Page 14 of Marquess of Stone

“What a revolutionary concept,” Lady Prudence remarked firmly.

“Perhaps,” Nicholas replied in a calm manner. “However, don’t you believe that unorthodox ideas often lead to progress?”

Lady Prudence tightened her lips and faced her plate again, evidently not wanting to pursue the discussion with the Marquess on this matter.

Nicholas turned his gaze back to Marian, and Marian briefly met his gaze before averting her eyes once more, her heart pounding beneath the constriction of her corset. She could almost hear his unspoken thoughts:I see you, Marian.

After breakfast, the guests started to scatter to get ready for the day’s events. Marian lingered for only a moment before slipping away, her brain racing. She had taken enough of Nicholas’s sharp remarks for one morning and urgently needed a moment of peace. The library appeared to be the ideal haven. It was quiet, isolated, and filled with the soothing aroma of old paper and polished wood, providing her with an opportunity to immerse herself in Mary Wollstonecraft’s writings and briefly forget about the man who had given her the book.

Marian settled herself comfortably in an armchair at the far window where the pages before her were bathed in a golden glow from the sunlight. She immersed herself in the book, her mind quickly becoming absorbed in its contents. The arguments were audacious, well-reasoned, and remarkably relevant. With every page turn, Marian sensed that the author shared her opinions and that the printed words validated her long-standing complaints. A half hour passed in peaceful silence, the outside world disappearing. Marian turned to a new page and read a particularly poignant passage, her lips quivering into a faint grin.

“I see you have made yourself comfortable.”

Marian almost jumped out of the chair, the familiar voice disrupting her tranquility. She turned quickly to find Nicholas standing in the doorway, his hands casually shoved into his pockets.

“You,” she said, her voice faintly incredulous. “Why are you here?”

Grinning, Nicholas walked into the room carrying that inherent confidence that seemed to accompany him everywhere. “I could ask you the same question.”

“This is a library. People normally come here to read in peace.”

“Precisely,” Nicholas replied, halting a few steps away from her chair. “I came to seek something else to read since it appears someone has taken the book I was reading.”

Marian’s face flushed. “I recall you giving it to me willingly.”

“True,” he concurred, his grin broadening. “But I did not anticipate you to keep it hidden away like a dragon guarding treasure.”

Marian glared at him although the edges of her lips twitched despite herself. “I am not hiding it.”

“Then I trust you are finding enjoyment in it,” Nicholas said, his tone casual but his gaze intense.

Marian paused before nodding. “I am.”

“Good,” he responded, his grin softening somewhat. “That makes two of us.”

Marian looked up at Nicholas, her annoyance simmering just beneath the surface. “If you are indeed here looking for another book, then please choose one and kindly leave me to my reading.”

Nicholas arched an eyebrow, his grin unwavering as he began to examine the shelves. “Such hostility, Marian. One might think you find my company burdensome rather than enjoyable.”

“Youareburdensome, Nicholas,” Marian said without hesitation though the blush rising from her cheeks betrayed her words.

Nicholas hummed deliberately, tracing a finger over the book spines. Marian resisted turning away even though her heart quickened under the weight of his glance. The calm between them was disrupted by the faint sound of approaching feet; the noise gently echoed over the passage outside. Marian stiffened, her pulse lurching at her realization they were not as alone as she had thought.

She whispered fast, her voice barely above a whisper, “Someone is coming.”

Nicholas’s smile came back, but this one had a cheeky edge. “What do you think we should do? Should we confront our visitor together?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Marian whispered, standing up from her seat. “Anyone who finds us alone here could assume…” The thought made her face flush as she trailed off.

The sound of Nicholas’s soft laughter was irritatingly comforting. “You’re correct, of course. I wouldn’t want to jeopardize your pristine reputation. Not just yet.”

Marian glared at the mischievous tone in his voice although her unease was evident. “Leave. Right now.”

“As you desire,” Nicholas answered casually, stepping back toward a smaller side door at the opposite end of the room. But as he reached the doorway, he stopped and glanced back over his shoulder, his grin broadening. “Do try not to appear too flustered, Marian. It could give you away.”

Before she could reply, he vanished through the door, leaving her alone to confront whoever was coming. As the footsteps approached, Marian put a hand on her chest and urged her pounding heart to stop. As the library door swung open, she quickly returned to her chair, opened her book, and pretended to read.

“Lady Marian,” said a voice that was familiar.

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