"I should."
Neither moved.
"This is inappropriate," he added.
“Indeed it is…”
“Your gaze is remarkably fixed upon me.”
“As yours is upon me.”
She wasn't wrong. He was staring at the way the morning light caught the gold in her hair, at the flush creeping up her neck, at the way her fingers gripped her list so tightly the paper was crumpling.
Leave, he commanded silently.Leave before I do something supremely careless such as crossing this room and… like cross this room and…
"Your shirt," Clara said suddenly, grabbing the garment from where he'd dropped it and thrusting it at him. "You should... shirt."
“Be silent, I beg of you.”
“I beg of you to try your hand at stilling my voice.”
The words hung between them, loaded with possibility and memory of the last time she'd said those words.
As Gabriel took the shirt, their fingers brushed lightly in the exchange and Clara’s breath caught audibly.
Oh Mercy…Gabriel thought, pulling the shirt on with movements that were definitely not hurried.She's going to be the death of me.
"Your list," he said, fastening buttons with fingers that were unquestionably steady, thank you very much. “You did mention a list did you not?”
"Indeed. Yes. List." Clara seemed to shake herself, straightening her spine and assuming what he'd come to think of as her 'managing' expression. "Staff interviews this afternoon. Three candidates for housemaid, two for footman, and one for cook."
"No."
"You already agreed."
"I agreed to temporary staff, not six people intruding upon my home."
"Six people is hardly an invasion. Most ducal households have dozens of staff."
"Most dukes aren't…" He gestured vaguely at himself.
"Ridiculously stubborn? Dramatically reclusive? Allergic to assistance?"
"Scarred."
"Oh, for goodness sake!" Clara stepped fully into the room, closing the door behind her with a decisive click that definitely didn't make Gabriel's pulse race. “That imperfection upon your countenance is not, and shall never be, the defining feature of your life's accomplishments, nor the substance of your being.”
"Tell that to everyone who sees it."
"I see it."
"And?"
"And I'm still here, am I not?”
"You're here because I'm paying you."
"I'm here because…" She stopped, color flooding her cheeks.
