Page 64 of The Heiress in Disguise
“Yes.” His voice was firm, and it restored her hope ever so slightly. “Our time will come, Lady Angelique. One day, I promise, all your questions will be answered. Until then, have patience with me. I promise you that you haven’t much longer to wait.”
“But what is it I’m waitingfor?” she asked. “If I only knew that, perhaps I would find the waiting a little more bearable. If you could tell me what was going to bring it to an end.”
“I wish I could,” he murmured. “I wish I had that answer for you. All I can tell you is that I believe I’m getting close to having what I need. It will happen soon. And the moment it does, I will come to you. You’ll know who I am, you’ll know exactly what you have been waiting for, and you and I will leave together. That will be the end of all of this, if only you can have patience for a little bit longer.”
“I can wait as long as I must,” Angelique sighed. “My circumstances do not plague me nearly as much as my curiosity, my lord.”
“Both will be remedied in time,” he pledged. “But for now, I must go.”
“When will I see you again?”
“I’ll return here at this time tomorrow,” he said. “If you’re able to get away, come and meet me.”
“And if I can’t?”
“Then I shall return at the same time every day until I do see you.”
He smiled at her as he turned away, and Angelique was left to wonder. He’d said nothing of it, but would a gentleman truly go to all this trouble to aid someone he had no strong feelings for?
It seemed unthinkable, but… was it possible that the masked strangerdidadmire her?
Chapter 29
“Some of my things are missing,” Ella said flatly.
Jane looked up, doing her best not to let her guilt show on her face. She had known when she’d snuck into Ella’s room and helped herself to a few more of the fairy godmother gifts that eventually Ella would notice and say something. She’d told herself that she was prepared for that moment. All she needed to do was prepare herself to act innocent. She needed to make sure that Ella didn’t suspect her.
But now that the moment had come, she felt nervous. What if Elladidsuspect? It would be humiliating to be caught stealing.
There’s nothing she can do,Jane reminded herself.Even if she does think it’s me, what is she going to do—tell someone? She can’t… because she can’t admit that she has these things.
“What did you misplace?” she asked, doing her best to sound as if she had no idea what was going on.
“I didn’t misplace anything,” Ella said. “I keep all my gifts from my fairy godmother in very specific places. I only take them out when I’m using them, and then I put them back straightaway. If something is missing, it’s because it was taken.”
“Don’t you think that’s a bit paranoid?” Jane asked. “Nobody would take your things, Ella.”
“I don’t know,” Ella said. “All I know is that some things are gone. One of my fine perfumes, and a silver hairbrush as well.”
“You still have your old hairbrush.” Jane pointed to it. This part of Ella’s having a fairy godmother annoyed her greatly, and she wasn’t ashamed to admit it. What did Ella need with a silver hairbrush? She wasn’t some wealthy lady who needed to surround herself with fine things.
Perhaps that had been her destiny once, but that had been a long time ago. These days, she was nothing but a maid, just like Jane. There was no difference between the two of them, and Ella shouldn’t have acted like there was. She didn’t deserve beautiful things more than Jane did.
That was what Jane had been thinking when she had taken the perfume and the hairbrush. Why shouldn’t she have them? What was it about Ella that made her deserving?
It was maddening. Ella had everything. A fairy godmother who gave her beautiful gifts, and now the attention of two different men. Even though Jane was sure nothing could ever come of those dalliances, it frustrated her. Why had Ella been chosen for all these fine things? Why not Jane?
Sheshouldhave some of the gifts. It evened the score a little. It was just fair. Surely even Ella would agree with that if Jane asked her, not that Jane was going to do it.
“I know I have my old hairbrush, and it’s perfectly serviceable,” Ella said. “But the new one was a gift. I just want to know where it is, that’s all. I’ll feel much better once I do.”
Jane frowned. “You’re not suggesting that I know where it is, are you?”
“Do you?” Ella asked gently. “It would be all right, Jane. I wouldn’t be angry. I know I told you that you could take some things, and I stand by that. I just want to know, that’s all.”
“I can’t believe you would accuse me,” Jane said hotly. Shehadtaken the things, of course, but the accusation was still humiliating. “I thought that we were friends. Haven’t I always stood by you?”
“Of course you have.”
