Page 45 of Lord of Fortune
He paused and looked up and down the street before escorting her across.
She looked at him quizzically. “Where are we going? We missed Ship Street.”
“I’m taking you to see the heart.”
Her lips rounded into an O before forming a soft smile. “I’ve seen it. My grandfather brought me here when I was ten.”
Penn suffered another stab of disappointment. He’d been looking forward to showing it to her. And yet, he got to see that smile again. “You light up when you think of him—when a memory comes to you, I think. He was an important figure in your life.”
“He was, especially the last few years. With my parents gone and my grandmother gone, we were all each other had.”
He stopped with her outside the museum, the warm summer day shining all around them. “And now he’s gone, and you’re alone. I’m so sorry, Amelia.”
Her green eyes shimmered brightly. “You shouldn’t call me that,” she said quietly, her gaze never leaving his.
“Probably not, but I like the way it feels on my tongue.” He was certain he’d like the wayshefelt on his tongue. He kept that prurient thought to himself.
Her nostrils flared, and he wondered if her mind had gone in the direction of his. “You’re flirting again.” That answered his question.
“Unintentionally. What can I say? I like you,Mrs. Forrest. Shall we go inside?”
They went into the cool interior, and he led her to the exhibit where the heart was kept. It sat atop a column, cradled in a specially made device that allowed extreme visibility. Those viewing it were kept a few feet back from the display by rope fastened to posts. One could walk entirely around the heart to see it from all sides.
“I don’t remember the ropes,” she said.
“They were introduced about ten years ago. Too many people were touching it, and there was concern it was becoming degraded.”
“Weren’t you concerned someone would try to steal one of the gems? Or the heart itself?”
“Yes, that too. We do have guards that supervise the museum, and the heart is locked away at night.”
She gazed at the artifact. “I wish I could touch it. I didn’t back then.”
“You will.”
She turned to look at him, her eyes sharp.
He smiled. “Tonight. I have access to where it’s locked up—because I’m the Keeper’s assistant. After dinner, we’ll come back here to my office.”
“I get to see your office?” There was the hint of that smile again, and his body heated. “I’m looking forward to it.”
So was he.
* * *
The late Augustnight was warm and still as they walked from Penn’s house on Ship Street to his office at the museum. Over dinner, Penn had told her all about Oxford, and more than ever, Amelia wished she’d been able to attend university.
His house wasn’t much larger than her cottage outside Bath, but it was spread over three floors, plus a scullery downstairs. Aside from Egg, he had a housekeeper and a caretaker, and it was a neatly kept abode, if rather stuffed with books and artifacts. His office also served as a library, but it simply wasn’t large enough to hold everything, which was why things had spilled into the other areas. Even her bedchamber had a bookcase, and one wall was covered with a large, somewhat tattered but very beautiful medieval tapestry.
“Your house is charming,” she said as he unlocked a door at the back of the museum.
He arched a brow at her as they entered the sconce-lit corridor. “Charming? That’s kind of you, but probably an exaggeration.”
“Not at all.”
He gave her a skeptical look. “It’s cramped. But then I’m not home long enough to care.” He led her up a creaky staircase.
“That doesn’t bother you? To travel so much, I mean.”
