But something about Leo makes me forget I’m shy.He’s so easy to talk to that the things I would normally keep to myself come out without permission until he’s laughing with me, genuine warmth in his eyes.He charms it out of me.
And he’s never made me regret it, like other people have when I say what I’m really thinking.So far.In our short acquaintance.
But he also doesn’t know the truth, either.
“No onewantsto take the time and effort to vote; you must have hit your head harder than you think.Can you remember my name?”He slows his voice down and raises his volume in a way that he might think helps, but I doubt would even if I had an actual brain injury.
“People do so want to vote.Leopold Too-Many-Last-Names-hyphen-That-Are-Pretentious.Marquess of Eliteness.”
He quirks one side of his mouth in a smile.“Close enough, I suppose.Let’s get you up.”He gently retakes my arm and lifts me all the way up with little input from me.The tingle returns at the easy way he helps me to standing.It’s been too long since I’ve been on a date if a simple touch is sending me into these levels of lust.
“What are you doing here?”I resign myself to the fact that I’m stuck in this time for another day at least.
Maybe I need to hit my head harder.That’s not a pleasant thought.
“I came to check on you.Make sure you made it through the night you were so worried about.”A pause as a furrow forms between his eyebrows.That’s unusual.Sure, I’ve only known him one night, but he doesn’t seem the type to be worried about anything, living that rake life and all.“And I have a proposition for you.”
“Me?”My voice gets so high on that question that I suspect only dogs can hear it.
“Yes.”He takes my arm.“Let’s call for some refreshments and a doctor, and I will tell you all about it.”
“I don’t need the doctor.”I don’t need another person questioning me, even if they’re concerned with my physical well-being.Better to lay low and talk to as few people as possible.And not get the attention of Victoria’s court.I think I’d rather just soak in a warm bath and hope nothing’s broken.“But I’ll take some food.”
Leo nods in agreement, willing to compromise on the doctor since I am walking on my own-albeit slowly.Too slow considering how impatient I am to find out why he’s here.
“What is the proposition about?”I ask as we make the long trek through the same hallways I walked this morning.I never thought of the logistics of having a mansion; it’s kind of exhausting to walk around all the square footage doing daily tasks.At least this is not a problem that modern me has to deal with.No, when I forget my water bottle, it takes seconds to get it from the other room.
“I will tell you soon.Once we obtain food,” Leo says, and he sounds kind of nervous.Which is not helping my curiosity at all.
Leo ignores any other attempts to get him to tell me sooner, making us walk in silence, and then sit in silence waiting for an entire plate of snacks to be brought in.He waits to long that Anne reappears and hovers in the corner of the room.I’m about to tell her she doesn’t have to stand there, when I realize she might be…chaperoning me.
I don’t like it, but I don’t think I can tell her to leave.
“About that proposition…” I begin.
He swallows a bite of scone on a sigh, then puts the rest of it back down on his plate.“Can you please get us some more tea?”Leo asks Anne.
She looks uncertain.“I can call for?—”
“I tried the bell, but no one responded,” Leo motions vaguely to where the bell system must be, and I don’t remember seeing him actually do that.
Anne chews on her lip, apparently not convinced, but must not want to contradict a peer.“I’ll go arrange for the tea.”She rushes out of the room.
“We will have to be quick, she will be back soon.”Well, I am intrigued now, if this is evade-the-chaperone serious.“I know I did not mention much last night about my personal history, but I have recently inherited a title.”He looks at me expectantly.
“Um.Congratulations on all the hard work that must have taken.”Hard work waiting for your relations to die, you ghoul involved in a ghoulish system.You’re just one of the lucky ghouls.
But this is confusing.I thought I would have known if there was a half-Indian titled man running around Victoria’s court.I didn’t realize last night because of…everything.But I should know his name.And I don’t.
“Thank you.”Wow, he does not pick up on sarcasm at all.Guess they don’t teach that at the Oxbridge schools.“Unfortunately, we are rather title and land rich, but money poor.”
“That must be so sad.For you.”Not the thousands of people you’ve taken advantage of over hundreds of years, extracting labor out of them to build your fortunes on while you do nothing but live in a big house and party in London, while they struggle in shacks.
“Yes, it is.”He looks relieved that I understand.Poor, simple man.Hot, but simple.And kind, I suppose.But also a little bit of a parasite.
“Oh.The influx of cheap corn from America and the resulting agricultural depression can’t be helping you any,” I say as I realize exactly what’s happening right now.Desperate to distract myself from my revelations about him and his character.
“Well, yes.Actually.”Now he looks puzzled, head cocked like a confused puppy.“How does a woman know about that?”
