“Good night, Henrietta.”
“Go boil your ’ead.”
Leah closed her eyes.
To her surprise and delight, the face she saw in the darkness of her mind was aristocratic, thin, and handsome. Black hair shot through with distinguishing strands of silver framed it. A hand with long, slender fingers reached out to her, and she took it gratefully.
“Oh, my darling,” the duke, looking at least twenty years younger, whispered as he swept her into a waltz. “I have searched the world over for you.”
She reached up and touched his face. It was smoother than she’d expected, without the faint feel of beard stubble or any wrinkles at all. He was hard, not with muscle, but with skin stretched directly over bone. His hand was cool in hers, and the other bled a chill into the small of her back. She shivered.
“You are cold,” he said in his too-soft voice. “Let me warm you.”
She didn’t resist as he drew her close in his arms. Her heart thumped faster in excited delight. Her destined true love was holding her in his arms. Could anything be GeekGirlsDontDateDukes.indd 68
4/11/13 11:26 AM
Geek Girls Don’t Date Dukes
69
more perfect? She rested her cheek against his chest with
a contented sigh.
It was cold.
She was pressed full against his body, but instead of the comforting warmth she’d expected, he was icy from head to toe. Pulling away from him, she looked up into his face.
And screamed.
“You simpleton, wake up.”
Leah sat bolt upright with a gasp, her eyes flying open. Sarah and the other girl were dressing across the room, the light from their candles dancing crazily as they chatted and giggled. Henrietta stood beside the bed, glaring down at Leah. In her hands was the blanket. No wonder Leah had dreamed about being cold.
“You will be late if you do not hurry. I shouldn’t care if you were, but Mrs. Harper bade me wake you.”
“Oh my gosh,” Leah moaned, gripping her head.
It ached with a thumping pain. What a freaking weird dream. But she didn’t have time to analyze it. She swung her feet off the side of the bed and winced at the chilly touch of the wooden floor. Without a word to Leah, the other three girls left the room. If she hadn’t been so absorbed in her own headache, it might have bothered her. As it was, she could barely stagger over to the drawer in the bureau that had been designated as hers.
The predawn sky was lightening slightly, but even with a candle it was tough to dig her way through the drawer. Finally her fingers closed around a small leather pouch she’d secreted in her skirt before making her journey through the mirror. She opened the zipper with relief and spread the contraband on the windowsill.
GeekGirlsDontDateDukes.indd 69
4/11/13 11:26 AM
70
Gina Lamm
Geek Girls Don’t Date Dukes
A toothbrush and tube of toothpaste. Tampons. A bottle of Advil and a box of throat lozenges for the cold that had been threatening her since last week. A bar of her favorite vanilla and coconut soap, and a stick of deodorant. A picture of Pawpaw, smiling as he worked on an ancient tractor. She popped open the bottle of Advil and swallowed two dry. Looking down at the picture, she said, “Morning, Pawpaw.” She traced the photo with a fingernail. She’d ridden on that tractor many times as a child, her grandfather holding her securely in his lap. Things were so much simpler then.
Shaking off her reverie, she brushed her teeth with water from the pitcher and made quick work of washing off as best she could with a rag and her soap. She donned her uniform, wincing at the still-damp fabric. It couldn’t be helped though. By the time her hair was all tucked beneath her cap, her stockings were on, and her boots were laced, the black of night had faded to the hazy gray of early dawn on the horizon.
She gathered up her treasure trove and replaced the pouch in the drawer beneath her dress. Her headache was starting to fade around the edges a little, and gratitude flooded her as she descended the stairs to the servant’s hall. If nothing else, Jamie’s journey had prepared her to rough it here in the past. It wasn’t going to be easy, but she was sure she was up to the challenge.
Well, she thought she was until she discovered just how much a pain in the ass being an underhousemaid could be.
“Good morning.” Leah smiled at Mrs. Harper as she descended the stairs.
The white-haired housekeeper scowled at her. “You GeekGirlsDontDateDukes.indd 70
4/11/13 11:26 AM
Geek Girls Don’t Date Dukes
71
are very nearly late again, Ramsey. Granville House
servants are expected to be prompt at all times.”
Fighting the urge to protest, Leah scrambled to her seat at the dining table. Nobody else seemed to be there for breakfast yet, but clearly Mrs. Harper had risen from the wrong side of the coffin. No use fighting that kind of bad attitude. Clearly this woman needed to roll a solid plus five to positivity.