Page 27 of Bargaining for the Barrister
“I was in jest about the orchard, Mr. Sheldon.”
“I know. And it is Paul, not Mr. Sheldon. If we are going to part ways, let’s do so as friends.”
She bit her lip. “Then, please, call me Louisa.” She walked over to him and took his arm.
He did not feel the need to pull back in revulsion like he normally did. He pushed away the pointless thought and escorted her to the door. He attempted to pull the latch, but it didn’t budge. He wiggled it and pushed hard. Nothing. The door had been bolted from the outside.
Chapter 12
Louisa was locked in theattic with Paul—the man who could not wait to get rid of her. What was there to be thankful for in this? Her skin glistening from the warmth? Not likely. This scenario was a bit of a stretch even for her imagination to find the joy in. She moved to the window while Paul continued to beat on the door, the sound reverberating through the room. With a hard yank, she managed to crank the glass open a few inches. The cool air from the summer morning encircled her neck, easing the tension there. Now, this was something a person could appreciate.
“Paul,” she called. When he did not respond, she tried again. “Mr. Sheldon!” The pounding mercifully ceased.
“Did you say something?”
“Yes. Come over here and feel this marvelous breeze.”
“I’m trying to get us out of here. What idiot put the hinges on the other side of this door?” He started banging again.
“Mr. Sheldon!” she repeated.
His hand froze an inch from the door. “Yes, Miss Cox?” he breathed, utter annoyance in his tone, and a touch of panic painted in his features.
“It’s still Louisa, if you please.” Her smile was tight. “You’ve been at it for a quarter of an hour. I think you could stand a moment’s reprieve. I know my head could use a break.”
He sighed. “Right. Sorry.” Dropping his hand, his feet dragged until he was beside her.
“Put your face just here.” She motioned to the window.
Paul grimaced but craned his neck so his head was in the crack. “That does feel nice.” He pushed it open another six inches. “But this feels even better.” She grinned at him, but his upper lip wrinkled in disgust. “There isn’t any reason to smile. You do realize that once we are found in here, your brother will likely force us to marry.”
“Hardly.” She pushed away the sting of his words—as if the thought of marrying her was so utterly disgusting. He might not love her, but she wasn’t a man hunter or some sort of monster. “My brother is not tied to Society’s rules as tightly as many others are. If the arrangement benefitted him, he might consider it, but in this case, you are fortunate. My brother respects my desires and will do whatever I ask of him if it’s within reason.”
His sigh of relief was audible. “The best piece of news I’ve heard all day. I wish I could say the same about my parents.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “It’s not as if we have been in here kissing.” The phrase passed through her lips too easily, but as soon as she said the word kissing, her cheeks warmed. Why did Mr. Sheldon have to be blocking the only source of air in the room?
Leaning his shoulder against the edge of the window, he nodded. “True. But I wouldn’t have expected my parents to have brought you here in the first place. I don’t know them as well as I thought. I wish I could predict their responses when we’re finally discovered.”
“It will all work out.” Already her head was feeling better now that the noise had stopped, and progress was progress. She was certain someone would miss them in the next few hours and a search would be conducted. “It’s just a matter of time.”
His eyes narrowed. “I will let you in on a little secret, Miss Cox. No matter how hard I work, I’m thwarted at everything I do. Like this, for example. It wasn’t my intention to get us locked in here, but now your lot has been cast in with mine. You’re about to learn how incredibly unlucky I am. Maybe then you’ll be grateful I put an end to this match before it ever happened.”
He had to be joking. She tried not to smile because she knew it would frustrate him further, but one bubbled to the surface. Paul seemed much too practical by nature to believe in superstition. “You cannot honestly believe you’re unlucky.”
“I do.” His gaze moved to the window. “Seeing as you contemplated being strapped to me in marriage, you might as well know why you should run as fast as you can from here the moment that door opens.”
He truly believed this. Louisa knew what it felt like to have trials pile on top of trials until the burdens threatened to break through and crush one’s soul. When Paul looked at her once more, his eyes told her more than his words. There was a heaviness in his heart, and it weighed on him. Compassion filled her, and she reached out and ran her hand down the side of his arm. His muscle tightened under her touch, but he did not recoil.
It was a quick and simple gesture, but Paul’s eyes seemed to suggest other-wise. They were round and almost terrified. She did not say anything, and neither did he for several moments. Finally his gaze softened, and he seemed to see her for the first time. Before, it had seemed he had only been looking for her motives, but this time was different. She wished for even the smallest glimpse of his thoughts.
“You’re sweating,” he said.
Louisa blanched. Had she once again imagined more than was real? She quickly pushed her hair from her forehead and caught a drip of perspiration. Paul cranked the window open all the way, and she turned toward it, eager to let the air do its job. She folded her arms against the sill and took a deep breath. “That breeze is glorious.” The curls by her face seemed to come back to life and danced against her cheeks. She glanced at him. “There’s room for you too. I won’t keep all the fresh air to myself.”
Paul stared at her for a moment, then slowly mimicked her stance, his own posture wooden, as though he were trying to avoid their arms touching and still allow them both to fit in the square of the window. “It is nice, isn’t it?” After a moment, he slowly relaxed his tight shoulders, letting his arm rest ever so slightly next to hers. A quick glance at his profile assured her that some of his earlier panic was dissipating.
Louisa wanted to get to know more of the real Paul, as she had done the night before, and she knew this might be her last opportunity. “If you could do anything right now, what would you do?”
