“Mr. Valancourt,” Grimes greeted the doctor. “So good of you to come.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” Valancourt assured him, flashing a mouthful of pearly white teeth as he tilted his head at the butler.
I stared at the doctor openly. Rather rude, I knew, but he was probably the most beautiful man I’d ever laid eyes on. I recalled that Grimes had referred to him as an apprentice, which led me to believe that he was only a year or two older than me.
Handsomeandsmart, I thought, drinking him in. That was a winning combination in my opinion.
Valancourt had a dark complexion, his hair shaved close along the sides, but with a crown of obsidian curls. I wondered briefly if his family was from Africa or the Caribbean islands. His smile was roguish, with dimples appearing at the corners of his mouth that sent pangs through my chest. I followed the stubble along his jawline until I lifted my gaze to his eyes, dark pools of warmth I could feel myself sinking into, like gravity wells. I leaned toward him instinctively, wanting to be nearer to him, as his eyes found me. I noted the long lashes surrounding his eyes, the way his lips parted slightly. He had very nice lips.
“And who is this?” Valancourt asked, eyes running over me briefly. I felt heat in my cheeks and knew that I was blushing, but it couldn’t be helped. I was prone to blushing and easily flustered. My father had always teased me about it, good-naturedly.
“This is our Second Man, Mr. Dupont. He’s only been with us a week now.” Grimes sighed. “A week and he’s already brought trouble to our doorstep.”
I ducked my head. “Apologies, Mr. Grimes.”
“Nothing to be done for it. But perhaps the good doctor could help save us some grief.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Valancourt agreed, looking confused. “But I was under the impression that I was here to see to Mrs. Blake?”
“Yes, yes,” Grimes agreed. “The more pressing matter is that Dupont found a …handon his way back to the house. If you could secrete it away to the gendarmerie and spare the family any unnecessary distress, I’m sure they would appreciate it.”
Valancourt frowned. “I see.” He squinted at Grimes before turning to me. “I’ll need to take Mr. Dupont with me, of course. He’ll need to make a statement at the very least. But otherwise, I’m sure we can keep this quiet so we don’t ruffle any more feathers.”
“We are in your debt,” Grimes acknowledged. He met my eyes and pursed his lips. “Since you likely won’t be back in time to serve dinner, Dupont, I’ll expect you to make up the time by assisting Fournier with his valet duties tonight.”
“Of course, Mr. Grimes,” I agreed, bowing as the butler strode back inside. The stablemaster, who’d been listening the entire time, slunk away back to the stables as well.
When the door to the servants’ entrance closed with a solid thud, I let out a breath and turned to find Valancourt watching me. I blinked and turned away from those penetrating eyes. “I’m sorry for the trouble.”
“It’s no trouble,” Valancourt assured me. He gestured to the kerchief. “May I?”
“Oh, yes. Please.” I handed it to him, nausea sweeping through my stomach briefly as I caught sight of the red blossoming along the bottom of the cloth.
Our fingers brushed against one another’s and my heart fluttered, causing me to momentarily forget what we were doing. I wanted to hold on to his warmth for a little longer, even for another precious second, but it wasn’t to be. Valancourt pulled away from me, eyes never lifting from the kerchief. He was clearly not affected by the contact as I had been.
Disappointment doused my excitement. What had I expected to happen? What I felt toward men wasn’t an acceptable feeling. At least that was what my aunt professed. I didn’t understand how something like love, something that felt so right, could be so wrong.
Valancourt unwrapped the hand and examined it briefly, dropping a barrage of one-syllable reactions like “ah” and “hmph” and “my.” I hadn’t the stomach to watch, turning away until the doctor refastened the kerchief and folded it into some parchment. He knelt down to secure it somewhere in his doctor’s bag, and when he looked back up at me, his eyes were shining, and I felt like I was falling under some inexplicable enchantment once more. He had one of those faces that was warm and inviting.
“I apologize. I get carried away sometimes and this is fascinating. Usually they’re attached to people.”
I stared at him until I realized that he’d told a joke. A weak joke, but a joke nonetheless. I humored him with a chuckle.
The doctor winced imperceptibly at my reaction but recovered with a wide smile. “I don’t think I properly introduced myself. I am Valancourt. Bram Valancourt.” He stood and reached out a hand.
I shook his hand, his attention flustering me. “Emile St. Aubert.”
Valancourt blinked, then watched me thoughtfully as he dropped my hand. “I thought your name was Dupont.”
My eyes widened, and I cursed my slip of the tongue. A pretty face and I’d completely forgotten my cover story. “I … yes. Please call me Dupont. It’s more a nickname. Or better yet, just call me Emile.”
“Very well, Emile. And I suppose you’d like me to believe that you’re used to a life of servitude with not a single callus on your hands?”
My heart stuttered with panic. I opened my mouth, then closed it as anything intelligible fell directly out of my mind to gather at my feet. Valancourt was observant. I wasn’t used to people giving a servant a second glance.
“Whatever the reason for the subterfuge, it’s none of my business,” Valancourt assured me, no doubt noting the distress on my face. “I was curious, is all. But I won’t press you.”
“Thank you.” I bowed my head as the tension melted in my chest. “I appreciate it.”
