Page 30 of Black and Silver

He winced at the weakness of his statement and at the way his heart pounded against his ribs with eagerness for just a crumb of acceptance from her.

Minerva straightened from where she’d just tucked her underthings into her bag. Her expression was serious, as usual, but Lawrence ached to believe there was a spark of mischief in her eyes and that the slight twitch of her mouth was amusement with him instead of annoyance.

“How can you miss me when I am no more than ten feet away from you?” she asked.

Lawrence shrugged one shoulder as she abandoned her packing and came to sit on the bed with him, just out of arm’s reach. Dammit, why did he feel so vulnerable and pathetic with her? It was just as Jessica and all the others had said. He was weak when he should be strong, dull when he should be scintillating, and desperate where he should be confident.

“It is only that…” He blew out a breath. Now he could not even form his thoughts into adequate words.

Minerva stared at him for several long moments that made his insides pinch. Then she scooted closer, caressed the side of his stubbly face, and leaned into kiss his lips lightly.

“I am right here, Lawrence,” she said. “I am merely packing my things, as I believe we would like to make a swift departure as soon as possible this morning.”

Lawrence forced himself to let out a breath and as much of the tension of fifty years of romantic disappointment with it. “Yes, of course,” he said. He leaned in to kiss Minerva gently, deeplyconscious that his breath was likely not in a state for kissing. “I should do the same.”

Minerva smiled at him, then stood so that he could climb out of bed. Lawrence noted the way she raked an appreciative glance over his naked form, almost teasing him with her eyes, before returning to her packing.

The saucy look should have made him laugh. It should have cheered him and confirmed that all was well between them and that their friendship had only been strengthened by a moment of unbridled passion instead of damaged by it.

That was what he should have thought, but the sheer volume of horrific luck that he’d had with women in his life, the pain and scars left by women like Jessica, and the crushed hopes within him that had never fully restored themselves made it a difficult slog.

It did not help matters in his mind that Minerva seemed to be in a hurry to quit Tidworth Hall. As Lawrence dressed, she completed her own packing and went straight into helping him with his. It was a task that a maid should do, but she determinedly took it on herself with stalwart efficiency.

Did she wish to flee from the site of their passion because she regretted the moment? She had not commented upon their activities nor hugged and cuddled him, gracing him with sweet words and sharing how much she’d enjoyed his attentions. Perhaps she was simply not the sort of woman who needed to fawn over her partner to appreciate him. Perhaps her method of showing her approval of him was assisting him with his baggage.

Or perhaps she regretted everything, including their acquaintance.

He was being ridiculous. Lawrence decided that much by the time they were dressed and finished packing, as they made their way downstairs to the breakfast room. He was allowing past defeats to tarnish his current victory. He could not be sosensitive. That was precisely the reason the majority of his past lovers had ended up laughing at him instead of, well, marrying him. Though now that he had Minerva in his life, he was rather glad they hadn’t.

“There you are,” Lord Otho greeted them when they entered the breakfast room and took their seats at the table. “We were worried that the demons in the attic carried you off.”

Minerva was halfway through sitting, and at Lord Otho’s words, she plunked ungracefully into her chair, her face pinking. “I beg your pardon?” she asked, her voice high and wispy.

“Did you not hear the awful racket from the upper floors last night?” Jessica asked, her glance to Minerva disapproving. She turned her attention to Lawrence as he pushed Minerva’s chair in, then walked around to take his own seat. “There was so much banging and jostling that I was convinced the highwaymen you mentioned the other day had descended upon us.”

Lawrence caught the slight movement of Minerva’s mouth, but when he tried to meet her eyes to share the jest, Minerva was not looking at him. She seemed intent on pouring tea for herself and on smiling for the footman who presented her with a selection of pastries.

Lawrence cleared his throat, fighting down the useless worry that he could not seem to shake. He smiled at Jessica and said, “I am afraid my lady wife and I were far away in the land of sleep. Your excellent tour of the house yesterday left us both exhausted from awe and so deeply content with the state of the house that we could not help but sleep soundly.”

It was too much. Even Lord Otho coughed and sent him a sly look. “I believe we all know what that truly means,” he said.

“Otho,” Jessica scolded him, her face flushing as well. She shifted to address Lawrence, not quite meeting his eyes. “The servants heard nothing, as their rooms are in the other wing.I sent Prissy to look for damage at first light, but she has not returned with her report as of yet.”

Minerva caught her breath, and for the first time since sitting, her gaze snapped up to meet his. There was a sparkle in her dark eyes, but it could have been alarm as much as camaraderie.

“I had it on good authority that those chaps who came to repair the roof last year secured it from all manner of creatures,” Lord Otho said, turning most of his attention to his breakfast. “I shall have a word with them and demand my money back.”

“Do not offend the tradesmen, dear,” Jessica said in a tight voice. “One never knows when they will require further service. I think it far more likely that some of the servants were up to mischief.”

“We do have mischievous servants,” Lord Otho said, winking across the table at Jessica.

Jessica blanched, which made Lawrence wonder what kind of rapport the two of them had when they did not have guests around.

“It was most likely Gavin and Ezekiel,” Jessica went on. “The two of them have been as thick as thieves since Gavin was hired. Prissy has reported suspicious behavior by the two of them to me in the past. I would not be at all surprised if they have been secretly stealing the spoons or other valuables and fencing them behind our backs.”

Minerva nearly choked on the gulp of tea she’d just taken. Lawrence would have done the same if he’d been drinking or eating. No doubt Gavin and Ezekiel were the two young footmen whom he and Minerva had interrupted in the unused guestroom. One of them, Lawrence was not certain of names, stood right there, attending them at the table. The poor young man looked suddenly terrified.

Considering the artistic circles Lawrence was a part of, he did not care one whit what sort of amorous activities two menshared. But he was loath to think the two footmen might be sacked for thievery because of someone else’s actions.

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