Page 67 of The Viscount in her Bedroom
Louisa let out her breath in relief.
~oOo~
The next evening after everyone had gone to Lord Strickland’s, Simon found himself prowling the lonely house from end to end. Manvil caught up with him in the library.
“You should have gone to the dinner,” Manvil said. “Mr. Wade will have the advantage.”
“The advantage in what?” Simon asked crossly. He ran his fingers along the wall of books as he paced.
“With Miss Shelby. Strange room for you to be in, by the way.”
“Manvil,” Simon said almost with a growl.
“I’ll go prepare your bath.”
Simon wasn’t a fool—he knew that Leo had every advantage over him. But it was obvious that Louisa had not taken to Leo when they’d last met.
He reminded himself that this had not turned into a competition for Louisa’s affections. She had agreed to be his friend.
A friend he wanted in his bed.
With a groan, he stalked out of the library and went up to his room.
But of course he couldn’t sleep. When he heard the family returning, he waited an hour, then walked carefully down the balcony, relieved that Leo’s room faced the front of the house.
He knocked softly on Louisa’s door, and after a moment, it opened.
“So you’re knocking now,” she said softly.
“May I come in?”
“You just can’t wait to hear about the dinner?”
“Something like that.”
“Very well.”
He entered and heard her shut the door behind him. Though he knew she was near, felt her warmth and the brush of her arm as he passed, he made himself go to his usual seat before the hearth. Maybe visiting her wasn’t such a good idea.
But Simon needed to know how things had gone with Georgie. Leo had promised that he would watch over their sister, but Simon wasn’t going to get a full accounting from Leo.
“How did Leo’s triumphant return go?” he asked when Louisa had sat down beside him.
“If you’re so curious, why didn’t you attend?”
He said nothing, and for the first time he felt more like a coward for refusing, rather than a man who understood that he would be the main attraction.
She sighed. “Never mind, I understand.”
And she really did, which made him feel worse.
“Your brother was well received by his old friends,” she said. “In fact, right after dinner several of them monopolized him in a card game, so he didn’t get into any trouble—if that’s what you were worried about.”
Damn, when Leo played cards, nothing else mattered—including their sister. So much for Simon being able to count on Leo’s help.
“Why are you so worried about him?” Louisa asked.
“I’ve always had to be concerned about Leo.” He couldn’t very well tell her that it was Louisa and Georgie he was worried about—lately, Louisa most of all. That realization startled him. “I know how close you are to your sisters, but Leo and I aren’t like that. I’ve sort of…taken care of Leo, probably too much.”
