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Nell crossed to the rope pull and tugged on it, then sat on the end of Millie’s bed, near her feet. Her hair was exquisitely coiffed and she still wore her long gloves from dinner. “We have not spent as much time together as I had thought we would.”
“It is difficult when you are busy occupying the earl’s time.”
Nell laughed. “That is the last thing I want to speak of presently. Mr. Stroud looked lonely without you beside him this evening.”
“That is the last thing I want to speak of,” Millie muttered.
“He is a nice man,” Nell said carefully.
“It is becoming increasingly possible he was the one who wrote those letters to me, too. Which is concerning, as the last time I spoke to him I turned him down flat.”
“And Mr. Kendrick?”
“He is interested in poetry and in a position where he might want to test my mettle. I think it could very well be him as well.” Millie looked at the dressing table, where her horseshoe from the fete had been propped up. It had not provided any luck. She might have been better off giving the talisman to anyone else.
“Can you not pull both gentlemen into a room and ask them directly for a sample of their handwriting?”
“Nell, that is brilliant.” Millie sat up too fast and pain shot to her head. She pressed her fingers to her temple as she spoke. “We shall come up with a way to force each man to write something, then compare them to the letters.”
“Tomorrow, perhaps?” Nell looked skeptical. “You probably need rest after you eat.”
Millie did not feel that way, but her head still hurt fiercely.
“Have you considered my brother, Mill?”
“I know his writing. It is definitely not him.”
Nell moved closer until she was leaning back against the headboard beside Millie. “I do not necessarily think that. He would never force you into a game such as this, anyway. But…have you considered he might be a candidate for your hand?”
Millie swallowed thickly, unsure of how much to share. If she was going to tell anyone what had happened in the mausoleum, it would be her closest friend. She trusted Nell. But this? It could change everything in their life outside of this house party as well. When they all returned home next week, how would things stand? Would Wesley return to his occupied self and have no time for her?
It was too frightening to contemplate.
But this was Nell. Millie could not keep anything from her, and neither did she want to. “He already might have said something to that effect.”
Nell bounced onto her knees, facing Millie. “We are talking about my brother?”
“Yes. He…when we were caught in the snow, he admitted to having feelings for me.”
“Millie!” Nell gasped. “You will become my sister in truth.”
“How can I know this is not a product of the house party and the cozy feelings from celebrating the holiday together? We might return to Lancashire next week to discover he feels differently.”
“When have you known Wesley to be fickle in nature?”
“I haven’t.”
Nell gave her a look rich with understanding. “You could not find a more constant, steadfast man.”
Millie closed her eyes, glad the light in the room was dim so her expression would not betray her. She had been drawn to Wesley since she had understood what affection was earlier in her youth, but never had he returned her feelings. Now that it was possible, it felt too much to hope he was sincere. “Why am I so afraid of permitting him into my heart?”
“You do not wish to be hurt. Honestly, I did wonder if there was something between the two of you. He has paid far more attention to you than he has to me this last week and a half, and he is only here so he might act as my guardian.” Nell’s smile was warm. She pushed a blonde curl from her eyes and reached for Millie’s hand, squeezing softly. “He is a good man, and you are deserving of nothing less.”
“What of this secret admirer? Am I meant to give up on him?”
Nell looked compassionate. “Only you can decide. I suggest we gain those handwriting samples and put the matter to rest once and for all.”
Millie sat up, looking toward the mantel, and her heart started to race. She pushed off the bed and crossed the room slowly, careful not to trip in the dimness.
