Olivia inhaled a sharp breath. “I’m going to help Mrs.Milton. Nothing more.”
The hard-set lines of his long face were unmoving. “I hope you know what you’re doing, ’tis all.”
“No one seems to believe it, but I am a grown woman, completely capable, Russell.”
“I know you are.” He relaxed his stance and gripped the back of the chair in front of him. “Forgive me. I suppose I’ve grown used to the way things are. The wayweare.”
The words, and the meaning behind them, froze her.
He offered a half smile. “You could always refuse to go. Or tell Mrs.Milton you’ve changed your mind.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because part of me hopes that you would see that you have everything you need here. Your uncle and I were talking about your future earlier today. He said that he thought it folly that you would seek out a new situation when you have an opportunity already in front of you.”
Heat suffused her face, and she was grateful for the low light, for surely a blush was coloring her cheeks.
It must seem like a natural progression for Russell to marry his superior’s ward and secure his place in the business. After all, she had no other suitors, and as far as she knew, he’d never courted a woman. And yet in all the years Olivia had known Russell, he’d never said anything that would suggest he considered her in a romantic way. Perhaps it would have been easier if he had, or even if he’d acted flirtatiously. Then she’d have a reason to dislike him or, at the very least, to discourage him.
But regardless of all, the truth remained: this might be the life he wanted, but it was not the life she wanted.
This storeroom, and the relics in it, would not be her life.
Shewouldjourney to faraway places. Eat exotic food. Inhale the scent of sandalwood incense in an Indian temple or spy a gibbon in China’s woodlands.
If she died tomorrow, what had she really done? What had she accomplished?
He must have interpreted her silence as a refusal to discuss the topic further. A nervous chuckle rumbled from his throat, and he whirled back around to his desk. “After you return from Cloverton, I’ll be eager to hear your thoughts on the Cavesee Vase. It really is quite remarkable.”
In that moment she almost felt sorry for Russell. She did not doubt his sincerity. He’d always been very cordial to her—helping her, teaching her—and she supposed that given her circumstance, he’d be a good match for her. But if she accepted him or indulged his attentions, then she’d be accepting that this way of life would be her future.
The options for her future would soon be exhausted, and this offer from Mrs.Milton was a miracle—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to step out of her world and into one more affluent, where she’d be treated differently. Have a new routine. Interact with elegant people.
Maybe when she returned she would see things from a fresh perspective.
But then again, maybe she would not.
Chapter5
Today was the day Olivia’s entire life was going to change.
She could feel it as surely as she could feel the misty rain clinging to her eyelashes and the fine wool of her new traveling gown against her skin. Inside, her nerves were trembling, but she was not frightened. It was the anticipation of something new—the anticipation of an adventure.
Colorless daylight crested over the London rooftops as a carriage turned down Kingsby Street. Four black horses, sleek and glossy from precipitation, effortlessly conveyed the pretentious vehicle, and the crunching wheels and jingling harnesses reverberated along the row of shops.
Laura wrapped her arm around Olivia’s and leaned her head on her shoulder. “If you do not make this journey memorable enough for the both of us, I shall never forgive you.”
The carriage swayed to a stop in front of the sisters, and the next several moments sped. Russell appeared in the receiving room doorway from the storeroom. Two liveried footmen descended from the carriage and lifted and secured her trunk andvalise. One of the ebony horses whinnied, tossed its head, and stomped its hefty hoof against the cobbles.
Employing every ounce of tenacity she could muster, Olivia squeezed her sister’s hand and kissed her cheek before she stepped toward the waiting vehicle. The footman turned the carriage’s brass door handle and opened it, revealing a stern-faced Mrs.Milton inside.
“Oh good. You’re ready.” Mrs.Milton’s snipped words were barely audible above the swirling activity. “And I’m glad for it, for I despise tardiness. Don’t dawdle, then. Bid your farewells and we shall be off.”
Olivia paused to glance back to where her trunk had been to ensure nothing was left behind, then she turned to wave a farewell to Laura and Russell before she accepted the footman’s assistance. Once inside, she was enveloped by the opulent crimson velvet interior and overwhelming scent of lily of the valley and peppermint. She settled on the tufted seat across from Mrs.Milton, acutely aware of the older lady’s sharp stare, the tiny black-eyed Pomeranian nestled on her lap, and the somber-faced maid sitting to Mrs.Milton’s right.
Olivia spied her sister through the rain-streaked window, noting the sad arch of her brows and the way her teeth clamped over her lower lip.
Olivia was not an emotional creature, yet the moment’s significance raged within her. This role she was playing—this glimpse into a different existence—started now. All the planning and contemplating of the past week was finally set into motion,and very soon the consequences of this decision would make themselves known.
