Page 45 of The Heiress in Disguise
“Yes. I’ve given him a bit of money from the amount you gave me to purchase the gifts, and that will buy his silence.”
“I hope so,” Antoine said. “I’d hate to see the plan ruined by something like a gardener’s son with loose lips.”
“I have confidence in the boy.”
“Very good, then.” Antoine finished his coffee and got to his feet. “I’ll trust that you know what you’re doing, then. Thank you, Mrs. Godfrey. Your help in all of this has been truly invaluable.”
“I’m happy to be of assistance,” Mrs. Godfrey said. “I hope you’re able to help the poor girl in the end.”
“I hope so too,” Antoine said. “I worry a great deal about her. I want to make a difference in her life.”
He decided to take a walk to clear his head. Being trapped indoors was doing him no good at all—if anything, it was only causing him to worry more about Angelique, and to think more about how little he had managed to do for her so far. So she’d received a few gifts from him—how much difference could something like that really make in her life?
He’d told her to remember who she was, but that would be an awfully difficult thing for anyone to do under the circumstances she was living in. He wanted nothing more than to help her, but he had no idea if he was doing enough. He always walked away feeling so unsatisfied.
And then there was the way he had felt last night, holding her in his arms as she slept, to consider. It had felt so fulfilling to hold her like that. Even though he knew he wasn’t solving her larger problems, it had been something. He had been doing something for her, and that had been satisfying. He wished he was holding her still. She had been so lovely in sleep, so peaceful—
He rounded a corner and stopped short in surprise. There she was, walking along with a basket in hand, examining some wild berry bushes. She looked up and saw him at almost the same moment he saw her, and her face registered surprise.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s all right,” she said cautiously. “I didn’t think anyone would be awake so early after the festivities last night, but I suppose I wasn’t thinking of servants.”
“I haven’t been to sleep, to be perfectly honest.” It was more honest than he should have been, and he hastened to remedy that. “It’s just that Lord Cambridge came home so late that I didn’t have time to get any sleep.”
She chuckled. “Neither have I.”
“Aren’t you tired?”
“Aren’t you?”
They both laughed.
Antoine ached to tell her who he really was. The easy friendship that existed between them when they met in these roles was so pleasant—would it endure if she knew that he had been the masked stranger at the party last night? And what if she were to find out that he was actually Antoine, her childhood friend? What would she make of that?
“How did Lord Cambridge like the ball?” she asked. “Did he enjoy himself?”
“I believe he did, yes,” Antoine said. “I hear it was a magnificent party. And of course, I know that everyone was having such a splendid time that it went on very late. The sun was starting to rise when he finally returned home.”
“Yes, I was beginning to think it might never end,” Angelique agreed. “But I suppose everyone grows tired eventually.”
“You should be very proud of your part in the festivities,” Antoine said. “I’m sure you and I both know that the role of the staff in a party like that is invaluable—they could never have done it without you.”
“I tried my best to be of help,” Angelique said, modestly.
“Lord Cambridge felt that the staff did excellent work,” Antoine said. “He commented on it to me as he came in.”
“That’s kind of him,” Angelique said. “It’s not every lord who takes the time to compliment his staff. He must be a joy to work for.”
“He’s a good man,” Antoine said, feeling awkward, for of course it was himself he was talking about, and it was odd and immodest to pay himself a compliment like that. Still, he was able to reconcile it. Compared with the people Angelique served, everyone was good.
“Will you be leaving the city soon?” he asked. This was the thing he dreaded—now that the party was over, his time was surely running out.
But she shook her head. “Not too soon,” she said. “We’re staying until the end of the month. Lady Leicester enjoys London too much to leave quickly. I think Lady Gwyneth is happy about it too. She’s very interested in the social opportunities provided here.”
Antoine knew what that meant. Lady Gwyneth was interested in Lord Cambridge—inhim. “I hope she finds opportunities that satisfy her,” he said, knowing that he wouldn’t be one of them.
“I’m sure she will,” Angelique laughed. “Lady Gwyneth knows how to make the most of every situation she’s in. I’ve never known her to miss out on an opportunity.”
