resonating in the small space.
Jane squinted up at him suspiciously. “Please move.”
“If the lady commands it…” he said, stepping closer. His chest was inches from her nose. A strange sort of energy sparked between them. The air fairly crackled with it. Jane said a little prayer of thanks when she heard the sleigh bells jingle on the front door. What would Mrs. East think if she caught her in the pantry with a man — especially this one?
“I meant please move away ,” she said in an urgent whisper.
“Pardon me,” he grinned, leaving her in no doubt he had been having a little fun at her expense. “You have to be very specific when you tell a man what you want, Miss Gray. We are a dense species.”
Jane shot past him into the front of the bakery. He waited until the customer had left to follow. She lifted the gate again and he stepped through, pausing to wipe a dab of confectioner’s sugar from her cheek. He would have preferred to lick it off.
“Not too worrisome, as occupational hazards go,” he held up his finger to show her the dusting of white then popped his finger into his mouth.
Jane’s eyes widened in shock at the gesture which seemed indecently intimate. She lowered the counter and immediately felt better with the barrier back in place. A timer went off in the kitchen and she breathed an audible sigh of relief.
“Duty calls. Good day, Lord Wallace.”
“Good day, Miss Gray. And thank you for the guided tour… and your forgiveness. I have an appointment to meet Pip and Mother in Hyde Park after they’re done shopping. I wish you could join us.”
She looked crestfallen and he regretted mentioning it.
“Perhaps some other time.”
She replayed their conversation over and over until closing time. Had Lord Wallace been flirting with her? Or was it just his natural inclination to tease all women? By the end of the day she had convinced herself that he had been kind and nothing more. She appreciated his apology and decided to take him visit at face value.
JANE FLIPPED THE OPEN sign and pulled the blinds shut. After cleaning up, she threw on her coat and struck out across town. The streets were crowded with shopkeepers and laborers heading home. She cradled a boxed cake in her arms, trying to avoid crushing it as she was jostled to and fro. By the time she arrived at Carlisle House, dinnertime had passed. Jane hoped Pip had not already fallen asleep.
She needn’t have worried. As soon as Peckham opened the door, Pip charged into her arms. Jane would have dropped the cake if the butler had not executed a graceful save, relieving her of the box and steadying her with a hand beneath her elbow at the same time.
“Goodness, child!” Jane chuckled. “I’m happy to see you, too!” She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Pip. “I missed you something awful today. You have to tell me every little thing you did with your grandmother. You mustn’t leave anything out.”
Jane closed her eyes against a swell of tears as she savored Pip’s fierce hug. When she opened them Lord Wallace was standing in the entry hall watching her intently. A jolt of awareness shot through her system.
“Lord Wallace,” she acknowledged him warily then rose, her pulse racing.
“Lovely to see you again so soon, Miss Gray,” he said in a rich baritone that sent a thrill down her spine.
“How was Pip today?”
“A perfect little angel. We enjoyed learning about each other, did we not?” he smiled down at his niece. To Jane’s surprise Pip ran over to him and grabbed his hand.
“Uncle Finn took me to the park and we had lemon ices. They were soooooo yummy! I fed the swans and played with a little girl named Charlotte. She is very pretty and very nice, Mama. I might play with her again tomorrow.”
Pip looked up at her uncle and giggled when he winked at her.
“This way, Miss Gray,” Finn still held Pip’s hand as he led her down the hall to a room Jane had not seen the day
Jane squinted up at him suspiciously. “Please move.”
“If the lady commands it…” he said, stepping closer. His chest was inches from her nose. A strange sort of energy sparked between them. The air fairly crackled with it. Jane said a little prayer of thanks when she heard the sleigh bells jingle on the front door. What would Mrs. East think if she caught her in the pantry with a man — especially this one?
“I meant please move away ,” she said in an urgent whisper.
“Pardon me,” he grinned, leaving her in no doubt he had been having a little fun at her expense. “You have to be very specific when you tell a man what you want, Miss Gray. We are a dense species.”
Jane shot past him into the front of the bakery. He waited until the customer had left to follow. She lifted the gate again and he stepped through, pausing to wipe a dab of confectioner’s sugar from her cheek. He would have preferred to lick it off.
“Not too worrisome, as occupational hazards go,” he held up his finger to show her the dusting of white then popped his finger into his mouth.
Jane’s eyes widened in shock at the gesture which seemed indecently intimate. She lowered the counter and immediately felt better with the barrier back in place. A timer went off in the kitchen and she breathed an audible sigh of relief.
“Duty calls. Good day, Lord Wallace.”
“Good day, Miss Gray. And thank you for the guided tour… and your forgiveness. I have an appointment to meet Pip and Mother in Hyde Park after they’re done shopping. I wish you could join us.”
She looked crestfallen and he regretted mentioning it.
“Perhaps some other time.”
She replayed their conversation over and over until closing time. Had Lord Wallace been flirting with her? Or was it just his natural inclination to tease all women? By the end of the day she had convinced herself that he had been kind and nothing more. She appreciated his apology and decided to take him visit at face value.
JANE FLIPPED THE OPEN sign and pulled the blinds shut. After cleaning up, she threw on her coat and struck out across town. The streets were crowded with shopkeepers and laborers heading home. She cradled a boxed cake in her arms, trying to avoid crushing it as she was jostled to and fro. By the time she arrived at Carlisle House, dinnertime had passed. Jane hoped Pip had not already fallen asleep.
She needn’t have worried. As soon as Peckham opened the door, Pip charged into her arms. Jane would have dropped the cake if the butler had not executed a graceful save, relieving her of the box and steadying her with a hand beneath her elbow at the same time.
“Goodness, child!” Jane chuckled. “I’m happy to see you, too!” She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Pip. “I missed you something awful today. You have to tell me every little thing you did with your grandmother. You mustn’t leave anything out.”
Jane closed her eyes against a swell of tears as she savored Pip’s fierce hug. When she opened them Lord Wallace was standing in the entry hall watching her intently. A jolt of awareness shot through her system.
“Lord Wallace,” she acknowledged him warily then rose, her pulse racing.
“Lovely to see you again so soon, Miss Gray,” he said in a rich baritone that sent a thrill down her spine.
“How was Pip today?”
“A perfect little angel. We enjoyed learning about each other, did we not?” he smiled down at his niece. To Jane’s surprise Pip ran over to him and grabbed his hand.
“Uncle Finn took me to the park and we had lemon ices. They were soooooo yummy! I fed the swans and played with a little girl named Charlotte. She is very pretty and very nice, Mama. I might play with her again tomorrow.”
Pip looked up at her uncle and giggled when he winked at her.
“This way, Miss Gray,” Finn still held Pip’s hand as he led her down the hall to a room Jane had not seen the day
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