Five minutes into her discourse on the newfound importance of a separate chamber dedicated to eating, there was a rattle at her window. She jumped, but a quick glance reassured her no fearsome specter was looking in, and she looked back down at her page, trying to reclaim her thought. Five seconds later, something hit the window again, so she crossed over to it, her feet dragging a little bit as she contemplated the potential horrors lurking outside. Pushing her chin up and reminding herself that she’d never yet heard of a ghost who haunted the part of a lawn underneath a second-story window, she pushed the glass a few inches open and looked down.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” she said, and pushed it the rest of the way. “What on earth are you doing?”

“It’s not polite to come calling after … some hour,” Sam called up. “I’m not sure which one, but I’m positive one in the morning counts.”

“You’ve missed a key point there,” she said, furious with the smile she couldn’t stop from spreading over her face.

“But this way I’m only disturbing you, and I knew you were still awake, because your light was on. I wouldn’t have thrown the pebbles if it hadn’t been.” He wrinkled his brow. “Probably. Well, maybe.”

“How did you know the light belonged to me?” And bedamned to her racing heart, and the giddy feeling in her chest that apparently thought they were all having a really excellent adventure.

“Servants don’t sleep in the front of the house,” he said simply. “Anyway, I’m coming up.”

At this point, Alva knew, she should certainly say something like, Oh no, you’re not, or possibly, Help! A man is trying to sneak into my bedroom!, or even a polite, I wish you wouldn’t—basically anything but what did come out of her mouth, which was: “How? The door’s locked, and I might wake the servants if I open it for you.”

“I’ll climb,” he said, smiling up at her, and oh, if she didn’t smile back. And then he took off his jacket, and at this point the voice that had been shouting, You must shut the window and lock it, miss! was shoved away into a tiny box in the back of her brain where it was promptly sat upon by all the other parts of her brain, who were much more fun and interesting anyway.

Besides, it was after midnight, and surely things that happened after midnight, under a clear, full winter’s moon, and with no one else observing them didn’t count?