“May I ask why?”

“He is worried for my safety.”

“I can respect that.”

A maid walked into the room with a tray in her hand. “Lord Hawthorne thought you might prefer some refreshment,” she explained as she put it on the table.

“That was most thoughtful of him,” Jane acknowledged.

The maid gestured towards the teapot. “Would you care for me to pour, milady?”

“That won’t be necessary,” she replied.

The maid offered her a timid smile before sitting on an upholstered chair in the corner.

Jane turned her attention back towards Percy. “Would you care for some tea?”

“I would,” he responded.

After they were situated on the settee, Jane poured two cups of tea and extended one to Percy.

“Thank you,” he murmured before taking a sip. “I wrote something for you.”

“You did?”

Percy put his teacup down and reached into a pocket of his green waistcoat. He removed a folded piece of paper. “Your eyes shine and bedazzle like the stars in the sky.”

He looked up at her. “Shall I continue?”

“Please, do,” she encouraged, attempting to hold back her smile.

“Your smile could light up any night.” Percy lowered the paper and gave her a nervous smile. “Are they awful?”

She nodded. “They are, truly.”

“I thought I could woo you by being romantic,” he said.

Jane shifted in her seat to face him. “I appreciate the gesture, but it still does not change my mind about us.”

Percy let out a deep, heartfelt sigh. “May I ask what I did wrong?”

“You did nothing wrong,” she assured him.

“I still believe we would suit admirably.”

“I’m afraid I am looking for more in a union,” she admitted. “I want to be desperately in love when I marry.”

He moved to sit on the edge of his seat. “Do you believe you could fall in love with me?” he asked hopefully.

“Sadly, I do not.”

“Whyever not?” he asked, a crestfallen look on his face.

She pressed her lips together, then admitted, “I’m afraid my heart belongs to another.”

“Does this man know how lucky he is?”

“He does not.”