Jasmine had been perfect. Everything he wanted, so much greater than he ever imagined. She hadn’t balked at anything he asked. She fit perfectly in his hands, fluttered under his tongue,and delicatelybeggedhis name.
He would send flowers. Roses. And sweets—he would buy her a bakery!
After seeing her safely home, he returned to the factory, but he couldn’t sleep. Not with her scent on the bedclothes and her taste on his lips. More energized than he had been in years,he spent the morning in the training room skipping rope and shadow boxing. Afterward, he whistled his way through inspections, promoted an apprentice, and gave each employee a ten percent raise.
Bright-eyed, he opened the door to his office. “Good morning!”
“Is it?” a gruff voice answered from within.
Matthew searched the room for the unfamiliar tone, and found Zeke at his desk. Towering stacks of paperwork scattered over the surface, haphazardly leaning off the edges. His white shirtsleeves were wrinkled and covered in ink. He lifted his brown eyes, shadowed by purple bags, and narrowed them at Matthew.
“Felicitations,” he grumbled.
“Felicitations?” Matthew raised an eyebrow. “For what?”
Seth entered the room, yawning.
“Good morning, gentlemen.” He glanced over Zeke and let out a low breath. “Good Lord, Zeke, you look on the brink of death.”
“I didn’t sleep.” Zeke’s nostrils flared and he jabbed at finger atMatthew. “Blame Lord Lincolnshire.”
“What did I do?”
“You forgot that Itoowork late,” Zeke hissed. “And Itoohave quarters here—right next to yours!”
Matthew gasped. “Oh Zeke, I am so sorry.”
“Not as sorry as I am! I can scarcely look at you.” Zeke tore his eyes back to his desk and blushed a vibrant red. “How am I supposed to speak to Lady Jasmine?”
Seth looked from Zeke to Matthew and back again. “Did I miss something?”
“I didn’t!” In a flurry of agitated movement, Zeke shoved his papers into a leather satchel. “I’m leaving. I can’t work under these conditions.” With his eyes downcast and a flushed neck, he stormed out of the office.
Seth gawked at Matthew. “You angeredZeke?”
Matthew opened his mouth to explain, and then shut it. He couldn’t tell Seth he had stolen Jasmine away to a storage closet after bloodying him for the same sin. Did it make him a hypocrite? Absolutely. Was he sorry?
Not in the slightest.
And Seth didn’t need to know everything.
“We were both here after hours.”Apparently.Matthew’s blush deepened. He changed the subject before Seth could ask questions. “You left the meeting early yesterday, but negotiations with General Ortiz are proceeding favorably. They said they would reach out when they made a decision.”
“That explains the letter.” Seth stepped forward and handed him a folded piece of ivory paper, sealed by scarlet wax. “This was delivered to the house this morning—from Lord Dorchester.”
“That was faster than expected. Addressed to the three of us?”
Seth shook his head.
“Only you.”
Matthew froze. Heart pounding, he repeated, “Only me?”
“The footman said it was urgent.”
As steadily as he could, Matthew slid a knife below the seal. He opened the letter and read the neat script inside:
Attend me at once.
