Page 57
“I suppose. He does write a good deal of papers.”
Millie drew in a breath. “If I can locate that blue wax, I will know who is sneaking into my chamber without my knowledge. At least you have already been granted permission to enter Mr. Kendrick’s room.”
“That is true.” Clara chewed her bottom lip, then nodded. “Very well. I will do it.”
Millie pulled her into a hug. “Thank you, Clara. I must go now. I am meant to meet someone.”
Clara nodded. “I will find you when I know more.”
Millie left her at the top of the stairs and slipped down to the ground floor. They were meeting for dinner in a half-hour, so she should already be waiting for her secret admirer in the conservatory. Wesley had agreed to hide somewhere in the room so she would not be left alone with someone she might not know.
She was prepared to speak to her admirer and prepared to attend dinner. Her emerald gown was tight in the bodice and flowed down like water to her feet. She felt regal in it, and had asked Betty to put her dark hair high on her crown with curls tumbling down beside her temples. With confidence, she moved toward the meeting spot, the house dark except for the wall sconces that lit the way.
Wesley waited for her in the passage outside the conservatory, the tiled floor like a checkerboard set at an angle. White stone paneled the walls in periodic arches, creating small alcoves along the way. His gaze caught on her gown momentarily, then lifted to her eyes. “Are you ready?” he asked.
She nodded.
Wesley paused as though attempting to read her face. “We do not have to do this, Millie. We can go to the drawing room and await dinner with the rest of the party.”
Was that her preference? The idea of standing around in the conservatory, waiting for a mysterious man to appear was uncomfortable, but she needed the mystery solved. Her safety was relevant now. How could she sleep in that room for the next week knowing someone had been in there?
She did have the privacy lock. She ought to have engaged it yesterday, but her mind had not been functioning properly.
“I need to know,” she finally said.
Wesley nodded, offering his arm. Millie placed her hand on his elbow, and they walked to the end of the passage and through the billiards room into the conservatory. Long glass windows lined the room, dark from the evening hour. From their vantage point at the corner, they could see the rest of the house. Light spilled from the windows onto the lawn, making the ground glow. A fountain stood in the center of the conservatory, bubbling quietly, and every pathway around it teemed with plants and trees. Wesley stepped into a dark corner, and if Millie had not watched him move, she would not have seen him there.
An eerie feeling crept over her, so she walked closer to the window, where a wing of the house was visible. It looked warm and inviting, with white snow blanketing the garden behind the house and covering the lawn. It was a glorious image, fresh and clean and cold, but inside the conservatory she was warm. Knowing Wesley was watching over her managed to remove her discomfort and make her feel safe and snug.
Minutes passed in silence as Millie walked the path in the conservatory, admiring what she could see of the plants in the darkness. When she felt as though they had surpassed a reasonable time to wait for her admirer, she slumped onto a stone bench nestled among the plants and sighed.
“He might have mistook the day,” Wesley said, his voice disembodied from his hiding spot in the darkness.
“You can cease hiding now. There is no need when he is clearly not coming.”
“You do not know for certain.”
“We are nearly late for dinner.”
Wesley appeared, tall and handsome. His coat was buttoned over a light-colored waistcoat, but in the darkness Millie could not ascertain whether it was yellow or cream. His hair had been combed into something neat, but the curls were bouncing however they’d like to, anyway.
He sat beside her and reached for her hand, which she willingly gave him. “Do not despair. He might be caught up in something.”
“Or perhaps he changed his mind.”
“I highly doubt that.”
Millie closed her eyes. “You would say something to that effect, Wesley. You are biased.”
Wesley’s hold on her hand tightened. “That does not make my opinion less valid.”
“Oh, really? Who is to say your opinion will remain unchanged once this person has been discovered and their attention ceases?”
Silence beat around them for a moment. “You are only meeting the man in order to reject him?”
“No…that is not…I only meant I would give him the truth. There is only one person at this party I have any feelings for.” Millie rose to her feet, tearing her hand free. She paced away from Wesley, unable to look at him as he slowly stood.
“Who is the person you have feelings for?”
