Page 16 of The Lady Glass
Despite Marcus’s assurances, security wasclearly lacking. Dressed in the same borrowed gown, this woman waltzed into his supposed armed fortress without any detection. Rolland checked the span of the hall and down the corridors—both were suspiciously empty—before charging toward the stairs himself. The staff might be overly focused on his father and the guests, but the entire house required surveillance.
He had made it only a few feet when something gold caught his eye by one of the potted orange plants flanking the front door. A coin? He swiped it up on his way to the staircase so he would remember to return it to whatever guest had misplaced it, and dropped it into his waistcoat pocket.
By the time he reached the stairs, the violinist had already reached the top and turned to the right. Shaking his head, he took the stairs two at a time to catch her. He slowed at the top when he caught sight of Mrs. Haversham and her daughter farther down the corridor on the left, their matching blonde hair side-by-side as they whispered together. The last thing he wanted was more forced conversation, so he hastened his steps toward the right in pursuit of the violinist.
Where had she disappeared to? The corridor this direction was vacant.
This was primarily the family wing, but he and his parents had rooms this way. Was it possible she had forgotten something in his bedchamber and had returned for it? The door before his caught his attention. It was slightly ajar. This room belonged to Simon, Marcus’s brother, who had recently traveled to another of the family’s holdings. From what Rolland had heard, Simon had been avoiding Society.
He used his first two fingers to push the door open another few inches. A resplendent painting of a sunset, resting on aneasel, drew his attention. Simon’s talent was unparalleled. A movement made his gaze drop to the floor. There she was, lifting the bed skirt and searching underneath the bed. If he’d so easily discovered her, who would find her next? Annoyance flooded him. He had wanted to take a nap, not throw out a persistent intruder for the second time in one day.
He slipped inside and loudly cleared his throat.
The violinist froze, her eyes slowly lifting to his. Did she make that face on purpose? When she batted those long lashes and pushed her lips into a smile, he almost wanted to get down on the floor and help her search for whatever blasted item had gone missing.
“How did you find me?” She climbed to her feet and dusted off her skirt. “I just got here. Wait. Are you following me?”
He glanced behind him, making sure his parents weren’t popping their heads out of their bedroom. “I am not following you.” Why would she even think that? “I just granted you your freedom not many hours ago. Why did you come back?”
“I had to take advantage of the perfect disguise you found me. This dress blends right into the dark corners. Can you not leave me be and go about your business? I promise not to bother anyone while I search.”
He pinched his lips tight. “You’re leaving, now.” She should be more worried about her reputation than a material thing.
She balked, pushing back a stray strand of brown hair from her cheek. “But I haven’t even finished searching one room.”
“Even if the guests don’t mind you and the family doesn’t recognize you, the servants will know you do not work here.” He was determined to speak with the footmen guarding the grounds when they were finished here. No one should be allowed to sneak around anywhere undetected.
“At least let me check this one closet.” She crossed the room and opened the door.
Rolland groaned. Should he just walk away and pretend he didn’t notice? After all, he did not know Simon well. The man might be Marcus’s relation, but the two were very different, and Simon was unaware of their intelligence efforts. Regardless of his reservations, Rolland found himself monitoring the door and the corridor while the violinist uselessly searched the closet.
“It’s not here.” She chewed on her lip, her hand going to her hip.
“I could have told you as much. Simon Taylor is not part of the house party and is no thief. But besides the impudence of your behavior, there is another reason you must leave. It isn’t safe here.”
“Why not? Besides the obvious part about someone misconstruing my perfectly innocent actions to be something nefarious, I would think there wasn’t a safer place in all the world than a duke’s estate.” She moved to the wash table and opened the small cupboard beneath it.
This woman was beyond the pale. He tapped the side of his leg, but in the end, he gave in to the vexing woman and closed the door. At least now he could speak to her without worrying about who might appear in the corridor. But in doing so, he found himself shut in a room with her yet again. How did this keep happening to him?
“Listen. I cannot go into details, but it is imperative you leave and not return. If you tell me what you are searching for, I will... well, I will search for it myself.”
Her eyes widened, and she shut the cupboard with a loud clap. “Why did you not say so from the beginning? That would be far easier than me risking my neck.”
He gave her a blank stare, wondering where the thoughts in her head came from. “I am already regretting my offer.”
“Nonsense. You are a captain, remember. It is practically your duty to help me.”
“It’s my duty to help mycountry.”
“And I am your countryman. Mostly.”
“‘Mostly’?” What did she mean by that? She couldn’t be the spy they were searching for, surely.
“Never mind that. The real problem is how can you search if I do not tell you what I am missing?” Her musings were difficult to interpret. Would she truly not tell him what she was seeking?
He heard a laugh from the corridor and the murmur of voices outside the room. He held a finger to his lips.
“Are you shushing me?”
