Warmth spread over her whole body, raising the hairs on her nape, and her heart trembled.
“Why?”
“Please?”
Daisy set her hand in his, and he brought it toward his mouth. His lips pressed to her knuckles. He never broke eye contact with her, and her whole body went up in flames. She should have been smoking from her ears. He lifted his mouth from her hand and stroked his thumb over the spot, like he was rubbing the kiss in.
“Thank you for helping me in secret,” he said.
Daisy bit the inside of her cheek and nodded.
“I am indebted to you. You’ve helped me more that you will ever know.”
Her eyes began to sting.
“That’s all I wanted to say, for now. Go rest for the afternoon. I’ll see you at dinner.”
Daisy smiled her thanks and sheepishly turned back toward the door, measuring her pace so as not to appear as though she were running away. Though she was. Before he noticed the riot of sensation cascading through her body, she needed to escape.
Back in her room, she could breathe again. She had run the back stairs, huffing like Hesta and her graveyard thief as they haunted each other through the night, never meeting, though sometimes it seemed they were only a breath away from each other. Daisy knew that once they did meet, their first interaction would be cataclysmic. The way Alston read those pages, the inflection of his voice, the dramatic pauses, left Daisy breathless, wanting to squirm in her chair. Daisy wasn’t certain yet, but she thought Alston might be reading one ofthosenovels. The books her mother had deemed too salacious. Mrs. Miranda had spotted one when they visited the Wolseleys and tossed it in the hearth, calling it poison to the feminine mind.
But Alston did say that Amelia had read it. Surely it was fine... or he fully intended to shock her. Either way, it was working. Whether Hesta and her thief ended up having tea or ended up in each other’s arms, Daisy would swoon. Alston had built the tension so beautifully that by the last page she’d be nothing but a puddle.
Was there anything more humiliating?
He’d kissed her hand, and she’d felt that kiss low in her body. Sometimes when he looked at her, his eyes would change, theblue turning darker and deeper, holding her captive. This had been one of those times.
This was ridiculous.Shewas ridiculous. Daisy couldn’t bear to be this tulle-headed ninny any longer. She wanted to feel right in her skin, capable and confident like Amelia, and if there was one thing Amelia never did, it was let her fear stand in her way. She stood her ground no matter how fierce her opposition was. She had defied death itself to save her brother. Daisy wanted just a little of that courage. Daisy had been practicing good trouble, and so far, the results had been splendid. Alston’s health was improving swiftly, and most of all, Daisy and Alston were becoming fast friends. Her firstmalefriend.
He was handsome, intelligent, kind, and humorous, even when he wanted to be disagreeable. Alston would never ignore his intended for years and not write a single letter to her. He could never be so cruel and uncaring.
If only . . .
A swift knock presaged Merry’s arrival, freezing the errant thought Daisy was certain would venture too far.
“You’ve received a message, miss.”
Daisy accepted the folded paper, turning it over and praying to see her father’s wax seal, but no. It was a C. Her stomach dropped to her feet.
Daisy sat on the edge of the bed and broke the wax, unfolding the note.
Miss Blakewood,
It disheartens me to know you are surrounded by peers of ill repute. The situation is far graver than I had hoped. I cannot be seen at Alston House, but I do request you meet with me at the small park at the corner. There I will instruct you further. The appointed time will be four o’clock this afternoon. Do not be late.
Octavia Claystone
Four? It was already two! Daisy stood and started to pace. She needed an excuse, an excellent one. A headache? A broken limb? Plague? Anything that would stop Lady Claystone from insisting Daisy leave Alston House. Blast it all, she wasn’t good at being disobedient. She didn’t know how to be.
Amelia! She would know what to do.
“Merry, has Lady Amelia returned?”
“Yes, miss.”
“I’d like to go for a walk in the park with Lady Amelia, if she is agreeable.”
“An excellent idea. The weather is exceptionally pleasant today. Shall I go ask for you?”
