Page 22 of Refining the Debutante
Ethan.
His eyes met hers.
For a split second, she was a deer, stunned in place. Her shock quickly spurred her to action, and she ducked her head, pulling Sarah as fast as she could away from him. There was no way he would recognize her like this, but she would not take any chances.
“Wait,” she heard Ethan say.
Her gut clenched. “Move faster!” she said desperately to Sarah. Her new world could not collide with her past. No one could know how low she had fallen.
* * *
Ethan knew those sky-blue eyes as well as he knew his own. Without stopping to think, he chased after the two women. They were moving quickly, despite their long skirts. He followed as they turned between two houses and reached a dead end. The one he thought was Miranda stayed facing away from him, and her companion tried to shield her.
“Excuse me.” His heart thumped in his chest. “Miss Bartley?”
The hidden woman turned to face him with great reluctance.Miranda!It was her!He could hardly believe her physical transformation.
“No, sir. I’m ’fraid ye are mistaken.” Miranda hid her face beneath the folds of her hood, and her uneducated accent caused him to hesitate. He took one step closer and then another, his brows furrowed. Underneath all that mud, her identity was indisputable. “Miss Bartley, what has happened?” Her once full cheeks were hollow. “Are you well?”
Miranda kept her head down. The Miranda he knew would have kept her superior nose in the air with a smile so wide the world could not think less of her. This Miranda was novel to him. “Sorry, sir. Yer mistaken, sir.”
Ethan closed the last of the gap between them and gently placed his hands on Miranda’s shoulders. The cloak was dirty, and she felt frail beneath his grasp. “Can you not spare a few minutes for an old friend? Truly, I am astonished to meet you here.”
Miranda cowered before him, her gaze downcast.
“Please, at least let me buy you and your companion a hot meal.” His lips pursed with concern. This was the woman he had once dreamed of spending the rest of his life with. To be so near her felt natural, and yet, it made a part of him ache.
Miranda faced her friend, a fair-headed woman, and shrugged in defeat. Miranda’s stomach growled, answering for the both of them.
“Come,” he said, motioning with his head. “There is an inn down this street, and they have delicious fish stew and sandwiches. The owner is a good man. And, well, I think you’ll both find the food satisfactory.” How could he convince her? He wasn’t letting go of her until she said yes.
“But my cloak...” Miranda waved her hand down the front of her.
“Is stunning. I know you to be particular in your style, and I must say I’m impressed.” He hoped to make her smile, which in the past was always her role toward him. To his great relief, it almost worked. Her expression softened, and the fear left her eyes.
“You neglected to mention my hair,” Miranda said, motioning to her golden-brown hair, streaked with mud and hastily tied back. She had always been witty, but this was said without her usual spirit.
“My compliments to your maid,” Ethan said, trying to keep his tone light. He had never imagined what meeting Miranda again would be like, but this would be hard to forget.
He dropped his arms from her shoulders and extended his gloved hand toward her. Would she take it?
The dainty hand that connected to his was entirely blackish brown. Something soft and wet squished between his fingers.
Her eyes widened as she saw the mud transferred from her hand to his, and she ripped her fingers from his. “Blast!” she muttered.
Ethan had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing. Miranda was the only lady he knew who uttered such a phrase. “Of course, out of respect to the innkeeper, I will see that you are given a chance to wash your face and hands before we eat. His sensibilities are not as refined as yours and mine. Surely that is an acceptable arrangement?”
Miranda met his gaze full-on, and the connection made his heart trip over itself. “Thank you,” she said softly.
He cleared his throat. This wasn’t him rekindling a smothered flame between them. This was just like finding one of his lost boys. He clasped his hands behind his back, where they were safe.
The three of them walked in silence to the inn. Miranda kept her chin down, and her friend, clearly a servant by her subdued manners, looked anxiously between them. Before long, Miranda was cleaned up, and she joined Ethan in the dining room. She took a seat across from him, next to her maid.
Miranda’s gaze flitted to his. “You were always a generous man.”
“You have not even tried your food yet,” Ethan joked, glad now that she was at least comfortable enough to look him in the eyes again.
Miranda lifted a corner of her lips into a half smile. “It smells wonderful.”
