Miss Lacey's Love Letters (7 page)

At the end of their dinner, Lydia said, "Argus... what an interesting man."

"
Interesting
?!" Valeria nearly spat her potato when she heard her aunt's words. "I seemed to think he was a bit... sour."

"Oh, he's not so bad... if you can chisel beyond his crude exterior," Lydia explained. "I was enjoying his company while you were on your afternoon ride, dear. He's actually a fascinating storyteller." To Noah, she added, "He had quite a bit to say about you."

"Ohhhh." Noah groaned. "I shudder to think of what he said."

"It was nothing bad, I assure you. In fact, Argus had nothing but praise for you, Mr. Worthington," Lydia said. "He's been with you for a very long time."

"That he has." After a moment's hesitation, Noah suggested, "If you would like, Mrs. Langley, you may call me Noah."

"Noah." Lydia smiled as she uttered his name. "And you may call me Lydia, of course."

"Lydia."

"Noah!" she spoke his name again, with exaggerated enthusiasm.

As Noah and her aunt discarded formalities, Valeria kept her silence. She was afraid to get too familiar too soon. She did not want to get close to Noah, only to have him disappear from her life. That had happened to her too many times, and she had learned from experience that it was best to keep a safe distance.

Valeria wondered if she was also a recluse, in a sense.

"Well..." Lydia's fork clattered against her plate, signaling that she had finished her meal. "Valeria, do you mind accompanying me to my room? I need to speak with you."

"Of course." Valeria rose from her chair, wrapped an arm around her aunt's shoulders, and said to Noah, "Good night, Mr. Worthington."

"Good night."

As soon as they were out of the dining room, her aunt asked, "Now tell me... what happened between you and Noah?"

"What?" Valeria's brow was creased with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You don't have to play coy with me. There's an obvious tension between you."

"No, there isn't!"

"Are you certain? Did nothing happen during your ride?"

"Nothing happened."

"He did not attempt to kiss you, or anything of the sort?"

"No." Valeria rolled her eyes as she nudged open the door to her aunt's room.

"Well, that's a shame. I was hoping for a romantic and slightly scandalous story."

"That's enough about Mr. Worthington and myself. I am more curious about you and Argus," Valeria teased her aunt. "You seemed to warm up to him rather quickly."

"Oh, hush!" Lydia gently plowed an elbow against her niece's side. "The same could be said about you and Noah! Don't think I didn't see you batting your eyelashes at him from across the dinner table!"

"I did
not
bat my eyelashes!" The prospect made Valeria roar with laughter. "I am actually incapable of batting my eyelashes! I would never engage in such foolish behavior."

"Well... Noah Worthington has had some effect on you, I am sure of it." Lydia collapsed in her bed with a sigh. "I can understand why Miss Lacey might have fallen for him. If he is this handsome now, I can only imagine how handsome he was in his youth."

"And I am sure Argus was handsome too." With a wink, she added, "You cannot hide it from me, Lydia. I know he sets your pulse racing!"

Without warning, Lydia swung a pillow at her niece. When it collided with Valeria's arm, a few feathers escaped its confines. "You are terrible, girl!"

"And I would say the same thing about you!" Valeria leaned down and brushed a kiss across her aunt's forehead. She was a bit surprised to discover it was burning hot. "You really aren't well, are you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"You're burning up!"

"So I have a slight fever," Lydia said with a shrug. "I am sure the fever will break soon enough."

"You really shouldn't hide this from me. I know you aren't faking your illness. If you were, why would your skin be so sallow?"

"I never said I wasn't ill... only that I exaggerated the extent of it." It would have been more accurate to say she was downplaying the severity of it, but she did not want to trouble her best friend. "And I must say, I am quite pleased with my plan. You and Noah have certainly bonded."

"It's been a day, Lydia.
One
day."

"And it only takes a day to fall in love. I fell in love with Henry the moment I saw him!"

"Lydia..." Valeria dragged a hand down her face and groaned into her palm. "I am not as fanciful as that."

"Well, nevertheless, you should not keep your heart closed to the possibility of love. I think Noah needs you as much as you need him."

"And
you
need rest." Valeria was shaking her head with disbelief as she rose from the bed. No matter how much her aunt wanted to plant the idea in her head, it wasn't going to happen. She would be happy to have Noah Worthington as a friend, nothing more. "Good night, Lydia."

"Good night, dear."

After returning to her room, Valeria soon discovered her night would be a sleepless one. As she tossed and turned in her bed, her mind swelled with restless thoughts. More than anything, she worried about Lydia's health. How much was she hiding from her?

There was only one remedy for Valeria's sleeplessness. When sleep eluded her, she usually found a book to ease her mind and dull her thoughts. Just after midnight, she wandered down to the library in search of a literary remedy.

Unfortunately, an awkward encounter awaited her in the library. Noah was sitting at one of the tables, hunched over a book. He looked more rugged than ever, with his unkempt hair and open shirt, which revealed a portion of his neck and chest. As soon as she saw him, Valeria froze. When his gold eyes landed on her, she could feel her pulse quickening. Lydia was right: he
was
a handsome man. Why didn't she see it before?

"Miss Woll," he calmly acknowledged her presence. "Couldn't sleep?"

"I'm afraid not." Their chance meeting was making her hands tremble, so she laid her candle on a nearby table. "I find that I cannot sleep in strange places."

"Strange?" Noah repeated the word with a smirk. "Is Steeridge really so strange?"

"Unfamiliar places," Valeria amended her word. "I cannot sleep unless I am entirely comfortable."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"And what of you? Has sleep eluded you as well?"

"My waking hours are a bit unconventional. I will still be awake for another hour or two."

"I...see." Valeria eyed her candle, and eyed the door. She was wearing a borrowed nightrail, sheer and white, and her dark hair was spilling over her shoulders. It seemed inappropriate to linger, and yet, she was anchored to the ground. "Should I excuse myself?"

"That isn't necessary. The library is large enough for both of us."

"So it is." She took a few timid steps in his direction. "What are you reading?"

"Nothing fascinating, I'm afraid. I am sure I will not finish it." He turned his gaze to a nearby shelf. "I might be trading it for another book."

"If I wanted to read a book, what would you recommend?"

"I don't know." Noah pinched his chin as he pondered her question. "Henry Fielding's
Tom Jones
is a favorite of mine."

"I've never read it." Against her better judgment, Valeria's eyes wandered to his chest. They lingered on his bronze skin and muscular neck before landing on a long scar above his collarbone.

"You've noticed the scar?"

Valeria's heart momentarily stopped. If he knew she was looking at his scar, he must have known she was eyeing his bare skin. "I... um..."

"The recklessness of boyhood," he explained. "A friend accidentally sliced me with a sword when I was very young."

"That doesn't sound like a very good friend."

"Well... as I said, it was an accident. There was a lot of blood, but no lasting damage." As he studied her face, amusement danced in Noah's eyes. "What of you, Miss Woll? Do you have any scars?"

"One. On my ankle." She had half a mind to lift up her nightrail and show it to him, but that would have been far too scandalous.

"Oh? And how did you acquire your badge of pain?"

"A riding accident when I was fourteen." His burning gaze was making her nervous, so she tucked a black lock of hair behind her ear. "I am prone to riding accidents. I am afraid I might be a bit clumsy."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that." He must have known he was making her uncomfortable, because he turned his attention to his book. "A bit of clumsiness can be adorable."

"A-adorable?!" she sputtered. "Clumsiness is hardly adorable when it ends in pain."

"Perhaps you are right."

Valeria hurried away from Noah's table, went to one of the shelves, and scanned the books as quickly as she could. She needed to select something, anything, to bring their strange encounter to an end.

"Miss Woll?"

"Hmm?"

"Miss... Woll..." The compliment was on the tip of his tongue, but he could not bring himself to say it. "If you're looking for a copy of
Tom Jones
, I would be happy to assist you."

"I'm not looking for anything in particular." She thought she could feel an invisible hand clamping down on her stomach. It was an uncomfortable situation, to be sure, but she had never been more nervous in her life. What was it about Noah Worthington that made her so ill at ease? "You know, I was not entirely honest when I said I was a hopeless spinster. I was proposed to not long ago."

Valeria immediately wondered why she felt compelled to tell him that. Did she want him to think she was still a desirable woman?

"Oh? And what was your answer?"

"I haven't given him an answer."

"I see." Noah leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and watched her unabashedly. "Well, any man would be lucky to have you."

"The Duke of Wellington's wife was three and thirty when they were finally married," Valeria said. "I don't think he liked her, but that's really beside the point."

"You needn't make excuses for your age, Miss Woll. I am a bachelor at nine and forty. To me, you are still quite young."

When she saw him rise from his chair and move toward her, Valeria's throat constricted, making it impossible to respond. She could see him standing beside her, but she did not dare to look in his direction.

"You are a lovely woman." His voice was barely more than a whisper. "A lovely, lovely woman." Noah extended a hand, gently touching her hair. For a moment, she thought she might swoon.

"Th-thank you, Mr. Worthington," Valeria stammered. "I don't think I have ever been complimented in such a way."

"I did not think I would care for anyone again, but I find that you are very easy to care for." His fingers continued to tug at a lock of her hair. "I am drawn to you. Without a doubt, your presence here has brightened my days."

She could feel her heartbeat in her throat. More and more, he was starting to sound like the man who wrote the love letters. His words were driving her mad. "I'm glad to hear it. I feared I would be a burden on you."

"No. You could never be a burden. I want to take care of you, to be close to you. I wish you could stay here forever." Leaning closer to her, Noah whispered. "I wish I could hold you."

"I... you..."
Damnation!
He had rendered her speechless.

"Miss Woll?"

"I... hmm?"

"Look at me, Miss Woll."

Her entire body was trembling when she turned in his direction. When her eyes found his, they looked more intense than ever.

"I want to kiss you," he whispered. "Will you let me kiss you?"

At that moment, her senses had abandoned her. He could have asked anything of her. All she could do was nod.

Noah's thumb drifted along her cheek, tickling her skin. When she saw his head descending, Valeria closed her eyes. His lips brushed against hers, lightly sampling them. Her knees were so weak, it was a miracle she could remain standing.

"Do you care for me?" He whispered his question. "Even a bit?"

"I..." Valeria's thoughts briefly wandered to Lydia. Her aunt would surely rejoice. "I should excuse myself."

Her response wasn't exactly encouraging, so he took a step backward. "Perhaps you should."

She snatched a random novel from the shelf and hurried to the door. "Good night, Mr. Worthington."

"Good night..." It was with a heavy heart that he uttered her name. "
Valeria
..."

When she was gone, Noah returned to the table and sank into the chair. He thought he could feel the crushing weight of disappointment in every bone of his body. She had curtly dismissed herself, but he was sure she felt something when they kissed. Why did she deny it?

"You should abandon this pursuit, old man..." he whispered to himself. "Abandon it before you get your heart broken again."

As much as he liked Valeria Woll, he had to let her go. It was impossible to move on when the ghost of Abigail Lacey continued to haunt him.

Chapter Nine

"
Lydia
." It was a peaceful, soothing, familiar voice that attempted to rouse her from her sleep. "
Open your eyes, Lydia
."

She did the next best thing. She opened one eye. As soon as she saw who was standing over her, her other eye flew open.

"Henry!" Lydia sat up in bed with a gasp. "Henry, what on earth are you doing here?!"

"I've come to get you, m'dear."

Seeing Henry was too good to be true, and when she realized she was laying in bed, there was only one logical explanation for it. "I'm having a dream, aren't I?"

"Not exactly, my love." Henry leaned toward her, brushing a kiss against her cool forehead. "Even better than that."

"Henry..." Lydia slid out of bed and seized the lapel of his greatcoat. "Are you really here? Are you real?
Truly
!?"

"I am as real as I could possibly be."

"Oh, Henry..." As she stared into his eyes, which were as warm and blue as ever, she gently caressed his cheek. "I've missed you so much."

"I know. And I assure you, I've missed you just as much. I cannot begin to tell you how much I've longed to hold you again." Henry coiled an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "How is your health?"