Page 49 of The Lady and the Footballer
He shouldn’t have admitted that, but it was the truth, and he wanted her to know that she wasn’t the only one with conflicting feelings.
“I missed you as well,” she sighed. “I was trying to find reasons to see you. Not that tonight was devised,” she added quickly. “I truly did make a discovery and had to share with you.”
“Yes, you haven’t told me quite yet just what that was.”
“The ledgers make it look like you are stealing money.”
“What?” he said incredulously. “Me?”
“All of the amounts you requested make it seem like you were asking for more than you paid,” she said. “I knew it wasn’t true and wanted to discuss it with you and see what Pritchard had noted. But then I found the bribe money and the note from Montgomery and knew that was where we had to look next.”
“I’m being falsely accused,” he said, his mouth dropping open.
“Most likely,” she agreed. “Now, do you know how to break into a locked door?”
While Lily knew that Colin’s anger was not directed at her, the news she had shared with him certainly dampened any ardor that had existed between them.
He walked rigidly beside her, clearly upset though unwilling to put it into words.
She allowed the silence to stretch between them, hoping that, if nothing else, it would give him space to come to terms with the fact that he might be blamed for something that was not of his doing.
Lord Montgomery’s mill was not overly far from the Harcourt Mill, and soon enough, the imposing, industrious sight rose before them, the brick structure looming against the twilight sky. Flickering gas lamps glowed through tall, narrow windows while a towering chimney belched out black smoke into the deep blue of night.
The familiar hum of machinery sounded through thick wooden doors, along with the clattering of looms and the murmur of workers finishing their shifts.
“I forgot there would still be workers about,” Lily whispered, and Colin nodded brusquely. At first, Lily felt the heavy truth settle upon her—this was a burden she would never have to bear, yet it was likely a reality Colin faced each and every day.
The cobbled courtyard before the mill was littered with wooden carts and barrels, some piled with raw cotton or wool. It was not nearly as organized as the Harcourt Mill, and Lily wondered how much of that was due to her father hiring men like Colin to take care of things.
“How are we going to avoid notice of the workers?” she whispered.
“Don’t act suspicious, and you won’t look suspicious,” Colin murmured.
The people who did remain, their forms silhouetted against the light from the open doorway, appeared slouched and tired,likely not caring much about who was walking through the courtyard.
“The mill never sleeps, does it?” Lily murmured, staring at the river glistening in the moonlight beyond the mill, powering the great waterwheel.
“Not really,” Colin said. “Soon enough, the morning shift will arrive.”
“I would guess the buildings are laid out similar to ours,” she said in a hushed voice. “We likely need to find the administration building.”
“It is almost always high enough that the manager can look over the mill but not be subjected to direct sights and sounds,” Colin said, some bitterness in his tone. “This way.”
Lily followed him, staying close so she didn’t lose her way.
He led her toward a set of stairs next to the main building, picking up a lantern swinging on a rusted hook near the entrance at the bottom. As they ascended the stairs, it cast their shadows on the brick walls in front of them, and Lily couldn’t help but note that they were moving in unison.
As they had guessed, the top door was locked.
“Do you have a hairpin?” Colin asked, and Lily nodded, immediately interested. She had heard of how a hairpin could open a lock but had never seen it before.
After releasing the pin from her coiffure, causing a curl to tumble over her forehead, Lily passed it to Colin, who gave her the lantern in turn before kneeling in front of the door.
His calloused fingers were steady as he slipped the slender hairpin into the lock.
His head tilted upward, his eyes half-closed, he twisted the pin from one side to the other before murmuring “there” just before a faint click echoed through the night, and with a turn of his hand, the door creaked open.
Lily returned the lantern to him as she tucked her hand into his free one, which he allowed as he led them into the dark building, the lantern casting shadows on the walls around them.
