Page 29 of Bargaining for the Barrister
“We have all the time in the world,” he said. “This attic isn’t going anywhere.”
“All right, but we had better sit down for this.”
“I’ll move the chairs so we can face the window.” He easily picked up both chairs and placed them side by side, with no gap between them. Then he moved a crate to a side wall and pushed a small trunk against the window. “There.” He dusted his hands off. “We’ve got our view and a footrest.”
“Thank you, kind sir.” Louisa took her seat, and even though it would have made her mother blush, she kicked off her slippers and put her stocking feet up on the trunk, crossing them at the ankles.
Paul chuckled. “Make yourself at home.”
“I already did.”
He sat down next to her, folding his arms across his chest and propping his feet up next to hers. “I think we were about to start a most deliciously confidential story.”
“Oh yes. Well, the short of it is I had two London Seasons, and I hated them both.”
“You? Hate something? I don’t believe it.”
“Then, you will believe that I tried my utter best to enjoy them. At least I had my mother for the first round, but the second nearly broke me. No one talked with me plainly like this. To the other ladies, instead of being a companion, I was competition. The men were little better in their sincerity. I’d ask questions to learn more of their nature and upbringing—their likes and dislikes—but no one ever asked them back.” Memories tugged at the edge of her mind. Dozens upon dozens of conversations circling the latest bits of gossip, fashion, rank, and appearance, and not a one was as riveting as this, right now. Louisa settled on the one conversation that had changed everything. “And then my parents died, and everything remained the same until Lady Kellen came to visit.”
“Lady Kellen? I thought she was behind all this when she suddenly announced her guest rooms were being redecorated.” Paul’s intrigue seemed to heighten. “How are you connected to her?”
“She knew my parents, but I met her for the first time only a month ago. She apologized for taking so long to pay her respects, but I’m merely grateful she did. Her arms felt just like my mother’s when she embraced me.” She sighed, smiling at the sweet and tender memory. “The next thing I know, I’m hearing my father in my head telling me to do just as Lady Kellen said. I know it sounds absurd, but coming here just felt right.”
He had wanted a confession, and she had given it to him. She prayed it wouldn’t scare him further. His silence lasted several long beats.
He cleared his throat. “And then you discovered I am ugly and are now full of regrets. Forgive me for ruining your plans.” His words were teasing, but his tone was apologetic.
“Life wouldn’t be any fun if it was always predictable,” she said, remembering his words about how an adventure required an unknown ending. “I still feel as if I was supposed to come, even if there is no future between us. It was good to get away from my empty house, and I am sure it will be easier to bear when I return. A quick reprieve can do wonders for the soul, wouldn’t you agree?” She didn’t want him to feel sorry for her. If he was going to be kind to her, she didn’t want it to be out of pity.
Paul hummed his agreement. “Will you tell me one more thing?”
She was growing sleepy in the warm room and hid a yawn. “What is it?”
“Your secret to smiling so much. How do you do it? You have lost so much.”
“It’s no secret,” she said with a laugh. Except the part where she smiled without any happiness behind it, but he need not know that.
He glanced at her. “No? Then, tell me.”
Did she dare take some liberties? She admired the depth in his eyes and the lines that traced his attractive face and lean jaw. Oh, she dared. She reached over and used her fingers to pull his cheeks out and up. He tried to pull back, but she had a firm grip on his face. He resembled a clown with his gaping smile. “There. See? Nothing to it.” His skin was soft and smooth beneath her fingers, tempting her to move her hand down to his jaw and feel the hint of roughness that his shaving couldn’t quite hide. Instead, she released him and sat back as if touching him had not affected her.
“It’s a bit more complex than I imagined,” he said, rubbing his cheeks. “I’ll give it a go when we get out of here. If we get out of here.”
She laughed and tilted her head over the back of the chair. Her eyes drifted closed, and she let herself relax. “I hope they wait to rescue us until my nap is over. I need a good five minutes to close my eyes.”
“Is the heat making you tired as it is me?”
Her body screamed yes. It was overjoyed to be sitting with eyes closed and the warm air as her blanket. “I didn’t sleep much last night.”
“No?”
“Our walk,” she said, feeling sleep tugging at her mind. “It left me a lot to consider.”
“Like what?”
“Leaving.”
“You’d already decided before I trapped you in here?”
