sixteen
EDITH HADN’T SEEN Perry for the whole morning.
He’d left instructions for her to arrange the books in his library and hadn’t shown himself, which was a little disappointing. But a more pleasant task didn’t exist because, while her relationship with books had been troubled as of late, she’d never stopped appreciating them.
Among cups of tea and oat biscuits, she’d spent the morning dividing part of Perry’s extensive book collection into groups by author and title. He owned a few first editions; she was nearly scared she might ruin them by touching them.
She couldn’t remember the last time when she’d enjoyed herself with a quiet, solitary task. The dispensary was oftentimes chaotic with nurses constantly coming and going.
The downside was her thoughts spoke louder in the silence of the library, and not all of them were pleasant. Marianne’s apologetic face kept flashing through her mind; Mother’s disbelief at her new job never failed to worry her; Neville’s words made her uncomfortable. Not to mention she hadn’t talked to her father about her new job yet.
She was standing on the step, balancing herself on her tiptoes to reach the top shelf, when footsteps approached.
“Good afternoon,” Perry said.
“Bother.” She lost her balance. The book she wanted to put on the shelf dropped on the floor with a thud. She gasped. “Oh no!”
The step quivered, and she slipped, only to end up in Perry’s welcoming arms.
“Careful.” His clean scent of soap filled her nostrils as he held her.
She put a hand on his chest, right over his quickening heartbeat. “You caught me off guard.”
“Apologies. I thought you’d heard me.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down when he talked. Fascinating. Had he always had those thick eyebrows, or those emerald specks in his irises? Or those hard muscles in his arms? Hispectoralis majorwasn’t bad, either.
“I was too focused.”
He swallowed. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here this morning.” He released her and put some distance between them, but his smouldering gaze remained on her. “I had my exercise session with Oliver. He likes to record everything I do. I feel like the prime minister followed by journalists.”
She smiled and crouched to pick up the book. “I hope I didn’t ruin it.”
He knelt as well, and they reached out for the book at the same time, their hands touching. She met his gaze, and for a second, the air between them was charged with tension, but not of the angry type.
“Don’t worry.” He took the book and straightened. “If the spine breaks, I’ll have it repaired.”
“Thank goodness there are things that can be repaired easily.” She smoothed a crease on her skirt.
“Some things require more time than others, but eventually, any damage can be repaired.”
She didn’t share his confidence. “My sister is giving a ball next week, and you’re invited.”
His expression changed as if she’d told him he would meet the queen without wearing clothes. Dash it. Why did she think of Perry naked? Maybe because she wondered how those muscles looked at closer inspection.
“Is something the matter?” she asked.
“I’m not keen on attending balls.” He put the book on the top shelf without even rising on his tiptoes. “But I don’t want to be rude to your sister, and I can’t spend my life as a recluse. Meeting people bothers me, but I want to go.”
“It won’t be a crowded ball. Marianne doesn’t like it when there are too many people. But she’s fond of trying foreign or unusual foods. All delicious. Her parties are famous for the most extravagant hors d’oeuvre.”
His nod lacked determination.
“I prefer small gatherings as well. Too many people ruin the party,” she said.
“Have you attended many parties in the past years?” he asked, leaning against the shelf, carelessly handsome.
“More than I’d care to count.” She brushed a speck of dust from another book. “I found parties to be a good distraction from worries and thinking too much.”
