He hadn’t been in the house even a full day when one of the chaperones invited him to her bedchamber, asking for help with her window casing. There’d been no problem with the window, of course, but Kit had provided other kinds of help, the kind that required little clothing and a flat surface. The interlude had been enjoyable for both of them, but she’d worn him out.

Any more window-casing issues would need to wait until the morning.

A second knock, slightly louder this time, had him striding to the door. As he pulled it open, he said, “Mary, my dear—” The words died in his throat. A slight girl, looking quite nervous, stared up at him. He remembered seeing her at dinner but couldn’t recall her name. Had they even been introduced?

He gave her an easy smile. “Hello. Are you lost?”

“No.” She darted a glance down the corridor. “May I come in?”

Interesting. He was still confused, though. This was one of the virginal heiresses trying to catch Harrison’s eye at the house party. True, Harrison had already set his eye on someone—Maddie—but the heiresses didn’t know that. So, why was the girl here?

He cocked his head. “You want to visit my room? Alone, at night?”

“Yes,” she said through clenched teeth. “Please. Before someone sees me.”

Shrugging, Kit widened the crack until the girl was able to squeeze through. She stood in the middle of his bedchamber, head swiveling and hands wringing, as if she didn’t know what to do with herself. Brown hair was elegantly styled atop her head, and she still wore her evening gown, an expensive cream silk with no embellishments or dazzle, as if she didn’t need frivolity. It was a refreshing and straightforward approach to sartorial matters and he liked it. She was adorable, in a younger sister sort of way.

He closed the door quietly and found his bourbon. “Would you care for a drink?”

She blinked several times, her expression shocked. “Goodness, no. I can’t drink.”

Even more interesting. “Because?”

“Because . . . Well, I don’t know. My mother never lets me and—”

“Your mother isn’t here at the moment.” He went ahead and poured her a small drink. “And I think an illicit visit requires illicit refreshment, don’t you?”

She took the heavy glass from his hand and stared at the contents as if waiting for something to happen. Were all virgins this cute?

The side of his mouth hitched. “It won’t bite, I promise. Go on, sip it.”

Shaking her head, she placed the glass on the dresser without sampling the spirits and walked to a pair of armchairs by the fire. “May we sit? You are making me nervous standing there all . . .” She waved her hand at him, as if to indicate his general self.

“All . . . ?”

“All tall and handsome. It’s quite disorienting.”