The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke #2)(67)

Alex bit off her reply. The amused gleam in his eyes gave him away. “You’re doing this on purpose. Starting an argument to distract me.”

He didn’t deny it. “It seems to be working.”

A wave lifted the boat, and then dropped it just as suddenly.

Alex’s stomach pitched and rolled. She turned to bury her face in his chest, but her forehead plunked against something solid.

“Sorry. I’d forgotten that was there.” He reached into his coat and withdrew a flask—a significantly larger one than he usually carried. He offered it to her. “Here, it’s for you.”

“That’s kind of you, but I don’t think I could stomach any brandy right now.”

“No, no. It’s water. Thought you might need it.” He pressed the flask into her hands. Keeping one arm lashed about her waist, he used his free hand to unscrew the silver cap before tucking it away in his pocket. “There. Take a good draught.”

She stared at the glimmering silver, too overwhelmed to speak.

For thirteen years, she’d avoided boats. She’d taken the long way around so many times, spending countless hours and precious shillings to quiet her fears. She’d confined herself to England, making her home in an unfamiliar country rather than returning to the homeland of her father or her mother. Insurmountable terror had made her its captive.

Now, at long last, she’d faced the fear and embarked on this most terrifying of journeys . . . only to find the purest, most perfect safety she’d ever known.

Oh, how she loved this man.

Alex wasn’t thirsty any longer, but she held on to his flask for the remainder of their short voyage, keeping both hands wrapped about the cool silver. She traced the monogram with her fingertip over and over, following the dips and loops of the engraved scrollwork R.

When they reached Greenwich, she handed it back. “Thank you.”

He capped the flask and tucked it away. “You’re even braver than you are beautiful.” He kissed her on the forehead. “And though I’ve no right to be, I’m excessively proud.”

Then he picked her up by the waist, sweeping her off her feet and lifting her onto solid ground.

Alex was dizzied, in many, many ways.

“Now,” he said, turning away from the river. “Where is it?”

“Where’s what?”

“The observatory, of course.”

Oh. Oh, yes. That was the reason they’d come, wasn’t it?

“Up,” she replied. “It’s up.”



“When you said ‘up,’” Chase said between panting breaths, “you truly meant up.”

Good God. From the riverbank, there were stairs leading up to a green. The green became a gentle, grassy slope. Which turned into a miserably steep grassy slope. And then there were yet more stairs.

“It’s an astronomical observatory.” She held her skirts gathered as she trudged uphill, to avoid tripping on the hem. “Naturally it’s on the highest ground.”

When at last they reached the observatory doors, however, Alexandra hesitated.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I’m afraid to knock. What if they’re sleeping?”

“I should think an astronomical observatory is one place where you can arrive at midnight and not be concerned about waking the occupants.”

“Then what if they’re busy?”

Chase could have reached out and knocked on the door himself, but he held off. “You belong here, Alex. Discoveries like yours are precisely why a Royal Observatory exists, and a passion for those discoveries is why the royal astronomer does his work.” He swept a lock of hair behind her ear. “There is no place you belong more than right here, right now.”

She nodded, then knocked at the door.





Chapter Thirty


Chase didn’t understand much of what passed between Alexandra and the astronomer’s assistant. But that didn’t matter. What captivated him was the excitement on her face and the passion in her voice as she spoke with someone who fully understood her discovery. He felt a bit jealous that he couldn’t be, would never be that person—but then, he’d helped her make it here tonight, and that was important, too.

Though he was dying of curiosity, he tried not to interrupt with questions. Only as they walked away a few hours later did he finally break down. “So . . . ? What’s happened?”

“He’s almost certain it’s a comet.”

“That’s good.”

“And it’s not one he’d personally observed before.”

“That’s even better.”

“But it will take time to see if anyone else has observed and named it already. Corresponding with other observatories, scanning for notices in the journals.”

“How long will that take?”

“Weeks, at least. Perhaps months.”

“Months?” He grimaced.

“It’s a good thing,” she said. “It gives me time. Will you help me find a patron who’ll pay to name it?”

He pulled to a halt. “Hell, no.”

“Chase, I don’t have your connections. If I’m going to find a buyer for it, I need help.”

“You shouldn’t sell it.”