Mal stared down at the coffee cup in his hand, wishing it were brandy. Time enough for that when he returned downstairs; for now, he needed to make himself into something resembling a human if he meant to sit with Will a while. He’d woken in perfect darkness, panicked, and flailed himself quite off the sofa and onto the floor, making a sufficient ruckus that the door had burst open to reveal a footman holding a single candle that illuminated his terrified face. It took Mal a moment to recognize the library, and a further moment to understand that the look of fear on the lad’s face was because of him. As disoriented as he was, he’d only managed to crawl to his feet, mutter a demand for coffee in his bedchamber at once, and stagger up the stairs. He’d hidden in his dressing room when a serva
