Page 44 of The Lady Glass
The side of his mouth slid up at the corner. “I thought you wouldn’t mind a treasure hunt.”
“Treasure hunt?”
“Or, should I say, a vase hunt?”
Theresia sucked in her breath. “Really?”
He nodded.
“What are we waiting for, then? Let’s get started!” She darted forward, but he held her back.
“Not so fast.” He kept her arm in his and led her to the stairs. “We cannot explore the whole house without drawing suspicion. Let’s focus on a room or two beside your own. I’ll keep watch so we can assure your cover is maintained.”
Theresia’s shoulders slumped. “You’re right.”
“I believe Miss Yearsley is in the yellow room on one side of you and Miss Haversham in the pink room.”
Theresia jumped in. “And Mr. Stewart the green room across the corridor.”
Rolland bristled. “You know what color Mr. Stewart’s room is?”
“And you know what color the women’s rooms are?”
“It’s my job to know.”
“It’s mine too.” Theresia’s steps quickened. “I’m of a mind to search the yellow room first.”
“Theresia?” He couldn’t believe that woman. Had she already been searching on her own?
She dropped his arm and took the stairs at a jog, answeringhim over her shoulder. “I forgot to thank you for stepping on my foot. Is thank you the right phrase for it? As creative as it was, you really ought to be more careful where you land.” She dropped her voice to a whisper and leaned back to say, “I remember the incident in your chamber all too well.” She batted a dark curl from her face, her eyes unmistakably laughing at him.
He shook his head, exasperated by her. This Lady Glass was pure trouble. So of course he was throwing propriety to the wind and creating more opportunities for her to get herself killed. Well, she wasn’t going to have all the fun without him. He took the stairs two at a time and chased after her.
Chapter 21
Theresia turned the brass doorhandle of the yellow room and was met with immediate tension. It was locked. She should have been frustrated, but she was too excited by this sudden turn of events. Why Rolland had rescued her from the drawing room and her haunting memories, she could only guess. But whether she found her vase tonight or not, it pleased her to have a few moments with just the two of them, without expectations or pretense. She turned at his approach. “Finally caught up, did you?”
“Did you think to search the room or hide in there from me?”
She smirked. “Wouldn’t accomplishing both tasks at once be the most efficient?”
“It would be if your destination wasn’t locked.”
“You saw?”
He nodded. “Not many of the bedchambers have doors that lock from the outside since locks are expensive and the keys are hard to keep track of. Lucky us. We found one of the few in Ashbury Court. Can I borrow your hairpin?”
“Since it’s for a good cause.” She started to lift her hand, but he beat her to it.
His fingers slipped under her curls at the side of her coiffure. Standing stock-still, her breath caught as he played with a ringlet, sliding it through his gentle touch. He swallowed before what seemed like a reluctant but purposeful effort to search for a pin. Her heart raced as his fingers touched her scalp, sending a ripple of heat down her neck and arms. After a small tug, a pin released. A large curl came with it, sliding down by her face. He stared at her hair, making her self-conscious.
She tilted her head and said shakily, “The unkempt-do will be all the rage next Season. I’m simply ahead of the fashion.”
The swirl of brown in his eyes darkened, and he chuckled. “Next you will tell me that every debutante must break into herneighbor’s room to catch a husband.”
“Are you suggesting I sneaked into your room to trap you into marrying me?” She leaned toward him, defying him to say otherwise.
Rolland’s mouth slanted in a devilish smirk. “I wouldn’t put anything past you.”
