What a night it had been. And yet it had only begun. The flutter of anticipation warred with her desire to delve into her covers and close her eyes.
She eyed the bed with longing, but the thrill of seeing Gray again overrode all else. A quick check of the clock told her she still had plenty of time to dress and sneak out before his carriage came to collect her.
Just in case he planned another game, she took care to wear all the things she’d left off the previous night. Once she was attired in a nondescript day dress, she settled back into her armchair to wait.
As the minutes ticked by, she replayed the events of the night over and over in her head. Her heart still beat wildly in her chest, and her legs felt suspiciously jam like. She closed her eyes and wondered if she should even venture back out after such an encounter.
She battled back and forth, and she started to rise to undress, but then changed her mind and sat back down. If Quinn hadn’t accompanied her and Stuart to the opera, they might both be dead right now. She shivered and rubbed her arms in an aimless attempt to ward off the daunting thought.
She didn’t envision Gray ever fainting in such a situation. No, he would have likely disposed of the gunman in short order. His mere presence would likely have been a deterrent, as he proved to be an intimidating figure up close.
Chastising herself for even making the comparison, she shook her head and forced her thoughts elsewhere. There was nothing to be gained by lamenting what she couldn’t have.
At fifteen minutes to midnight a knock sounded at her door, and her heart leaped into her throat. In a panic, she launched herself from the armchair and threw back her covers. She crawled beneath and pulled them up to her chin.
“Jenna, are you awake?” Sebastian called from the other side of the door.
She kept silent, praying he would think she was asleep and go back to his room. Quinn would have told him what happened at the opera, and he was likely checking in on her.
Her eyes flew to the still-lit candle at her bedside, and she cursed her forgetfulness. The door quietly opened and she closed her eyes, doing everything in her power to quiet her breathing. His footsteps sounded closer, and she heard the whoosh of his breath as he blew out the candle.
He paused a moment and dropped a hand to the top of her head before continuing out the door. When the door shut, she cautiously opened her eyes. After a few moments they adjusted to the darkness, and she could see she was once again alone.
A trembling hand went to her chest and she took several calming breaths. Careful to make no noise, she eased from her bed and walked over to the door. She pressed her ear to the wood, straining to hear if anyone was in the hall. She paused for a long moment as she wrestled with indecision. Finally, she drew herself up and resolved that she would not be swayed from her appointment with Gray.
After fumbling in the darkness for a few moments, she was able to locate her shoes. On tiptoe, she slipped out of the door and began the long venture down the darkened hall. She paused outside of Quinn’s door but saw no light shining underneath nor heard any noise from within.
When she came to Sebastian’s room, however, the door was open wide and several candles were burning on his desk. She flattened herself against the wall wondering how on earth she would get by undetected.
“If you are looking for Lord Hembly, he is below stairs in the earl’s study.”
Jenna jumped and nearly cried out in her surprise as she looked up to see Thomas regarding her calmly. “Oh, Thomas, you startled me.”
“My apologies, my lady.” He turned to walk away, but hesitated. Turning back to face her, he said, “By the way, my lady. I would advise using the front entrance tonight as Lord Hembly is sure to see you if you use the servants’ entrance.”
He disappeared down the stairs leaving Jenna with an open mouth. She should have known nothing would escape his notice. Certainly not her sneaking out at odd times of the night and not returning until dawn. From his comments, she assumed he was going to keep quiet, but for how long?
She groaned inwardly, wondering again if the pursuit of bedroom activities was really worth all the anguish it was causing thus far. But it wasn’t just bedroom activities. At least not now. She was drawn to Gray and wanted very much to be near him again.
Gathering up her skirts, she hastened down the stairs. At the bottom she looked around the corner to see the light on in her father’s study. Good. Sebastian was still there. She turned to head toward the front door when a cloak appeared in front of her.
“You’ll have need of this, my lady.”
She stared at Thomas in consternation, wondering if he was really that perceptive or if she was a terrible sneak. “Thank you,” she murmured. “I trust there’ll be no mention of this to my brothers?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Mention of what, my lady?”
She grinned and ducked out of the door, pulling the cloak tightly around her. Heavy fog enveloped her into its embrace as she walked to the street. The glow of the street lamps was barely discernible through the heavy blanket. She looked anxiously around for Gray’s carriage. The faint clip clop of hooves alerted her to an oncoming vehicle, and she hurried in the direction of the sound.
At the street corner, she climbed into the carriage and nervously looked out the window as they rolled away. Most of London was still quite active at this hour, and she scanned the streets for any carriages that could have seen her.
Moments later, she arrived at Gray’s townhouse and hurried to the door where Masterson ushered her in. The maid from the night before took her cloak and disappeared from the foyer.
“Mr. Douglas awaits you in the library,” Masterson said gesturing her to follow him up the stairs.
“I remember the way,” she replied.
He bowed and left her to ascend the stairs alone. She stood on the first step for a long moment, her hand resting on the polished railing. Finally in irritation, she marched up the stairs. These nightly battles with her conscience were beginning to wear on her.
