Page 37 of An Offer for a Spinster
“Oh, dear,” Amelia sighed. “And it’s such a pretty dress, too. I never had chance to ask you, did you enjoy the play last night? Lord Barwood rushed you out so quickly.”
If Timothy hadn’t known better, he might have thought that Katherine rolled her eyes. Then the moment was gone, and she was smiling easily at them.
“Oh, I certainly did. Although Timothy and Ididtalk a good deal through it. We were talking about my favourite subject – L. Sterling novels. He’s quite knowledgeable.”
Amelia smiled at him. “Yes, my nephew is very knowledgeable when it comes to novels.”
“Does anyone else have any theories about when the final installment ofRosalie’s Trialswill be released? I’m on tenterhooks, and nobody seems to know. It’s a guarded secret, it seems.”
Timothy grimaced, taking a sip of his champagne. “It has to be finished within two months, or else.”
There was a brief silence.
“You seem very sure,” Katherine said, tilting her head. “How do you know that?”
He froze.
Idiot. You’ve got to think before you speak?
“Oh, I just… just assumed, I suppose. I don’t know any more than anyone else. I’m justassumingthat it will be released soon. The author – whoever he is – will be under a great dealof pressure to finish it. Or she, naturally. Nobody knows who L. Sterling is, after all.”
He was babbling, gabbling on and on about nonsense, and Katherine’s eyebrows were creeping up towards her hairline. Amelia quietly pinched his arm, and Timothy took the hint to be quiet.
“Well,” Katherine said, after an awkward pause, “I came here to bring you my favourite novel. You said you’ve read them all, but this one issoobscure I’m sure you mustn’t have read it.”
Glancing furtively around, she reached into a pocket in her skirts – an excellent invention, in Timothy’s opinion – and drew out a small, blue-covered volume. It was well-read, tattered and yellowed, with the bindings faded and the spine long since broken.
He knew the title of the book long before he read it etched into the title page.
“Jeremiah’s Heart,” he read aloud. “By L. Sterling.This… this is the first Sterling novel. Hardly anyone bought it.”
“I bought it,” Katherine laughed. “And I loved it. It’s fitting that the author’s first novel should inspire me to read all the rest of his books. I want you to read it, then we can talk about it.”
Timothy swallowed hard, clutching the book until his eyes blurred. He remembered writing this novel, scribbling when he could, still living at home, his dreams of being a novelist seeming further and further away with each passing day. He remembered Christopher, in a fit of pique, tossing his half-finished manuscript into the fire and claiming it was an accident. He remembered writing the story again from scratch.
“Will you read it?” Katherine said, sounding anxious. He glanced up to find her looking up at him hopefully.
“Yes,” he said, voice a little thick. “I’ll read it very carefully and give you my honest opinion.”
She beamed, clearly thrilled to have found a novel which he had not yet read. Before they could exchange another word, Amelia cleared her throat somewhat pointedly.
“I see that Lord Barwood is heading our way,” she said calmly.
Timothy’s heart, already fluttering hard, sunk into his stomach like a stone.
Just perfect.
Did he see a flash of disappointment on Katherine’s face, too? Whatever it was, it disappeared quickly, and then the man himself arrived.
“Good evening, ladies, gentleman,” Lord Barwood said, grinning. “What a surprise to see you out, Timothy. You usually seem to prefer the quiet of your dull little apartment.”
Timothy considered pointing out what a rude thing that was to say but decided against it. He would swallow his annoyance, once again.
Lord Barwood evidently did not intend to stay for much conversation. He turned on his heel, offering his arm to Katherine with a smile.
“The first dance is beginning; shall we take our places?”
She took it, smiling tightly. Lord Barwood glanced over at Arthur, smile widening.
