Page 17 of Meet A Rogue At Midnight
Livvy wrapped her black shawl around her shoulders and took her place at the desk. She pulled a pen knife from her desk and shaved the tip of a new quill, the scrape a gentle noise in the tower. The hearth’s fire crackled and Mrs. Halsey’s heel strikes sounded on the floors. Jonas picked up the smallest chisel, his thumb testing its sharpness.
Quaint stillness settled around him. Touching the tools was another step into the better parts of his past. Though Jonas loathed admitting it, he liked working with his hands. The wood, the tools satisfied him.
Mrs. Halsey’s tinkling laughter rose to the rafters. “I truly have nothing to worry about here, do I?”
Livvy swiveled in her chair. “Mother,please.”
“Do not forget the crate outside.” She smiled benignly. “If the two of you make good progress, you should reward yourselves with a night of fun.”
Jonas set down the chisel and walked to the window. He’d forgotten about the crate.
“What fun?” At the window, warmth and sunshine blasted him, the feel of it good on his skin as he grabbed the rope. Or was it being in the tower with Livvy?
“The festivities will be hosted at the Sheep’s Head tonight. Are you and the Captain planning to attend?”
“The Captain mentioned an invitation but I hadn’t thought about it,” he said, hauling up the crate.
“It’s a costume party, Mother. I don’t have anything to wear.”
“Nor do I.” He hefted the light crate through the window.
Mrs. Halsey tapped her steepled fingers. “The two of you are clever. You could come up with something.”
Jonas set the straw-filled crate on the floor. “I’m of a mind to spend a quiet night at home.”
“Nonsense,” the older woman retorted. “You are both young. You would do me a great favor, Mr. Braithwaite, if you made certain my daughter has a night of frivolity. She has labored too long in here…she’ll turn into one of these relics if she’s not careful.”
Livvy groaned and turned back to her desk.
Jonas dusted off both hands. “I’ll see what I can do to convince her, ma’am.”
“Very good.” Mrs. Halsey smiled and slipped out of sight, her footsteps echoing her departure.
Livvy kicked off one shoe and tucked her foot under her bottom. She dipped a nib on the ink and began writing. Her other foot swung back and forth as if keeping time with her flow of words. Finding his way to the chair, Jonas was once again tongue-tied. The idea of a night with Livvy settled on him. He knew Livvy the girl, but Olivia Halsey, the woman? He couldn’t say.
Did she want him to know her? There was the matter of their kisses. The first night, hot and salacious. The second afternoon, tentative and flat.
He wanted another try.
Standing at the table, he set out the rest of his tools. Work was an elixir. It gave him purpose and pride. To be the one to help save the Halseys from imminent disaster satisfied him. A night of fun with Livvy would too.
They worked in silence, the time measured by Livvy’s quiet scratches on paper. An hour or two or three passed with the hearth’s fire at this back. He etched his chisel through one decorative carving after another on the chair’s top arch. Slivers of wood dropped onto the table around the ivory legs. He stepped back and ran a finger across fresh wood, contentment swelling in his chest.
“There’s something satisfactory in saving a piece of history.” Livvy’s voice broke the silence.
He glanced over his shoulder. Livvy set one hand at her back and stretched like a cat, the shawl falling off her shoulders. Black lacing cinched her tiny waist between lush upper and lower curves. How easily he could untie it…set her hourglass shape free. He’d rub the small of her back with attentive circles, make her feel better, and then he’d let his carnal nature take command.
“Jonas?” Her head cocked.
He snapped out of his lustful haze and massaged his nape. “Getting hungry.”
Livvy slipped from her chair and padded over to the basket. She set out a feast of bread, dried apples, cheese, and ham all while chattering about her progress with the manuscript and his progress with the chair. He stared hungrily at her. Yes, there was something satisfactory in uncovering the chair’s beauty. Staring at Livvy’s plump lips and soft-skinned face, there was deeper satisfaction in discovering a woman’s beauty. Livvy Halsey was a beauty by any man’s standards.
Had he been too busy being her friend to give adequate tribute to her?
Or was Livvy content to stay in the safe parameters of friendship after their disastrous kiss?
Tonight’s festivities at the Sheep’s Head would be the perfect foil to laugh again and have fun. He’d convince her to attend the village entertainment and, when the time was right, he’d test the bounds of friendship.
