More Than a Stranger: A Sealed With a Kiss Novel by Erin Knightley Page B

she wanted.
    The circle of light cast by her candle illuminated only a small fraction of the vast array of books housed on the many shelves before her. Shivering a bit—the room had not seen a fire in a while—she rubbed her arm with her free hand as she inspected her choices. Her father’s old adventure novels, including Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver’s Travels , were peppered among the more modern novels that she preferred. After searching for a few moments, she settled on her favorite standby— Sense and Sensibility .
    Clasping the worn copy of the book to her chest with one hand, she lifted her candle with the other and slipped out of the library. She retraced her steps to the second floor and turned toward the west wing where her bedchamber was located.
    Thump!
    Letting out a little squeal at the unexpected sound, she whirled around instinctively toward the direction it had come from. The swift movement caused her candle to flicker and die, and she was immediately plunged into darkness.
    For a moment, she stood stock-still, trying to listen past the thud of her own heartbeat as her eyes adjusted. Calm down, she chided herself. It’s probably nothing . Still, her heart hammered as she strained to either hear or see anything.
    Thump!
    She started, squinting in the direction of the east wing. What was that? The family’s chambers were located in the west wing, and the servant’s quarters were upstairs. Benedict alone was currently housed in that wing.
    What could he be up to? A niggling thought in the back of Evie’s mind admonished her that it was none of her business what Benedict did in the privacy of his bedchamber, but it was not loud enough to make her turn away and return to her own room.
    Instead, she cautiously tiptoed toward the Blue Room, only two doors down the corridor from the stairway. She struggled to make out shapes in the gloomy corridor, but mainly she was slinking along on memory.
    “Oofff!”
    She hopped up and down, silently cursing the blasted table that had reached out and bit her toe. Had that table always been there? Shaking off the pain, she moved on, proceeding more slowly and with exaggerated caution this time.
    Thump!
    The noise was definitely coming from Benedict’s bedchamber. Movement caught her eye—swiftly moving shadows in the faint, flickering light spilling from beneath the door.
    She paused to consider her options. She could, rather, she should , turn herself around and return to her bedchamber at once. She should climb into her bed and settle in with Sense and Sensibility for a few calming chapters before going to sleep. Tomorrow, when she saw Benedict, she should inquire if he had slept well and smile disinterestedly when he responded yes.
    It was really rather unfortunate that Evie never seemed to do what she should do.
    Squaring her shoulders, she took a few more steps, stopping several feet away from the door. At this distance, she could hear other faint noises coming from within. She leaned forward and tried to make out what was going on. It was no use—the sounds were even more mystifying now that she was closer.
    Evie chewed her lip for a moment, suddenly feeling as though she were spying on the man. All right, so perhaps she was spying on the man, but he was the one who had drawn her attention in the first place. Yes, it was all his fault she was standing outside of his room in the middle of the night.
    Really, she should leave. He was given the chamber to use as he pleased, with a door to close as he pleased.
    But she couldn’t just walk away now—her curiosity was absolutely killing her. Very well, she would have a quick listen at the door to make sure he wasn’t injured or something; then she would be on her way. She nodded; it was a reasonable plan. Bending down, she placed the book and the useless candleholder on the floor before straightening and running her damp palms over the soft fabric of her night rail. She took a deep breath, sidled up to the door,