Page 120 of Winterset
A glance at her face told me something was terribly wrong.
“Mr. Jennings.” She gasped for breath. She must have run all the way from the village. “It’s Lord Markham,” she began. “He’s gone.”
My pulse picked up. “Gone where?”
“His servant said he had business that heneeded to put an end toin the south country.”
Kate.
“When did he leave?” I demanded.
“Four days ago.”
The day Kate had left for Summerhaven. He knew.
Our plan to protect her, the guise with which we’d whisked her away to safety, had not fooled him.
I had to get to Summerhaven.
I had to get to Kate.
Kate
The morning of the maskedball, the modiste delivered Hannah’s newly hemmed ball gown for me to wear. After changing into the lovely light-blue gown, I stood before the mirror and admired my reflection. I couldn’t help it. Made of the softest silk and daintily decorated with glass beads, the dress was the most beautiful gown I’d ever worn. My only regret was that Oliver was not here to see me wear it.
“I knew it would fit you!” Hannah beamed at my reflection. “What do you think?”
“I think I’ve never worn anything so beautiful as this dress.” Hannah was right. It fit me perfectly. Almost like it had been made for me.
“You look stunning,” she said. “You will have your choice of dance partners tonight.”
Her words were meant to excite me but had the opposite effect. I did not wish to dance with anyone but Oliver.
“Or ... perhaps you do not like to dance?” she said.
“I enjoy dancing very much. It’s only ...”
“If you are nervous about remembering the steps,” Hannah said when my sentence stalled, “I have dance cards. We could practice before tonight.”
“You’re kind to offer, but I had quite an exacting dance tutor. I doubt I could forget the forms even if I wanted to.”
“You are lucky. I once went to a ball and could not remember the steps to a quadrille. Damon was the only reason I got through the dancewithout thoroughly embarrassing myself.” She smiled to herself as if reliving a pleasant memory.
I fidgeted with the fingers of my gloves, unused to wearing them.
“Do you feel unsafe?” Hannah asked.
“I feel safe,” I said, and I did. Charlie and my hosts had been most diligent in protecting me. “Especially since I will be wearing a mask tonight. It’s only ...” How much should I say? I knew only the smallest sliver of her history with Oliver. “I do not know if I will wish to dance with anyone.”
“Oh,” she said, suddenly serious. “I must apologize. After what you’ve been through, of course you wouldn’t want to—”
“I don’t want to dance with anyone who will be in attendance,” I clarified.
“Oh.Oh!” Her eyes lit with understanding. “You do not wish to dance with anyone tonight because you wish only to dance with Oliver.”
My face warmed. “It’s silly, I know. We knew each other for only a short time.”
Hannah shook her head. “Oliver is easy to love. I should know, seeing as I spent half my life in love with him.”
