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

She shivered, not sure what to make of him. Then he smiled, though it did not seem to reach his eyes. “Are you interested in ancient peoples, then, Lady Evelyn?”
    It was hard to think straight with the full force of his gaze leveled at her. She hadn’t realized his left cheek dimpled when he smiled. “Um, yes, I find them to be quite fascinating. Sadly, I often find them to be more interesting than people in the present.”
    Immediately realizing the possible interpretation of the statement, she rushed to clarify. “Not present present people, er, company, of course. I was speaking in general terms. Oh dear, I do apologize if I have just now managed to insult the entirety of the British Empire,” she finished weakly. Had she really said that? Cringing, Evie bit into a chocolate biscuit to keep from making any further asinine comments.
    Mr. Benedict raised an eyebrow but nodded nonetheless, as if she had actually made some amount of sense. She swallowed and smiled faintly back, then turned to her mother. “Shall I ring for more tea?”
    Mama looked to her with interest, nodding slowly, and Evie valiantly suppressed a blush as she rose and made her way to the bellpull. After all her warnings to Richard, she was the one earning her mother’s famous raised eyebrow.
    Evie sighed. All she needed to do was act like a normal human being between now and when her family departed. Really, was that too much to ask of herself? Her gaze slid to Mr. Benedict, now engrossed in a conversation with her father. What was it about him that so intrigued her, anyhow? No one had ever captured her attention quite so thoroughly—at least not in person.
    She pressed her lips together. As much as she was curious about the man, she refused to make a fool of herself. What she needed was a ride. Being cooped up in the house with Mama had clearly muddled her brain, and a jaunt across the grounds would be just the thing. Perhaps then her heart wouldn’t race every time she made eye contact with the enigmatic stranger.
    As if on cue, he looked up, his eyes immediately finding hers. She drew in a quick breath, light-headed from the sudden pounding of her heart.
    Oh heavens, she was in trouble.

Chapter Five
If Grandmama ever receives a letter from you, the terms of our agreement shall become null and void. You’d best lock your doors, lest I find you alone and dole out a proper punishment for such meddling.
—From Hastings to Evie
    H e really needed to get some air.
    After the excruciatingly polite tea with Richard’s family, Benedict needed to get away from everyone, outside where the crisp evening air could help to clear his mind. Perhaps when he was away from the house, he could think of something else besides the delectable Lady Evelyn. God, he felt like a damned degenerate for even thinking of Evie in those terms; seeing her and Richard together for the first time had truly driven home that she was his best friend’s little sister. Still, there was simply no denying Benedict’s attraction to her.
    Being in the same room with Evie was an almost dreamlike experience. For all of the very personal things he knew about her—her aspirations, her interests, her occasionally sharp tongue—he had never considered how much he didn’t know about her. He hadn’t known she fidgeted when she sat, smoothing her hands over her gown or tapping her foot lightly beneath her skirts. He had never thought about which flavor of biscuit she preferred—chocolate—or how she took her tea—one lump of sugar, no milk. And he had certainly never pictured her babbling on about ancient peoples.
    A smile lifted the corner of his mouth. God only knew what all that had been about. Was it possible that his presence here somehow flustered her? It was certainly flustering him .
    The small smile vanished. He knew what he was doing. Without conscious thought, he was allowing himself to be diverted from the real issues in his life.
    He paused by one of the windows, pushed