“I often do, but usually my companion Judith dines with me,” Ellen said, delicately moving a few slices of meat to her plate. “She has been visiting her sister who recently welcomed a new baby to her family. Judith should be gone another fortnight. If I desire companionship when I dine, Mrs. Hardy the housekeeper will sometimes sit with me, though it makes her uncomfortable to do so.”
“It seems a lonely life,” Reese said.
“There are other young women my age around the neighborhood, and when we were younger, we would spend time together.” Ellen’s expression turned contemplative. “But they are more interested in dresses and flirting. It does not suit me, and they can be disparaging.”
“Earlier you mentioned being called a Bluestocking,” Reese said. “Where I come from, being one can be a good thing. It usually means you’re going places, that you’ll be successful. I can’t tell you how many times guys who were shorter than me would come up to ask how tall I am.”
“I would call your figure statuesque,” Ellen said with a frown.
“You’re kind, but I think ‘statuesque’ also means dignified,” Reese said, “and that one’s hard for me. I’m jealous of your slender figure.”
“Mine?” Ellen shook her head. “I sometimes feel like I am still a little girl, but you have a lovely figure.”
“Isn’t it funny how people always seem to want what they don’t have? If a girl has straight hair, she wishes it were curly. If she has curly hair, she wishes it were straight.” Reese nibbled a bite of one of the little fruit tarts. “Yum, this is good. I’ll have to work out extra hard tonight to burn up these calories.”
“You are doing it again,” Ellen said with a small shake of her head, “using words I do not understand. It is almost as though in America you have a different language. What is this calorie?”
“A calorie is a measurement for burning energy,” Reese said. “The foods we eat have them, and our bodies burn them for energy. But enough of that. I’m full.”
“I will show you to your room then.” Ellen wiped her mouth and set aside her napkin before standing.
Chapter 12
JEM STARED AT THE LETTER again. She’d left without talking to him. What had happened? He’d recognized her tactics at the picnic for what they were, but he’d been helpless to do anything about it. Every time he thought he’d be able to get away, Nellie or one of her minions had shown up to ask him to help with something.
And now. He felt lost, alone, in a way he’d never experienced before.
“Hey, Geoffrey,” he said, turning to where the man was getting the bed ready for the night. “What if I rode over to Kellworth to pay a call?”
“On Lady Ellen?” The valet’s brows creased in disapproval. “You may call upon her brother when he is at home. As a single man, you may not call upon an unattached female.”
“Even if she has other people around her?” Jem asked.
“Aunt Nellie has said you must not interfere.” The disapproval coming from the man was almost palpable.
“But I’m her cousin. I need to check on her safety.”
“You and Miss Clarisse arenotcousins.”
“All right. Don’t freak out.”
“Aunt Nellie also said that you have had your opportunity to court her.” Geoffrey’s expression had turned sympathetic. “It is now time to let be what will be.”
That sentient magic thing again. Jem didn’t buy it, but what was he going to do? He sat in the chair by his bed, staring at the short note. It looked like he was stuck following Kaitlyn and her crowd around until either Reese came back to Nellie’s or Lady Ellen’s brother finished in London.
Jem had been sure he’d broken past Reese’s barrier. His body still tingled when he thought of their kiss in the library. What had gone wrong? He tossed the paper aside and rubbed his face.
***
Reese enjoyed Ellen’s questions about America. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and her attempts at saying things with an American accent had them laughing. There was a depth to some of her questions that Reese found unexpected. Ellen seemed every bit the innocent and naïve Victorian girl, yet she showed herself to be older and more mature in other ways. The Earl would probably be shocked to find out just how much his younger sister knew about him and his activities.
Maybe the losses Ellen had experienced had something to do with it. The time she spent alone must have impacted it too. Had her reading introduced her to more worldly things her brother would have kept from her? How broad a selection of books did the Earl have?
“Tell me about your favorite books,” Reese said as they walked down one of the long hallways. Kellworth manor had a lot of them, with its square design and central court.
“I read many different books. You know I enjoy Jane Austen,” Ellen said. “Have you read anything by Charlotte Brontë? PerhapsJane Eyre?”
“More than once,” Reese said. “I really related to her spunk, but I couldn’t standWuthering Heights.” She held her breath and shot the girl a sidelong glance. Had it been published yet?
