Page 36 of The Rules of Matrimony
Ian played with the stem of his glass, as he often did. “Is there anything I can do for you before I leave? I want to see that you’re comfortable while I am away.”
What did she need? She had more than she had ever had in her life. Finally, she thought of something. “Would you be willing to make travel arrangements for my mother? I do not know where to start.”
“I would be happy to do so. How soon would you like her to come?”
“Perhaps in a month? I thought to fix up the bedroom next to mine, if you agree to it. The paint is chipping, and there is a tear in the drapes.”
He pressed his lips together, humming his agreement. “I have left you a sizable allowance and credit at all the stores in town. You may make whatever changes you desire. The mercantile can help you order anything you cannot find readily stocked.”
She had seen the piles of letters sent out for the mail. When had he had the time to do this for her? “Thank you. You are most generous.”
“If you need more, you need only to write to me.”
They ate quietly for another few minutes. She did not even pretend to touch the squirrel again. She had lost all motivation to please him, even if he had left her a never-ending allowance. He was leaving anyway. It seemed even a friendship would be too much to ask for.
After dinner she said a polite good night and wandered back to her bedchamber, her steps dragging. She did not know if she would see Ian in the morning. He often kept his distance until dinnertime. She shut herself into her room and shivered. Was it her mood, or was it colder than normal? Setting her evening gloves on her bedside table, she rubbed her bare hands along the gooseflesh on her arms before reaching for the bell pull to call for her maid. A howl sounded from the direction of her window, and she startled.
Crossing the room, she realized the glass had been left open. She peered out into the night, the trees swaying angrily.
“No, no, no.” It couldn’t be a storm. She had not seen any sign of the change in weather that morning on her walk. After she pulled the glass shut tightly, she backed away from it and shivered again. Surely it would blow over. There was nothing to worry about.
Her chest tightened.
It was just a little wind.
Just wind.
Chapter 16
Ian fell into a comfortablesleep, hopeful for a chance to further his latest project and to have a reason to think of something other than dratted squirrels or a pair of luminous brown eyes. Everything was finally falling into place.
Sleep, however, was short-lived. A crash somewhere in the house startled him awake. And a shriek followed directly after. He bolted upright in bed, his heart pounding. A rumble of thunder roiled through the sky outside his window, and a flash of light filled his room. Had the storm woken him? Or had it been Amie? It took a moment for his mind to process what he’d heard.
The shriek had been distinctive.
Digging around for his trousers in the dark, he located them on a chair and shoved his legs inside. He tucked in his nightshirt and ran barefoot through his door toward Amie’s.
In his eagerness to check on her, he didn’t bother to knock but threw the door open. His eyes began to adjust to the dark, but it wasn’t until a second flash of lightning that he saw that Amie’s bed was empty.
“Amie?” His whisper was lost in a resounding crack followed by a torrent of rain against the house and window. He moved inside the room. He thought he’d heard a crash earlier. His foot hit something sharp. Lowering his gaze, he saw pieces of either a vase or a pitcher.
“Amie?” he called again, rounding her bed. The room was empty. She wasn’t here. Maybe the storm had awakened her, too, and she’d knocked over the vase on her way to the kitchen for a bite to eat. Or perhaps she’d gone to the library for a book. He was tired, buthe couldn’t go back to bed without cleaning up the glass. He didn’t want Amie to hurt herself. At the fireplace, he discovered the flint. It took a moment to light a candle, which he then held to assess the damage.
A boom like a cannon sounded outside. What a storm. He had observed a few dark clouds with the gamekeeper but nothing this severe. A whimper sounded from somewhere. Whirling around, he saw nothing. His tired mind was playing tricks on him. Shaking his head, he bent to pick up the largest piece of glass when he heard the whimper again.
His gaze flew to the closet door. It had come from that direction. There was no way she was in there, but he could not put the thought aside. “Dash it all,” he muttered under his breath. He set the piece of glass on her dressing table and took the candle to the closet. With a yank, he opened it, fully expecting to see nothing.
He was wrong. Amie sat on the floor with something tied around her eyes. She had her hands over her ears and was rocking back and forth. Another whimper tumbled from her tightly squeezed lips.
Alarm seized him. “Amie,” he said again, not bothering to whisper this time.
She stilled, her head turning to him.
He crouched into a sitting position, set the candle aside, and quickly had his hands on her blindfold. He pulled it off her head with a gentle tug. “What in heaven’s name?”
Tear-streaked eyes looked up at him. “W-what are you doing here?”
“I heard a crashing sound. What are you doing in the closet? Was there an intruder?”
