Alexander shuffled around, knocking into something. “Damn.”
She smiled, as if it broke the spell of her shock. She’d never witnessed Alexander being anything less than graceful.
Finally, a small spark flashed as he lit a lamp. It illuminated only the two of them, but at least they could see in front of them. They were in a small, unadorned vestibule.
“I forgot we’d be here at night. I imagined this all rather differently,” he said sheepishly.
She reached out and put a comforting hand on his arm. “I’m quite charmed already.”
“Nothing has happened.”
“Not yet,” she said, grinning, “but I can’t wait.”
“What if there were … I don’t know! … a rabid dog behind this door?”
“I hardly think that would make a good apology.” Her excitement was unabated.
He produced another key then and opened the second door, gesturing for her to enter first. The dim light of the lamp showed rows and rows of heavy, complex machinery.
Which was nice, she supposed.
“This,” he said gravely, waving the hand with the key in it, “is yours.”
“Oh, thank you,” she said, smiling kindly, “you bought me a business.” Clearly it meant a lot to him.
Alexander laughed at her guess, and she blushed, which he tried not to find unbearably attractive before remembering that he didn’t have to keep himself from wanting her anymore. At least, he didn’t think so.
“Sort of,” he said, setting the lamp down on a nearby desk. Perhaps the plan hadn’t been as romantic as he’d thought.
“What sort of company is it?” she inquired with false curiosity. She was clearly trying to appease what she believed was his excitement over business ownership.
“It’s a publisher. A book publisher. Specifically, it’s the publisher of a dictionary calledDictionary of Modern Cant and Vulgarities, a book written by a woman I know.”
“I don’t—I didn’t—I don’t understand.”
“Harriet, I’m so sorry I ruined your dictionary, your work. I kept thinking I’d do anything to take it back, and then I realized I could do precisely that. What other use have I for the gobs of money I’ve got? I bought every copy of that damned book I could find and then I bought this publisher, and I thought … well, I thought we could reissue the dictionary with your name on it too. I’m not precisely sure how these things work, but I’m sure with enough money we can convince Mr. Dawkins.”
“How enterprising of you,” she teased. He hoped she was teasing. Her eyes wandered around the dim room, catching finally on the stacks of books and the piles of periodicals. He could see the pleasure she was taking in being in such a place, but she was still holding back. He expected her to be rifling through the volumes, clutching copies to her chest in wonder, pilfering through the pages of unpublished gems.
“If you don’t want it, that’s perfectly all right. I can sell it again.”
She let out a light, easy laugh, and set a gentle hand on his arm. The weight of her touch tore through him.
“It’s … it’s exquisite, Alexander.” His heart pinched at the sound of his name on her tongue. “Truly, thank you.”
“I hope I didn’t overstep. Or give you something else you didn’t want.”
“Something else?”
“Your ring. I’m sorry I didn’t consult you about this. And I’m sorry you didn’t like your ring.” Harriet’s smile fell a bit, then, much to the concern of Alexander. Why had he reminded her of that?
“Oh, I feel horrid. I … Alexander, Ilovedmy ring. It was my favorite thing I’ve ever owned. Until now.”
“You did? Then why?”
“I needed my father to leave to keep my sisters safe, and it was all I had that was worth anything. He pawned it no doubt for gambling funds.”
“Harriet! You could have asked me for money! I would have given you—I would have given you anything. Even if I—” A horrible thought occurred to him. A frightful, excruciating thought. “You don’t need me for this, Harriet. It’s in your name. I want you to know that it is not a precondition of this publishing house that you are … with me. It’s yours. I mean, my name is on some of the contracts, but we can fix that. The money will be yours. And you needn’t worry that I’ll interfere. I don’t know the first thing about books—”
