Was she nauseated? Her stomach was definitely doingsomething. Only it wasn’t something unpleasant. Luna openedher mouth, trying to speak words of reassurance, but no words would come. Her mouth seemed far too preoccupied with the nearness of his mouth and the sudden, almost overwhelming desire to—
“What areyoudoing here?”
Luna jerked her head sharply away from Mr. Grimm’s shoulder, turning to find the flabbergasted gaze of Sutton fixed upon them. Ordinarily, Miss Eugenia’s faithful maid maintained a stoic state of being. This expression of shock didn’t fit well on her features.
Blushing furiously, Luna found her footing, planted her palms against Mr. Grimm’s chest, and pushed away. For just a moment, she thought she felt resistance in his hands, the one still pressed against her shoulder blade, the other still wrapped around her waist. But the instant passed, and he stepped back as well, putting both hands behind his back and staring hard at the floor. His gaze came into abrupt focus, and he knelt to retrieve the fallen bridal bouquet.Oh good,Luna thought. She hadn’t inadvertently left it behind in the . . . the bubble wrap.
“I beg your pardon, madame,” Mr. Grimm said in his most thoroughly starched tones. He held the bouquet out to the startled Sutton. “We wanted to make certain this ended up in the proper hands. Will you see it delivered to Miss Lambert?”
Sutton looked at the bouquet. Her eyes narrowed, and she turned a suspicious glare on the two of them. Without a word, she shifted the cup of tea she held to one hand, then snatched the bouquet from Mr. Grimm with the other. Turning on heel, she started down the hallway.
“Sutton!” Luna called after her.
The maid paused.
Trying very hard not to be aware of the burning places on her body where Mr. Grimm’s hands had just pressed, Luna straightened her shoulders and hastened after her. They didn’thave much time. Tom Doorhandler must even now be making his way down the passage and would converge on them in another moment or two. “Your mistress,” Luna said, dropping her voice. “Where is she?”
The curl of Sutton’s lip expressed more clearly than words a powerful sense of,And why would I tell you?
Just in that moment, Mr. Grimm’s voice spoke quite loudly, “I say! Aren’t you the man to speak to about can openers?”
Luna glanced back to see her employer jump bodily in the way of the oncoming Tom. The young man, whose face had been turned eagerly toward Sutton, his mouth open to cry out and make his demands, whipped his head about to peer at Mr. Grimm instead. “Why yes, sir! That I am,” he answered with booming enthusiasm, his mission momentarily forgotten. “And are you in the market for a good can opener?”
“I could be.” Mr. Grimm made a motioning gesture with his hand behind his back. “What does your can opener have to offer that others do not? Tell me exactly. In detail. I am, you will find, all ears.”
Bless you, Mr. Grimm,Luna thought and rounded on Sutton once more. “She’s in hiding, isn’t she?” she whispered urgently. “She doesn’t want to go through with this wedding.”
Sutton met Luna’s gaze. Then she offered the barest shake of her head.
“She doesn’t know what she wants, does she?”
At this, the faintest hint of rolled eyes.
“I can help her,” Luna pressed. “At least, I think I can.” She looked down at the cup of tea in Sutton’s hand, her keen nose able to discern the delicate scent of jasmine pearls. “That’s for her, isn’t it? Wherever she’s hiding?”
Sutton’s eyes somehow contrived to narrow further without altogether closing. Which was impressive.
Luna pressed on. “You do want your mistress to be happy, don’t you?”
A moment of silence followed in which the maid seemed to be considering her answer to this. In that silence, Luna heard Mr. Grimm behind her declaring, “Amazing! A thaumatically-powered automagic can opener? For the home kitchen? I never would have dreamed of such a thing. And what kind of cans will it open?”
“Oh, all your standard cans,” Tom Doorhandler replied with enthusiasm. “Anything off the grocery shelves.”
“What about beans?”
“For sure.”
“Black beans?”
“Naturally.”
“Kidney?”
“Yes.”
“What about peas?”
“Definitely.”
