On her way down, Evie talked herself out of the notion that Gray wished to speak to her privately again and instead began to worry that something awful might have happened.
She was relieved that the hall near the library was deserted. Whatever trouble there had been in the library, the rest of the guests were occupied elsewhere.
Should she knock?
She decided it was best not to and turned the latch to slip into the room.
Gray approached immediately, one finger pressed to his lips, urging her to say nothing.
He offered her his hand, and she took it, then drew in a sharp breath at how his touch shot a jolt of yearning through her. Good grief, would she ever feel at ease around him again? After leading her farther into the room, he pointed toward a pair of settees facing each other near the fireplace.
Evie clapped a hand to her mouth.
The lady draped across one of the settees, Lady Maribel Marston, looked as if she’d decided to have a doze, much as Evie had in her room.
“What’s happened?” Creeping closer, Evie noted that the lady was breathing steadily. She didn’t look injured, and her hair and dress weren’t unkempt.
“Was this some assignation?” Evie tried to keep her voice low, but dread was welling inside of her. She’d known he might regret their kiss, but he wasn’t the sort of man to give into Lady Maribel’s flirtations the next day.
“Of course not.” He looked wounded by her question.
Evie strode to the far side of the room, near the draperies where they’d stood yesterday. Mercy, so much had changed in a single day. Kissing Gray had changed her somehow. Perhaps she should wish she’d stopped herself and never revealed the depth of her attraction to him, but she didn’t.
She waved Gray over, and he joined her, almost reluctantly.
“Tell me what happened.”
He pinched the skin between his eyes and let out a long sigh.
“I came in here to get a respite from all of it. The gentlemen were going to join the ladies in the drawing room to begin another round of parlor games, and I wanted a moment to myself. But she entered the room a moment later, almost as if she’d been watching, waiting for the opportunity.” He rushed the words, rising above a whisper at times. He sounded panicked, so unlike the usual calm self-assurance he maintained, even in the face of crisis.
“So how did she…” Evie indicated the prone woman.
“She fainted. Or swooned. I don’t know. I tried to be kind but firm. Told her that she needed to rejoin the others. She sort of—” He waved his arms. “Threw herself at me and attempted to kiss me.” That bit, he said quietly, almost guiltily.
Was the guilt over what had happened between them last night? Evie knew she needed to focus on the matter at hand, but she’d wondered all morning if their encounter had meant as much to him as it had to her.
Obviously, he had no shortage of ladies willing to throw themselves into his arms.
“She called my name quite loudly,” he added with emphasis.
They both knew what he wasn’t saying. That Lady Maribel was hoping they’d be caught.
“At some point, while she leaned in and I attempted to keep her at arm’s length, she lost her balance. I reached out to catch her, and she went limp in my arms.”
Evie watched the debutante as Gray spoke and thought she saw a twitching of her lips. Her ploy had been a simple and uncomplicated one, and if any other guests had been near the library, it might have worked.
“You should go and join the other guests,” Evie told him in a reassuring tone. “I’ll see to her.”
“I don’t think I should leave you alone with her.”
“Don’t be absurd. You’re the one who shouldn’t be caught alone with her.” Evie leaned toward him, and he responded in kind, dipping his head. “I think she might be feigning,” she whispered.
Gray raised his head and assessed the noblewoman again.
“Trust me,” Evie urged.
“I do,” he said immediately. “Entirely. That’s why I sent for you.”
