were well matched, knew he would always treasure her intelligent, considerate presence, knew she would enhance the respectability of his family. He knew he would always love her.
He set his glass down and went toward Lydia and Jane, expecting conversation to hum between the two sisters.
Instead, he was met with silence. Jane stared intently at the engraving of a beetle, while Lydia stared at Jane as if she were trying to figure out an equation. Alexander paused, unaccustomed to tension between the two sisters.
Jane looked up from her book and gave Alexander a smile. “I can’t thank you enough, sir. I never thought I’d own such a collection.”
“It was Lydia’s idea,” Alexander said. “I wanted to get you something you could use, and she suggested the books. You are one of the few people I know who will use them for their intended purpose rather than to fill a bookshelf.”
Jane glanced at her sister. Lydia reached out to squeeze Jane’s shoulder before standing. Without making an excuse, she headed to where Talia and Rushton stood.
Alexander nodded toward the open book. “The only condition attached to the gift is that you study the books well.”
“Oh, I will,” Jane assured him. “I’ve only seen part of the volume on Lepidoptera, but nothing of the others.”
Alexander looked at her for a moment, then placed his hand on the table and bent to her level.
“You’ve no idea how much you have to offer the world, Jane. Never doubt that. Never doubt yourself.”
To his surprise, a veil of tears shimmered in her eyes. His stomach knotted at the sight of her distress, at the memory of her reaction to the idea of his marrying Lydia.
Jane blinked rapidly to banish her tears and gave a quick nod. “Yes, sir.”
Alexander stepped away, then stopped when Jane spoke his name.
“Lord Northwood?”
“Yes?”
“What about Lydia? Will she still… being Lady Northwood and all, will she still be able to study mathematics and write papers? To work at the ragged schools?”
“Yes, of course. I never intended to prevent her from continuing her studies. Did you imagine I would?”
“No, sir.” She looked back at the beetle engraving. “That is, I’d hoped you wouldn’t. She needs her work like she needs air.”
Alexander didn’t know what to say. The edge of bitterness to Jane’s voice confused him, augmenting the sadness in her eyes. An uncomfortable emotion reawakened in him, one he hadn’t felt since Talia was a child. The sense that the girl expected something from him, and he had no idea what it was.
“You know your sister well,” he finally said.
Jane turned the page of the book. “No, sir. I don’t really know her at all.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Silence filled the drawing room of Alexander’s town house, the scents of coffee and fresh-baked cake still lingering in the air. Lydia sat by the fire, paging through a book of puzzles.
She turned at the sound of the door opening. Her heartbeat increased as she watched Alexander cross the room to her. He paused beside her chair, warmth radiating from his body, his intent as clear as if he’d spoken the words aloud.
“Is it wicked if we’re engaged?” She shivered as his big, warm hand came to rest on the back of her neck.
“Most definitely.” His voice was low and husky against her ear. “Let’s start a wealth of rumors about our depraved erotic activities.”
Arousal bloomed through her. She stared down at the book. After the betrothal party, her grandmother and Jane had left for one of Jane’s dance lessons, and she and Alexander finished a game of cards with Talia, Rushton, and Sebastian, who’d also left. A bit pointedly, Lydia thought.
Not that she minded.
She ought to go as well.
Her fingers tightened on the book. “Alexander, I… I have work to do.”
“Mmm. So do I.”
“I’ve got to submit my paper before the end of… oh…”
His lips touched the back of her neck. “A paper on how to quantify love?”
“No, I’m explaining a method of representing curves.”
“You already do that most successfully.” He cupped her breasts, then moved his hands up and began removing the pins from her hair.
“Alexander, I—”
“Go on, then.” He continued to unpin her chignon, dropping the pins to the floor and easing his fingers through the long strands of her hair. Pleasure skimmed down her spine.
“Explain your method,” Alexander said.
“Well, it’s called tangential polar coordinates, which differ from a system of ordinary polar coordinates where the position… Oh.”
He captured her earlobe between his teeth. His warm breath brushed her neck. He slid his fingers