Chapter Nine
He shouldn’t; he should tell her goodnight and leave her be. But he was going to be damned if he wasn’t going to meet her exactly where she asked.
“I’ll be right there,” he said to the wall, turning and heading towards the rear of the garden. It took him almost too long to find the gate, which had been buried under ages of rose vines, and then longer to fight the vines away from the hinges enough that he could actually get the door open.
He squeezed through the door and stepped into the alley, nearly missing Nell standing in the shadows in her dark coat and dress.
“Hello Nell,” he felt his cheeks heat. There was no way that his being with her in the dark of the alley with no chaperone was in any way appropriate.
“Hello Nick.” She tilted her head to look up at him. How had he never noticed the gold sparks in her eyes? “This is probably wrong of me.”
“If a tree falls and no one’s about, does it make a sound?” He asked. “If there’s no one about to see us, is it really inappropriate?”
She giggled, trying to cover the sound with her hand. “Technically correct.”
“Which is the best kind of correct.” He replied, trying to sound as affected as his father always had.
Which seemed to crack something in Nell, because she giggled again, bent forward at the waist and tried to stifle the laughter. “You sound like Timmy.”
“Who?”
“He wanted to be an academic, but he couldn’t get through the doors to the college.” She sobered, sorrow passing through her eyes. “He died in the war.”
“I am sorry, Nell.” He reached for her hand without meaning to.
She shook her head. “I carry them all here,” she laid the hand he wasn’t holding over her heart. “And I do what I do now for them, so no one else loses a loved one to despair.”
“Who holds you, Nell?” He hadn’t meant to ask that, but since the words were already out there. “If you hold them, who holds you?”
“I can stand for them, Nick.” She looked up at him. “No one can ever know that it’s me now and not Papa. It would damage my parents’ reputation, and they have perilously little of that now. Well, Papa doesn’t care much, but Mama just wants friends.”
“My mother will ensure she has a social circle.” Nick said, squeezing her hand. “You needn’t worry about that.”
“Nick, you can’t want to wed me.” She sighed, looking up at him. “I’m no one you should want.”
“Nell, are you familiar with the theory of twinned souls?” He looked up and away from her. If he concentrated much longer on the gold sparks in her eyes, he was going to kiss her.
“No?”
“The subcontinent says that each person has their own twinned soul.” He said, looking up at the gently falling snow. “Someone they recognize without knowing how or why.”
“What?”
“I think you are my twinned soul, Nell.” He looked back down at her. “I’m far more comfortable with you than I should be, given the duration of our acquaintance.”
“I should go,” Nell said, but she didn’t pull away from him. “You should go to bed, and so should I.”
“Before you go, Nell, can I ask you something?” He stopped himself from kissing her again.
“What is it, Nick?”
“Will you think about letting me court you?” He kept his voice quiet. “I know what Mother told you, but I would like to court you for myself.”
She looked up at him, staring him directly in the eye. It was uncomfortable, but she was looking for something, so he just looked back, open and honest as he knew how to be.
“Alright,” she whispered. “I don’t think you’ll care for me much, but it does no harm to either of us.”
“I think I will care for you a great deal.” He took her gloved hand and raised it to his lips. “I will see you tomorrow night, Nell.”
“Goodnight, Nick.” She looked at him one more time before he escorted her back to the gate into her garden and left her inside the safety of the confines.
He went back to his own door, fighting the vines away and managing more or less to fall back into the garden. They’d had another two inches of snow while he and Nell had been talking, and the plows would be out soon to clear the roads.
Nick left the snow and the garden behind, going to the kitchen and scaring up a cup of hot tea to take the chill out of his middle before he went to find his bed.
He could see Nell’s window from his, and her light was still on. He wondered what she was thinking, if he’d frightened her. He didn’t think so; she was sterner stuff than that. If he’d done something that she hadn’t liked, she would have smacked him properly.
She wouldn’t have been gentle about it.
Why did that make him smile?
He sat and sipped his tea until Nell’s light went out and then he divested himself of his heavy wool and went to bed.
* * *
The next morning, he woke, dressed in morning clothing and was immediately told that his father had worsened during the night. There was a healer called, and they were making strides, but it was going to be best for Lord Graves if he was transferred away from the air of the city.
“I will go and see if that will be possible.” Nick sighed and left the townhouse to go and beg for an audience with the king. Lord Graves was under house arrest, and only the king might lift it and transfer it to the estate.
“No reason not to,” the king said after reading the healer’s report. “I grant your request to move Lord Graves to your estate.”
“Thank you, majesty.” Nick bowed and left the hall, back to the townhouse where he gave the news to the healers and to his mother.
The healers packed Lord Graves up, and they were out of the city by midafternoon, but Duchess Graves remained behind.
“Mama?”
“I will stay to be your hostess until you wed Miss Warrick.” She told him with a smile. “All that can be done for him is being done, and I shan’t fuss myself about it.”
“We talked last night,” he smiled at the memory. “She’s agreed to let me court her, though she thinks I’ll tire of her before long.”