Sebastian nodded thoughtfully, then let out a long sigh. Harry took that to mean that he would drop the subject, and he walked back over to his desk, surreptitiously glancing over at the window on his way.
“Is she there?” Sebastian asked suddenly.
Harry did not pretend to misunderstand. “No.” He sat back down, finding his spot in the Russian document.
“Is she there now?”
It was remarkable how quickly this was growing tedious. “Seb-”
“Now?
“Why are you here?”
Sebastian sat up a bit. “I need you to go to the Smythe-Smith musicale on Thursday.”
“Why?”
“I promised someone I’d go, and-”
“Whom did you promise?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me, if I’m forced to attend.”
Sebastian colored slightly, always an entertaining, if unusual, event. “Very well, it’s my grandmother. She cornered me last week.”
Harry groaned. Any other female, and he’d have been able to get out of it. But a promise to a grandmother-that had to be upheld.
“Then you’ll go?” Sebastian asked.
“Yes,” Harry said with a sigh. He hated these things, but at least at a musicale one didn’t have to make polite conversation all evening. He could sit in his seat, say nothing, and if he looked bored, well, so would everyone else.
“Excellent. Shall I-”
“Wait a moment.” Harry turned to him suspiciously. “Why do you need me?” Because really, Sebastian hardly lacked social confidence.
Sebastian shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I suspect my uncle will be there.”
“Since when has that scared you?”
“It doesn’t.” Seb shot him a look of pure disgust. “But Grandmama is likely to try to mend the rift and-Oh, for God’s sake, does it matter? Will you go or won’t you?”
“Of course.” Because really, it hadn’t been in any doubt. If Sebastian needed him, Harry would be there.
Sebastian stood, and whatever distress he’d been feeling was gone, replaced by his customary nonchalance. “I owe you.”
“I’ve stopped counting.”
Seb laughed at that. “I’ll go wake the whelp for you. Even I think it’s an unseemly hour to still be abed.”
“Be my guest. You’re the only thing about me Edward respects.”
“Respects?”
“Admires,” Harry amended. Edward had more than once expressed his disbelief that his brother-whom he found dull beyond measure-should be so close to Sebastian, whom he wished to emulate in every way.
Sebastian paused at the door. “Is breakfast still laid?”
“Get out of here,” Harry said. “And shut the door, will you?”
Sebastian did so, but his chortling rang through the house nonetheless. Harry flexed his fingers and looked back at his desk, where the Russian documents still sat untouched. He had only two days to complete this assignment. Thank God the girl-Lady Olivia-had left her room.
At the thought of her, he looked up, but without his usual care, since he knew she was gone.
Except she wasn’t.
And this time, she had to know that he’d seen her.
Chapter Two
Olivia dropped to all fours, her heart pounding. He’d seen her. He had definitely seen her. She’d seen it in his eyes, in the sharp twist of his head. Dear God, how would she explain herself? Genteel young ladies did not spy upon their neighbors. They gossiped about them, inspected the cuts of their coats and the quality of their carriages, but they did not, repeat not, spy on them through windows.
Even if said neighbor was a possible murderer.
Which Olivia still did not believe.
That said, however, Sir Harry Valentine was definitely up to something. His behavior this past week was not normal. Not that Olivia could claim knowledge as to what constituted normal for him, but she had two brothers. She knew what men did in their offices and studies.
She knew, for example, that most men did not occupy their offices and studies, at least not for ten hours each day, as Sir Harry seemed to. And she knew that when they did happen to go into their offices, it was usually to avoid relations of the female persuasion, and not, as was the case with Sir Harry, to spend their time studiously examining papers and documents.
Olivia would have given her eyeteeth, and perhaps a molar or two, to have known what was in those papers. All day long, every day, he was there at his desk, poring over loose papers. Sometimes it almost looked as if he were copying them.
But that made no sense. Men like Sir Harry employed secretaries for that sort of thing.
Her heart still racing, Olivia glanced up, assessing her situation. Not that looking up was of any use; still, the window was above her, and really, it was only natural that she might-
“No, no, don’t move.”
Olivia let out a groan. Winston, her twin brother-or, as she liked to think of him, her younger brother, by precisely three minutes-was standing in the doorway. Or rather, he was leaning casually against the door frame, attempting to appear the devil-may-care charmer he was currently devoting his life attempting to be.
Which, admittedly, was not very good grammar, but it did seem to describe him precisely as he was. Winston’s blond hair was artfully mussed, his cravat tied just so, and yes, his boots were made by Weston himself, but anyone with an ounce of sense could see he was still wet behind the ears. Why all of her friends went dreamy-eyed and downright stupid in his presence she’d never understand.
“Winston,” she ground out, unwilling to offer any further acknowledgment.