“Lady Alice,” the young man said, his face turning a bright red that almost matched the shade of his hair. “Miss Trewlove thought the volumes in this box were best suited to this portion of the shop.”

“Thank you, Mr. Tittlefitz.”

He set down the box, stepped back, and didn’t seem to know what to do next. He cleared his throat. “She also thought I should assist you. I can place books on the higher shelves if you like.”

“That would be lovely, thank you.”

With a shake of his head, wondering if his younger sister was striving to play matchmaker, Aiden went to retrieve his own boxes. Or box, as the one Beast pointed to in the storage room was incredibly heavy. Still, he hefted it onto his shoulder and headed through the shop and up the stairs to what Fancy had designated as the reading room. From a previous afternoon spent assisting her, he knew clusters of small sitting areas were arranged throughout the space, and bookcases lined each side of the fireplace and stretched out along one wall. The rooms on the floor above would serve as her lodgings, which meant another afternoon of hauling things—furniture and personal belongings—up. Not that he was complaining. His mum had taught him that family did for family and did so without grumbling.

All thoughts of being inconvenienced drifted away when he crossed the threshold and caught sight of Selena standing by the window, gazing out on the street below, with the afternoon sunlight washing over her. He didn’t much like her widow’s weeds, the way they reminded him she’d had a recent loss. She was buttoned up to her chin, down to her wrists. He imagined the pleasure it would bring him to set all the buttons free. Even knowing she intended to use him, he couldn’t seem to not want her. He set down the box in the middle of the room. “You’re not working nearly as diligently as your sisters.”

With a smile softening her face, she glanced over at him. “I was just watching people going on with their lives. It’s an odd thing, how one’s life can seem all out of kilter, and yet the world carries on as though nothing is amiss.”

Joining her, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned a shoulder against the window’s edge. “I’m sure there are people down below whose world is equally awry.”

“But you wouldn’t know it to watch them. I’m discovering that you can’t look at someone and know the trials they face. We all wear masks. They just aren’t as visible as the ones worn at your club.”

“You seem of a maudlin mood.”

“I lied to my sisters. I’m keeping secrets from them. They might not appreciate this outing so much if they knew the true purpose behind it.”

“I like them.”