Page 62 of A Deal for the Duke’s Virgin

There was no sign of Christian, so she set off in the other direction, beginning to feel uncertain.

It would not do to be caught prowling around her host’s conservatory. The guests were quite clearly meant to remain on the terrace and patio, and were only permitted to venture onto a small area of the lawn. The distant trees and conservatory were quite off limits.

And yet here she was.

The other half of the conservatory appeared to hold mostly flowers, bright and rich-smelling, their perfume enough to make her dizzy. There were also a great many dangling plants, the pots hanging from the ceiling, long, green tendrils curling down. She paused before a plant with tiny, knobbled green protrusions, almost like peas. Its tendrils were taller than she was, curling all the way down to the ground.

“It’s a new plant,” came a voice from the darkness ahead of her.

She flinched, jerking back from the mysterious plant.

“Well, I say new because it is new to us. It’s remarkably difficult to keep alive here in England. I must congratulate Lady Pembroke. For all her flaws, she is a magnificent gardener.”

Thalia squinted into the dark. “Is that you, Christian? I can’t see a thing.”

“Just a moment.”

A candle flickered into life, illuminating another small, circular space fringed with encroaching, heavy-leaved plants. A long settee halved the space, and Christian lounged on it.

“I suspect that this conservatory is not often used,” he remarked, getting to his feet. “I disturbed several spiders when I sat down.”

“I hope they are gone. I would not like to crush them when I sit down.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “You aren’t afraid of spiders?”

“I am not fond of them, but they are very useful. And I don’t care to hurt small creatures for no reason, so I do not crush spiders if I can help it.”

“Very good. Well,” he observed, glancing around, “here we are.”

“Here we are,” she echoed, eyeing him. “We had better not stay here too long. My brother will be looking for me.”

“Your brother is not an imaginative man. I think he will search Lady Pembroke’s library and will be truly baffled when he doesn’t find you there. I shouldn’t fret.”

“Excuse me if I do fret,” she muttered. Tugging off her glove, she removed the paper containing her translations. “Here, I believe that this is what this meeting is all about.”

She held out the paper. The sooner he took it, the sooner she could return to the party, and she would not have to worry about being caught here.

Christian did not immediately take it. Instead, he stared at her, eyes giving away nothing.

Overheard, the first fireworks exploded into the sky, showering down in a flare of red and yellow. Thalia flinched despite herself, gaze flicking up.

She let out a shaky breath. “Oh, it’s just like Vauxhall. Not that I would know about Vauxhall, since Jonathan never cared to go.”

“Indeed,” Christian remarked evenly.

There was something strange in his voice, something that made her breath catch in her throat. He took the paper, fingers slowly and deliberately brushing hers. There was no chance it was an accident, no chance at all.

Then he stepped past her, moving to the door. She stood where she was, slightly breathless.

Is that it? We part ways? All of this and then nothing?

There was no reason for goosebumps to have broken out all over her skin. No reason at all. Her stomach should not be churning, her heart should not be pounding so loudly that she could hear it in her ears. None of this should be happening. None of it.

He reached the door and turned a latch that she had not noticed before. It gave an audible click that made her shiver. Then, with a smile, he turned around and strode back towards her.

“Now we won’t be disturbed,” he murmured.

“I should have known you’d know how to protect your reputation,” she managed, somewhat shakily.