“Maybe you should go home and rest,” she said gently. “The factory will keep running even if you aren’t here. You should be in bed.”
“I couldn’t get out of bed for two weeks the first time I got clobbered with malaria, but I’ve worked through every relapse since.”
“Why?”
His answer was matter-of-fact. “Because that’s what a man does. I have a business to run. I’ve got forty employees and a family to support.”
Her eyes looked pained with sympathy as she shook her head. “You have a ridiculously successful company. The wheels will keep turning even if you aren’t here for a few days. And if you go home and rest, maybe you won’t feel so compelled to imbibe dangerous home remedies overheard from ship captains. Stay in bed for a few days. Relax. Read a good book.”
He snorted. “The only books I read are trade manuals and science reports.”
“No novels?”
“I don’t have time for fairy tales or make-believe.”
“Oh, Gray.” He loved the way she said his name, a combination of exasperation and fondness. “I think it’s time for you to get lost in the world of Charles Dickens. Or perhaps Jane Austen. I could bring you a copy.”
“I don’t read girly literature.” He threw it out as a deliberateprovocation, just to see how she would respond. She took the bait and came alive.
“Jane Austen is a master of social satire,” she said. “Her novels are a salvo against the pompous egos of her age.”
“And you think I could benefit from her instruction?”
A fascinating array of emotions crossed her face. She opened and closed her mouth several times before looking at him again. A gorgeous flush bloomed across her cheeks.
“I hate to admit it,” she said, “but I think Jane Austen might cast you as a hero in one of her novels, much like a Mr. Darcy or a Colonel Brandon. Jane Austen loved her serious, sober men.”
He fought to keep his face immobile. “She sounds like a font of wisdom and should be required reading for all our youth. Perhaps starting with my brother and sister.”
Her laughter was like a pure, clear waterfall. Before long she was summarizing a novel featuring the long-suffering Colonel Brandon, who sounded like a bit of a bore to Gray, but he didn’t care. He loved listening to her. He leaned back in his chair to watch her through half-closed eyes and wallowed in her soothing voice. She was better than any medicinal tonic. What was it about her that kept him so captivated? A few minutes ago he was racked with pain and surly to the world. Now he was completely pacified, total putty in her hands while she rambled about Jane Austen. The pain was still there, but he didn’t mind it so much anymore.
He only minded that he hadn’t been much use to her. She teetered on the edge of collapse if she couldn’t secure her position at the Smithsonian, and he desperately wanted to help her.
“How is the quest for a permanent position at the Smithsonian?” he asked gently and was sorry to see her sag a little.
“Not so good. I’m still on the hunt for something to make myself indispensable.”
He curled his hands around the arm of his chair, debating his options. He didn’t want her to go back to Kansas. He wantedto step up his courtship of her. If all went well, he could easily provide for her and Elaine both, but it wasn’t his nature to be impulsive.
He could still help her, though.
“Come to my townhouse in Alexandria,” he said. “You asked about seeing my library. My father amassed an impressive collection of botanical observations gathered over forty years. You can have free rein, although I’ll warn you, it is a mess. Dad crammed all his papers into boxes and binders. He was also a packrat, so there’s a lot to go through.”
Her eyes widened in surprise and something else. Trepidation? He smiled. His study wasn’tthatterrifying.
“You’ll really let me explore your study?” she asked, and he had the strangest feeling she hoped he would say no.
“Of course. The study will be entirely yours. I won’t need it, as I plan on taking your advice. Actually, taking mydoctor’sadvice. Every doctor I’ve ever consulted has recommended the same thing.”
“And what is that?”
“Bedrest. And a little quinine if I can tolerate it.” He got his feet beneath him and managed to stand. “I’ll ask the foreman to summon a carriage. You can come with me to the townhouse today if you like, or come any time this week. I’ve had enough of these attacks to know I’ll be laid low for around five days. You can have complete run of the rest of my house.”
She walked around his desk and slipped an arm around his middle. He was capable of walking without help, but he loved that she offered it.
“I’ll come home with you,” she said. “I’d like to get started today.”
He had the oddest feeling she was about to cry.
