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Oh, no They’d left the drapes pulled back

Hyacinth grabbed Gareth’s hand and squeezed hard, as if that e to him

Whoever was in the room took a few steps, then stopped Terrified at the prospect of being caught, Hyacinth reached carefully behind her with her hand, trying to gauge how far back the closet went Her hand didn’t touch another wall, so she wiggled between two of the gowns and positioned herself behind theo so that he could do the sa out from under the hems of the dresses, but at least now, if soht there at eye level

Hyacinth heard a door opening and closing, but then the footsteps ain The man in the room had obviously just peered into the baroness’s bedchamber, which Gareth had told her was connected to the small office

Hyacinth gulped If he’d taken the time to inspect the bedchamber, then the closet had to be next She burrowed farther back, scooting herself until her shoulder connected with the wall Gareth was right there next to her, and then he was pulling her against hi her body with his

He was protecting her Shielding her so that if the closet door was opened, his would be the only body seen

Hyacinth heard the footsteps approach The doorknob was loose and rattly, and it clattered when a hand landed on it

She grabbed on to Gareth, clutching his coat along the side darts He was close, scandalously close, with his back pressed up against her so tightly she could feel the entire length of him, from her knees to her shoulders

And everything in between

She forced herself to breathe evenly and quietly There was so about her circumstance—it was a combination of fear and awareness, and the hot proxie, queer, almost as if she were somehow suspended in time, ready to lift off her toes and float away

She had the strangest urge to press closer, to tip her hips forward and cradle hiht—and yet even as she froze with terror, she couldn’t help but feel soht It was excite heady and new that set her heart racing and her blood pounding, and…

And so she wasn’t quite ready to analyze or name

Hyacinth caught her lip between her teeth

The doorknob turned

Her lips parted