Page 19 of Shining Knight
Of course, she knew Graham was the most handsome man of her acquaintance. She was not dead, after all. Next to her brothers, he looked like the angel Gabriel, with his contrasting golden locks and light green eyes. She knew all the ladies watched every move he made, but to her he was just Graham. “Is that true?” the little devil over her shoulder asked.
“Of course it is,” she answered, because self-preservation lay in that direction, because she adored the relationship they had and nothing was worth jeopardizing that. ’Twas why she needed to help him find the right wife—who would not be Kitty Ravenhill.
Just when she had reassured herself, her eyes were growing sleepy, and another knock sounded on her door. She had heard her aunt leave for her card party, so Eugenia decided to ignore it. Whoever it was could go away. The door opened and she kept her eyes closed, pretending sleep.
“Genie, I know you are not asleep. You are the worst pretender I have ever met.”
“Go away, Graham. You know it is not proper for you to be in my room.” Her heart skipped a tiny, treacherous beat when he sank down on the side of her bed. She was still in her woolen night-rail and her plait had long since become unraveled, which she confirmed by opening one eye to see a wild, fuzzy tendril sticking up.
“Very well. I will not tell you what I have.”
“You are a beast.”
“But a handsome, caring beast. I heard you were not feeling well and I came to see if you were on your death-bed from the mishap yesterday.”
“As if I would be so craven!” She sat up at that and winced from the pain in her abdomen.
Graham did not miss a thing. He eyed her suspiciously, with one haughty eyebrow raised. Eugenia was the only one in her family who could not do that. It was the Knight family look that apparently he had acquired and she had not.
“If I were going to be so delicate as to take a chill, I would have done so from rescuing the boy.”
He inclined his head. “Shall I ring for some tea or sandwiches?”
She looked guiltily at the plate of biscuits and cup of chocolate she had already devoured that morning. But that had been at least two hours ago. “Why not?” Perhaps he wanted them for himself.
He reached over to pull the rope and she caught a whiff of his woodsy scent which was very earthy and soothing. When he sat back, he lifted something from the floor and handed it to her.
“A hat box?”
He made a motion with his hand for her to open it. She lifted the lid to see a new bonnet, identical to the one that had been ruined the day before and immediately burst into tears.
*
“Genie? I thoughtyou would be pleased. I can take it away at once.”
A sound like a mating fox emitted from her person. Goodness, what had he done? He put his arms around her, and she sobbed onto his shoulder.Was this the emotion that women get during each month, that men discuss in their clubs to avoid like the plague?
She then held a ragged breath and sat up. “Forgive me. I do not know what came over me.”
“I did not mean to make you cry.”
She wiped at her eyes with her sleeves. “I know. Thank you for the bonnet. I know you hate it and so that makes it more special.”
Graham blinked a few times and decided not to overthink matters.
The maid entered with a tray and set it down on the bed in between them, giving him a pointed look. He had left the door open, so he smiled his most charming smile at her. He made Eugenia her tea with two spoons of sugar and a generous dollop of milk, then handed it to her.
She piled a few of his favorite egg and cucumber sandwiches on a plate, then handed it to him. They smiled during the exchange.
He took a bite, chewed and swallowed. “Were you pleased with this morning’s papers?”
“Oh, yes.” She nodded while trying to cover her mouth as she chewed. Then she tossed him an impudent little half grin of apology and guilt. “I hope you do not have her on your list,” she said, trying to dab at her lips with her napkin daintily, as though she had just not blurted something out with her mouth full of food.
“She was never on my list, as you say. Come now, pet. Do you have a list?”
“Not on paper,per se, but there are certainly people I would not consider and some I perhaps would. Surely you have some idea, Graham. Otherwise you are going to find yourself trapped by the likes of Kitty Ravenhill.”
He gave a mock shudder.
