Page 44 of The Masked Baron
“Yes, but all of us were thinkin’ it,” Matilda muttered.
“But I was the first to say it,” Hannah added.
Matilda rolled her eyes. “The point is it ain’t somethin’ that can be taken care of right away, so we’ll just bide our time some.”
Matilda turned and started mixing something in a bowl as if the conversation were finished. Andalin glanced at Hannah to see if she would reveal any more on the subject, but she was knitting away as if Andalin weren’t even in the room.
“Aren’t you going to tell me the idea?” Andalin asked, her impatience showing in her tone.
Neither answered. They passed a look between them, sending Andalin back to the days when she was an outsider. The sudden feeling of rejection pushed her to her feet. “Very well,” she said, her voicing wavering, “I am tired, so I will say good night.”
Matilda must have noticed her discomfort. “Oh, child! It’s not like that. We’ll tell ye when the time is right. Ye are a crucial part of the plan. I promise! We just have to do a little groundwork to make sure everythin’ falls into place.”
Andalin didn’t know if she should believe Matilda. She wasn’t a child who could be so easily tricked by her mother into thinking one thing when it was really another. She wasn’t going to beg either.
She put on a tight smile. “I understand.”
Andalin left the kitchen and returned to her bedroom. She saw the white ball gown lying across her chair and remembered her father’s question: “Andalin, would you like to be a lady?” If she were a true lady, a ball would be the loveliest thing she could ever imagine. It was easy to picture herself dancing in the arms of a strong and handsome young man. She closed her eyes and swayed back and forth. He would have steely blue eyes and flaxen hair just like—
Andalin stopped. She was beginning to fantasize about Ellis. She’d hardly spoken to him since the Kerrigan family arrived. Instead of rejoicing in her newfound friendship with Katrina, she found herself missing her private conversations with Ellis. It was easier when she’d fancied herself with Lord Kerrigan, because her feelings there were based on pure fantasy and no foundation. Now she finally felt ready to search for a husband, and she had found herself the worst candidate possible.
***
A few days later Andalin found herself at a quiet breakfast with only Lord Kerrigan and Katrina.
“I heard your dancing lessons are going well,” Katrina said, passing a dish of orange marmalade to Andalin.
Andalin glanced at Lord Kerrigan, who smiled warmly in reply. “Yes, Lord Kerrigan has been assisting in my learning. Your brother is an excellent teacher.”
He returned the compliment. “And you are an excellent student. I am looking forward to opening the first dance with you at the ball next week. Suitors will flock to your side when they see how you float across the floor.” The warm smile he offered in her direction did not affect her as it once did.
The affectionate smile did not escape Katrina’s attention, and she winked conspiratorially in Andalin’s direction. Andalin’s knife paused in the air between the marmalade and her toast.
The past few days had accelerated her friendship with Lord Kerrigan. They were constantly in each other’s company, even though Katrina often dominated the conversation. Andalin noticed Lord Kerrigan was becoming increasingly attentive to her. His ready smile seemed directed her way more than before.
But it wasn’t until this moment that she put together what it could all mean. Had Ellis noticed? Would he even care? No, of course he would not want his best friend to fall for a simple country girl disguised as a lady. They were supposed to fool some other unsuspecting gentleman.
Ellis chose that moment to join them. Her heart lurched with pleasure.
“Excuse my tardiness,” Ellis said, as he took the empty chair beside Andalin.
She was conscious of her appearance and worried her hair might not be to his liking. Hehadmentioned it a time or two. She tried to act as though his arrival was nothing and continued working on her toast.
“I had no idea you liked marmalade so much.” He pointed to her toast.
She looked down to see there was twice as much jelly as bread. Smiling, she took a large bite to prove she had done it on purpose. She coughed once and then gagged down the overly sweet bite.
“I, too, love orange marmalade,” Lord Kerrigan said in a chipper voice.
Ellis looked at him strangely, and Andalin prayed he would be blind to what was happening.
Breakfast dragged. Katrina was the only one sensible enough to eat and move on. Andalin, on the other hand, ate as slowly as possible in anticipation of securing a private word with Ellis. She wanted to know why he was late and if he had spent his night combing the trees of the Black Forest for signs of the witch.
Unfortunately, Lord Kerrigan seemed content to sit at the table until noon. Ellis finished his breakfast, looked at the both of them suspiciously, and then excused himself. Andalin sighed inwardly. There went her chance.
With a gleam of anticipation in his eye, Lord Kerrigan leaned across the table to speak with her. “Do you remember the hill overlooking Thornton Way?”
Andalin nodded. “Yes, of course.”
