It was what she had needed for several weeks now, a shoulder to cry on. That it was the shoulder of the very person responsible for some of those tears pouring out of her didn’t seem to matter much.

He held her close, and tightly, as if he were overcome with emotion himself. He wasn’t, surely. He was just trying to comfort her and probably wasn’t sure how to go about it, was probably quite unaccustomed to women falling apart in front of him.

It was comforting, having his arms around her, his solid chest to lean on, and so nice that she was loath to end it. But when the tears started to dry up, she started to become aware of him in a different way, in the way that so disturbed her and rattled her common sense.

She stepped back quickly, breaking his warm embrace. “Thank you, I’m fine now.”

She wasn’t, but it was the correct thing to say to him. Unfortunately, he was too perceptive, and blunt enough to remark on it.

“You aren’t.”

She really was, at least for the moment, in the matter that had needed comfort. It was something else altogether making her tremble now. And she was afraid to look at him directly, to see what was in his eyes this time. She suspected that it would be a terrible risk, to subject herself to that molten fire if it was there again. Her emotions were just too fragile at the moment to withstand it.

So she turned away toward the open doorway and even passed through it before she said, “I will be.”

Whether he heard her, or would have argued the point, was moot. She didn’t give him a chance to, practically ran all the way to her room.

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

LARISSA HAD BEEN TOLD LAST EVENING, WHEN SHE had gone down to dinner and had eaten it alone, that the baron usually wasn’t at home in the evenings. Quite understandable for a member of the ton, particularly during one of the more prominent social Seasons, which was in full swing, to be attending one social gathering or another. So he rarely ate at home, which for her had been good news.

It was why she went downstairs tonight. She wasn’t expecting to see him again that day. Besides, she had no reason to offer to take her meals in her room, so it would be quite rude to do so.

He joined her.

Having assumed he wouldn’t, it was quite disconcerting, watching him walk into the room, offer her a curt nod, and take his seat across from her. Her embarrassment returned over the outburst of tears he’d been witness to that afternoon. Horrid emotion, to be so uncontainable and embarrass her like that. But at the time, she hadn’t thought of that, hadn’t thought of anything except the grief pouring out of her.