Page 34 of Boy of Chaotic Making

Anabelle returned with a tea tray, which she set on a little breakfasting table near the bed. Hulda took a few sips, but her stomach was still too tight to hold much, so she left it to cool and crossed to thesmall mirror on a side table above a pitcher and washbasin. Cleaned her glasses. “I still have an exorcism to perform,” she murmured, rubbing at the scalp under her pins. She sighed, considering propriety. Surely she could just put her hair up in a simple knot. She really could not tolerate the pinching in addition with the fraying of her nerves, so she carefully removed the pins, feeling minutely better once they were free. She’d just begun to run a comb through the locks when a soft knock sounded at her door. She nearly feigned sleeping to avoid answering, but the rhythm was familiar, so she crossed to the door and carefully opened it.

Sure enough, Merritt stood outside. His presence was a relief.

“Might I come in?” he asked.

Propriety saidno, but she certainly wasn’t going to relay her revelation out in the hallway, and goodness, she was old enough not to get into trouble, and foreign enough that no one here would care to gossip about it. So she opened the door wide enough for him to slip through, then shut it.

She tugged the comb through another chunk of hair. “Are you aware—”

“You’re beautiful.”

The compliment caught her off guard. She nearly dropped the comb as she gaped at his blue-eyed gaze drifting over her unbound hair. He’d seen it down before, once or twice, surely. When he reached for it, she held very still. It wasn’t the most elegant ... that is, she’djustunpinned it. There were unnatural kinks throughout, and she hadn’t tamed all the knots—

He ran his fingers through it, causing a shiver to course over her scalp.

Biting back a habitual dismissal, she managed, “Th-Thank you.”

He smiled as he twisted the end of a lock around his fingers. “You know, the Leiningens are far more trusting of us than they should be.”

She set the comb on a table. “What makes you say that?”

He tilted his head toward the wall the bed was pressed against. In the flickering candlelight, Hulda hadn’t discerned the narrow door there.

“That, my dear”—a roguish grin overtook his face—“leads to my room.”

Clearing her throat, Hulda squared her shoulders. “I hate to disappoint you, but I’ve had easy access to your bedroom for a great deal of our acquaintance. That door is nothing alarming.”

“Hmm. If only Owein were still in the walls.”

Now she did warm—surely Merritt referred to that time, before they ever courted, when a mischievous boy spirit in the walls had thought it would be humorous to split their bedrooms during the night and fuse their beds together. Owein had been playing matchmaker before either of them knew what they wanted.

Merritt reached forward and clasped her hand. “I don’t suppose you’re ill—”

“No.” She pulled him away from the door, closer to the hearth.

“Which means you’re either uneasy about the mention of Gorse End or you foresaw the incredibly awkward dinner discussion that followed your departure.”

She turned. “Awkward? What happened?”

“Briar giving everyone an earful on how very against the match she is.” He slid his hands into his pockets. “Owein and Cora, I mean. As far as I know,westill have her approval.”

Hulda rolled her eyes. “Heaven forbid. Owein is not too hurt, is he?”

Merritt shook his head. “He seems fine. Was willing to stay behind with Cora, anyway, when I wanted to come up. He’s been staying in my company most of the time. Hopefully this means he’s adjusting well.”

“Hopefully.” She wrung her hands.

Merritt crossed to her. “So. Gorse End.”

Pulling her hands apart, she answered, “Did you know William Blightree is related to Silas Hogwood?”

He paused. “Not until tonight, but I suppose it makes sense.”

Hulda paced to the window and back. “We’re sharing a house with a Hogwood.”

Merritt chuckled, completely disarming her. “Hulda, Blightree is one of the most amiable fellows I’ve ever met. In this case, bloodlines don’t mean anything.”

“But his alliance might be to Silas Hogwood—”

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