Hyacinth fisted a hand on her hip. “Sterling hired us to clean the house, not to rearrange and redecorate.”
“I’m sure he won’t mind.” Sterling had always seemed to appreciate her decorating abilities, like at the cabin when he’d humored her by finding all the supplies she’d requested.
Violet rested on the piano bench as she surveyed the newest position of the settee and the two wingback chairs. This placement was better than the previous one, which had been too contained and not open enough.
The trouble was that now they needed an end table to go between the two wingback chairs to balance out the settee.Preferably a round pedestal table. And a lamp, one with a light-blue shade that matched the damask upholstery.
Of course, Mrs. Noble didn’t have that kind of lantern. But in one of the bedrooms there was a lamp with a pretty, glass shade containing silver threads. Surely Mrs. Noble wouldn’t care if they moved it to the parlor. If she didn’t like the changes when she returned in the spring, Violet would help to move things back to their original places.
Unless she was gone by then…
She pinched her arm.
“What are you doing?” Hyacinth asked with a pointed glance at Violet’s arm.
“Making sure I’m not dreaming.”
Hyacinth turned her head away, but not before Violet caught sight of her smile.
“What’s so funny?”
Hyacinth faced Violet, this time letting her smile free. “I told you that you’re still in love with him.”
Violet didn’t have to ask who Hyacinth was referring to. “No, I just can’t believe Sterling agreed to let us stay here. That’s all.”
“I think he’s starting to let himself love you again too.”
Violet’s pulse leaped at her sister’s declaration. Was Hyacinth right? Did Sterling still have feelings for her?
There had been a few times since the candy-eating incident that she’d felt him looking at her with interest—or at least, it hadn’t been irritation. They’d come a long way from his ordering her off the front porch earlier in the week and telling her he never wanted to see her again to now hiring her to be a maid.
Violet pushed herself up from the bench. “I don’t want to let myself think about what he’s feeling.” Because what if she were wrong? What if he was still just being nice like he would to anyone in need?
“I scolded him for being a coward.” Hyacinth’s smile faded, and her brow furrowed. “Do I need to scold you now too?”
“That isn’t why Sterling hired us, so that he and I could fall in love with each other.”
“Sure it is.”
Violet opened her mouth to contradict Hyacinth but couldn’t formulate a response.
“He wants you. All he needs is a little encouragement, a nudge in the right direction.” Hyacinth paused, tapped her chin, then nodded. “A kiss. That will do it.”
“Hy-a-cinth!” Violet couldn’t hold back the surprise at her sister’s boldness. Even if Violet had thought about the kisses she’d once shared with Sterling, that didn’t mean she wanted to kiss him again, did it? No, of course not. “I will not kiss Sterling.”
Hyacinth shrugged. “It was obvious the last day in the cabin that the attraction between you two is alive and well.”
“No.” Embarrassment rushed through Violet. “That’s not true.”
“He fed you candy.”
Violet buried her face in her hands. It had been a charged incident, and she should have known Hyacinth would bring it up.
“And he can’t keep his hands off you.”
“What?” Violet’s head shot up.
Hyacinth was needlessly adjusting one of the pieces of furniture as though she hadn’t just spoken crass words.
