avoid him.”
Her face brightened again. “I should go so you can get back to your work.” She made a quick curtsy and left his study as quietly as she had entered.
Luke glanced at the mantel clock. It was two o’clock. He couldn’t procrastinate any longer. He sat in his chair and picked up the first piece of post. Perhaps he could do this without any pain if he read it in small portions. And his reward would be time with Vivian. He didn’t require more motivation than that to begin his arduous task.
Twenty-two
Vivi hid in the shadows, her heart trying to burst from her chest. There had been much more activity in the corridors after dark than she ever would have guessed. Did everyone have a case of insomnia this evening? She had no idea how she would explain being out of her chambers if anyone discovered her.
She considered turning back, but she had made her way to the wing where Luke’s study rested without crossing paths with anyone. Besides, she was almost there. A strip of light pushed under his door down the corridor. In a dozen steps, she would be safe.
Vivi crept from her hiding spot and hurried toward his study, but the door swung open. Frantic, she searched for a place to hide. She brushed against heavy material—curtains—and batted them aside to slip behind them.
Light footsteps padded her way. Perhaps those of a female servant? When the woman passed, Vivi peeked but the passerby was nothing but a shadow moving quickly down the corridor.
Several moments passed before she determined no one else was stirring. Fearful of making too much noise, she rushed for Luke’s study and crept inside without knocking.
Luke was behind his desk, his face a strained mask of concentration. He seemed unaware he wasn’t alone. Indecisiveness held her in place; the raised panel of the door dug into her shoulder blades.
Lying in bed moments earlier, worries had whipped around in her head until her entire body had grown stiff with tension. Sleep was too far off to see it. She’d thought she might find peace if she could question Luke about the reason he had enlisted Miss Truax to tutor her. In truth, she felt like an intruder.
“Damn,” he said through clenched teeth and dropped the letter on the desk.
Vivi trembled, certain he knew she had invaded his study and was angry, but he closed his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose. A soft groan sounded deep in his throat.
“What is wrong?” she murmured.
His head snapped up. “Johanna—” Whatever he was going to say was forgotten. His eyes expanded and his mouth fell open.
“I’m sorry for intruding.”
He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. There was no spark of amusement in his gaze this time. “Vivian, what are you doing out of your chambers?”
“I wanted to see you. I shouldn’t have come.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.”
If she could back her way through the solid door, she would be gone already. She’d rarely seen him angry, and the sharp edge to his voice was unsettling.
“But you are here now, and I won’t have you putting yourself at risk again by sending you back to your chambers unescorted. Come here.”
She hesitated, her heart slamming against her ribs, but then entreated her legs to obey. She stood before his desk with her hands clutched at her waist.
His cold stare melted and his mouth softened. “Don’t look so dire, darling. I’m not the headmaster about to take you to task for an infraction. I would like you on this side of my desk, if you please.”
Her misgivings lessened as he held out his hand in invitation. She rounded the desk and allowed him to draw her onto his lap. He wrapped her in his arms and nuzzled her cheek.
“I missed you,” he said. “I’m unhappy you stole from your chambers without an escort, but I am pleased to see you.”
Vivi slipped her fingers around his nape. “Peas and carrots! What happened to your neck? It feels like granite.”
“Don’t.” He reached to extract her hand but closed his eyes and sighed when she kneaded a knot she found at the base of his head.
“Do you suffer headaches, too? My poor cousin has battled them for years.” Vivi hopped up from his lap and went behind his chair. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she squeezed.
He groaned under his breath.
“Patrice’s pain usually comes when she frets. It is uncanny how predictable her headaches have become.”
“I’m not fretting.”
Vivi made