”
Jane was happy to oblige. But as she withdrew from the room, she couldn’t help but think about the one paper Cecily hadn’t used yet, with her own name written upon it. Not to mention Eli, whose stack remained untouched.
Those would be waiting for her on another night. Hopefully her creditors would be merciful.
Thirteen
Eli couldn’t find sleep that night. Without anything to distract him, he fell quickly back into memories of his encounter with the Merediths, their faces pleading with him every time he closed his eyes. The rise and fall of Edmund’s breath from across the room made him feel like an intruder. He didn’t belong here, surrounded by people so at ease in their own lives.
He padded out into the hall and down the stairs to the ground floor of the Lindens’ house, the creaking floorboards his only company. He might have walked the grounds to tire himself out, but the low rumble of thunder spoke of rain to come. He settled on the library instead.
But when he arrived, he found it already occupied. Jane was curled up in an armchair, a book on her lap, lit by the soft glow of an oil lamp.
“Oh!” She gave an indelicate squawk when she spotted Eli.
“I didn’t mean to disturb you. I couldn’t sleep.”
Jane didn’t reply, her eyes wary. Eli was suddenly conscious of the position they were in. Alone together, in the middle of the night, in a state of undress.
Jane’s hair tumbled in soft waves around her shoulders, appearingmore black than brown in the darkness. From the top of her head to the hollow of her throat, she was unguarded. At her collarbone, a heavy wrap took up the charge of shielding her body from the threat of his gaze. Of course she would have a wrap, even when she’d thought herself alone. There was something reassuring about her prickliness. In his present spirits, Eli wasn’t sure he could have brought himself to pursue their flirtation, even if she’d been open to it. But he craved her company. Her steady presence.
Eli chose the seat opposite her—far enough to maintain a veneer of respectability, in the circumstances—and sunk into the overstuffed cushions. He half-expected Jane to order him out, but she didn’t. The way she looked at him made him think she knew exactly why he was roaming the halls at night.
Time for a safer topic. “What are you reading?”
She held up the volume to display the leather-bound cover.Traité élémentaire du calcul des probabilités, read the gold leaf lettering. Eli had to smile at her choice.
“How relaxing.”
“It is,” she protested. “Nothing will make me relax as well as heaps of pounds in the bank and a thorough understanding of probabilities is the foundation to that.”
“I commend you,” he reassured her. “It looks far more complicated than anything we covered in our study sessions at your uncle’s house. You’ve come a long way.”
“Oh, please don’t remind me of that. I feel silly for taking so much of your time.” He couldn’t tell if Jane was blushing, or if it was only the lamp’s flame that sent a red reflection along the curve of her broad cheekbones.
“Nonsense. I was happy to help.”
It was strange to think back on it now. At sixteen, he hadn’t questioned Jane’s request to receive a gentleman’s education. He’denjoyed having a pretty girl huddled beside him as they read, hanging on his explanations. But with the benefit of some maturity, Eli saw her choices in another light. What must it have felt like, to assume the burden of her brother’s future at such a young age? No doubt it explained why she’d turned out so serious and proper. She’d never had the luxury of a carefree life.
He would have liked to tell her that he could help lighten her burdens, if she let him. But it would be a false promise. Until Eli advanced his naval career, he didn’t have the funds to offer her marriage or security, and she’d already rebuffed his attempts to help with her club. So he settled on a more measured assurance. “You don’t have to do everything alone.”
Even so, it changed something in the air between them.
