“A devious schemer, you are, Miss Apsley. I expected nothing less.”
This brought a mischievous grin to her lips. “On second thought, I know precisely what I wish to do. How do you feel about a midnight jaunt?”
Chapter nine
Annette
Iresistedtheurgeto crumple the note in my hand. A maid had delivered it to me after I left the library and was returning to my bedchamber to plan my and Lieutenant Paget’s midnight excursion. The note had nearly made me spin around and march straight back to the library to give the jacksnapes a piece of my mind, but I refrained. Oh, he would receive an earful tonight; that was for certain. But I would wait until we were alone and away from the castle. The servants at Kenwick were loyal enough to keep gossip about my family to themselves, but theystillgossiped amongst themselves.
I had no desire for word to reach my parents that the lieutenant and I were exchanging notes.
Because we weren’t.
Except for today, of course, but neither the note he penned informing me of his return and requesting to meet nor the one presently resting on my desk was romantic in nature.
My eyes dropped to the paper in my hand again, scouring over the man’s words, and I scowled. This one read like a love letter unless one understood my relationship with the lieutenant was riddled with teasing exchanges and sarcasm. How easily it might be misconstrued. Why could he not pen a simple note without being ridiculous? Indeed, it was not even the first note of this sort he had written to me.
Irksome man.
I crossed the room to where a fire glowed in the hearth, intending to throw the paper inside and watch the flames devour it. But my eyes wandered over the words again, taking in the elegant flourishes of each letter of the valediction.
Yours.
That’s what he had written. No doubt that one word was meant to be the finishing touch on his efforts to vex me, and it served its purpose well enough. Frustration swelled in my chest, but admittedly, there was something more. Something minuscule by comparison, but powerful in its presence. I readily identified the feeling as pleasure, and no matter my efforts to snuff it out, the strange sensation remained.
Yours.I did not want him to be mine in any way. Why, then, did part of me glow at the prospect? The idea was nonsensical, and one I would need to analyze further to rid myself of it completely. For that reason alone, I returned to my writing desk and stuffed the note into the drawer.
Shoving it closed with more force than necessary, I groaned. “He will drive me to madness. What is he about, anyway? Saying he does not wish to tease me anymore when clearly he does.” I gestured to where the note now rested, tucked away and hidden. It mocked me. It served as evidence that the lieutenant could not be trusted.
Didn’t it?
“And what of his question? Impertinent man, asking to know why I’ve no wish to marry. Where did that even come from?”
Even the lieutenant had seemed surprised by his bluntness. I had mentioned my lack of desire to marry before, in London. Such a topic could not be avoided when the ruse of a fake courtship was suggested. Lieutenant Paget had not questioned my reasons after that first dismissal, content to simply reap the reward of our mutual efforts to fool theton. Apparently, his curiosity had festered in the months since then.
And it would have to keep festering, for I had no intention of discussing such a personal matter with him. My father’s financial successes were well known, so it should not come as a shock to anyone that an inheritance would provide for me well enough. I did not need a husband.
“Nor do Iwanta husband,” I muttered, reaching for the note still sitting on my desk. I had jotted down a time and place for the lieutenant to meet me tonight after spending the last hour scheming, and unlike him, my words had been curt and simple, the valediction nothing more than my initials. No one would mistake my note for being romantic in nature.
Given Lieutenant Paget had already asked a maid to deliver his, I thought it best to take a more hands-on approach. The servants did not need more to talk about belowstairs. I crept to the guest wing, careful to ensure no one was about before slipping the sealed paper through the crack at the bottom of his door. I returned to my room to ready for dinner, anticipation for tonight pulling a genuine grin onto my face. Revenge always was the best sort of dessert.
Acoolbreezerattledthe waist-high hedges to either side of me, and I tugged my pelisse tighter. During the day, the temperature was tolerable this time of year, but at night, an autumn chill could easily wrack my body with shivers. I’d donned a simple day dress again, one that didn’t require the assistance of my abigail to put on, and it was not made of the warmest fabric. My hair hung over my shoulder in a plait. I’d considered styling it myself into something more presentable but quickly tossed the idea aside. Something about potentially scandalizing the lieutenant again brought me joy.
Above me, the moon glowed brightly, illuminating my path through the gardens. Despite the nipping air, tonight was truly perfect for enacting my scheme, as I had no need for a candle or lantern that might alert someone to my venture out of doors in the darkness.
I followed the meandering path beyond the trimmed hedges into the more wild pleasure garden. The asters remained in bloom, dotting the landscape with a bit of color, and much of the grasses were still green. Several sunflowers grew near the hedges in the distance, and while they stood in shadows without the sun, I knew their bright yellow hue was a match to the leaves that had already begun to change but had yet to fall. There were enough trees here to provide coverage from any watchful eyes, which was one reason I had chosen this area as a meeting spot.
Not that there was likely anyone awake at this hour, but it never hurt to proceed with caution when pursuing vengeance against one’s brother.
Stopping in front of a cherub statue, my grip on the basket I carried relaxed, and I set the woven vessel on the ground and looked heavenward. The portion of the sky not clouded with the moon’s bright halo was dotted with stars, twinkling lights set against a black curtain. I smiled up at them, a feeling of serenity flooding me to my core. Father had often brought me out for a stroll beneath the stars as a little girl. He had done so after I came out in society as well, though with less frequency. His poor health prevented such excursions now, and it had been far too long since I enjoyed peering up at the stars.
Tears pricked at my eyes, but I shook the sadness away. My scheme required focus, for even if it was unlikely anyone would spot me, I needed to stay alert.
Boots tapping quietly against the path drew my attention, and my heart pattered in an exuberant rhythm even after the lieutenant’s tall form came into clear view. The shadows of the trees veiled him in darkness until he was nearly upon me. The moonlight trickling through the canopy illuminated his face and dark eyes, and I noted the beginnings of stubble forming on his chin and above his lips. Given I had never seen him unshaven before, I expected it would be gone by breakfast. The man took care with his appearance, though I would not label him a dandy. Regardless, the rare view of his facial hair must excuse my excessive study of his mouth.
“You came,” I said, finally pulling my gaze away from his lips.
“Did you question whether I would?” His low voice was almost a whisper, and something about being alone with him at night made even those words sound intimate.
