Page 63 of Secrets Between Lovers

She blinked up at the stuffed head.

Tobias danced inside. What would she do? How would she react to his ridiculousness?

She dropped a curtsy. “Lovely to meet you, Mr. Bear.”

“Oh, do call him Sebastian, Mags. We’re all friends here.”

She turned to him, her face glowing, reached up on the very tip-top of her toes, and kissed his chin.

It was enough. He pulled her against his body and covered her mouth with his.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and poured her soul into the kiss, and he drank of it eagerly.

She tugged away. “Set me down, Tobias.”

“Pardon me?” He looked at their feet. Hers hung about a foot off the ground. “Oh!” He set her down. “Youarea tiny bit of a thing, Pocket Princess.”

She played with his waistcoat. “Tobias, I’ve come to tell you something.”

Ominous, that. “Something good, I hope.”

She looked down at her feet. Her chest rose and fell with a breath, then she lifted her gaze to his. “I am going to tour your father’s London mill today.”

He repeated her words a few times in his head before it sank in. “Pardon me, but I must not have heard you right. Please say what you actually said was, ‘I am going to pour feathers luncheon milk today.’”

“What does that even mean?”

“I don’t know. You’re the one doing it.”

She frowned. “I am choosing to ignore you right now.”

“Shame.” He kept his tone light, but his body felt heavy, the joy he’d felt earlier seeping out of his feet and through the floorboards.

“I am going to tour your father’s factory because I need to know more. About how cloth is made, about how business is done.”

He scratched his chin. He’d already known she’d need something to keep her busy. He hadn’t suspected she’d take this route, however.

“It’s just a tour, Tobias. I won’t tell him a thing.”

“Of course you won’t.” He trusted her. “Are you very bored, Mags?”

“I wouldn’t say bored. But restless. Other than while away hours in our bedroom, I’ve not much to do. It was half a day’s work to get our small staff organized how I like it. And Henrietta is the only person I know in London other than you. But she’s busy in her shop.”

“I’ve been neglecting you. I’m sorry. I had some tasks to accomplish. Once I find a partner, I’ll be able to work less and pleasure you more.”

She leaned in and kissed the center of his chest. “Lovely. But even then, I’ll need something to occupy my time. I was thinking I could help you in some aspect. But I have no idea where to begin. I don’t suppose you need me to blackmail anyone?”

“Absolutely not. What a disaster that would be.”

She heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. I burned those pages from my notebook, anyway.”

“Wise decision.”

“Tobias, your father offered, and it cannot hurt. I’m going. Please do not be angry with me.”

He couldn’t seem to muster the energy for it. “I’m not angry. But you won’t enjoy it.”

“I can’t know for sure unless I find out for myself. Perhaps viewing the mill will help me understand better why you dislike it so.”