Every Time We Kiss

He noticed she’d said nothing about the fact that she was up against his chest. “I saw the lone mare and thought a rider might have been hurt and sought refuge here. Why are you here?”

“Not to meet a lover.” Rosy color infused her cheeks. She retreated a step. “Lady Aston asked me to look at what it would take to refurbish the house.”

“Why would she ask you?”

“Because I love to redecorate rooms. I refurbished both my brother’s house and Avis’s before she married Banning. I also assisted Sophie with her home.”

Based on her fashion sense, he assumed her work would be wonderful. Even seeing her here in a morning gown of pale green with an apron covering her, she looked exquisite.

“Isn’t this place too far gone?” he asked, looking around at the peeling wallpaper and warped floorboards.

“No, it definitely needs quite a bit of work. But it’s not too far ruined.” She pulled at his hand and led him to the bedroom. “Look at that window.”

Matthew looked at the window and shrugged. “It’s a window.”

She rolled her eyes. “No, it’s a Palladian window. Facing the south.”

“And?”

“And you know nothing about light or color or anything,” she said, throwing her hands in the air. “The window is a beautiful Palladian, facing the south so all the sunlight comes through the glass. It warms the room and brightens everything in it. This is a perfect bedroom for an aging widow.”

Her enthusiasm infected him. He smiled at her. “It’s beautiful.”

She retrieved her pad from the hall and quickly sketched the room. “Oh, I just love this room. Now picture a pale green silk on the walls, floral curtains, and a lighter wood for the furniture.”

Matthew did his best but still couldn’t picture the room as clearly as Jennette seemed to. “But this isn’t a very big room.”

She turned to him with a grin. “Exactly!”

He shook his head in confusion. “Why would the dowager want to make this her bedroom when there is a larger bedroom?”

“Come with me.” Jennette stomped off without a glance back to him.

Matthew followed her into another bedroom and cringed. Even with the curtains open, the room appeared dark and gloomy.

“Why would anyone want to sleep in here?” she asked. “The dowager Lady Aston should have the bright and airy room. This should be a guest room.”

Looking around, he realized the room was only slightly larger than the first bedroom she liked so much. “I believe I see your point.”

Jennette sat down on the bed and her hand flew across the pad, noting everything about the room. She looked up at him with a gleam of passion in her eyes. He suddenly realized just how much she loved what she was doing here. The cobwebs hadn’t sent her shuddering away. The creaky floors and evidence of rodents hadn’t forced her to leave either.

He watched as she attempted to move a large trunk. “Wait. I shall help you.”

Together, they moved the trunk away from the wall, exposing a small hidden door. “Why is that here?” he asked.

Jennette stared at the door and pursed her lips. “I’m not sure. As I was sketching the wall, I noticed the slight indentation.”

“A secret passageway, perhaps?”

Her eyes lit with intrigue. “Maybe!”

“Shall we find out?”

“Yes!”

Matthew slid the door open and glanced inside. Pulling his head back out, he smiled up at her. “Sorry, it’s just a storage area. No secret passage, no hidden treasure.”

“Damn.” She covered her mouth with her hand, eyes opened wide.