She glanced around the room, taking in the fact that she wasn’t in her bedchamber. This room was larger and much nicer than hers.
“Where am I?”
“You’re in one of the guest rooms?—”
She gasped when she looked down and realized she wasn’t wearing the practical wool dress she’d donned before setting out. The blue muslin fabric looked familiar. If she wasn’t mistaken, it was one of Sarah’s dresses.
“Did you… Did I…” She cleared her throat. “What am I wearing?”
“That was my doing, miss.”
Her gaze went to the corner of the room where a matronly woman was standing. She recognized her as the housekeeper.
“You were frozen through to the bone, Millie, and your clothing was wet. I asked Mrs. Dryer to help you change into dry clothing so you wouldn’t get sick.”
She took a deep breath as her mind grappled with the fact that she hadn’t been dreaming. She’d actually walked to her friend’s house and been caught in a snowstorm. Which meant her reason for setting out in the first place was also real.
“Where’s Sarah?” It made no sense why the viscount would be here in place of her friend.
Carlisle moved around to the side of the bed, his hands remaining clasped behind his back. And he was still frowning.
“As I was telling you when you swooned, Sarah has gone with Mother to visit family for Christmas.”
Millie didn’t swoon—her constitution was far too robust for that. But apparently her exhaustion had caused her to do just that.
Feeling vulnerable in her current position, Millie struggled to sit up. Carlisle hurried to help her, his strong arm moving behind her back while his other hand took hold of hers. Hisunglovedhand. The heat of his skin against hers caused an uncomfortable awareness to race through her body.
And to her utter mortification, she felt the blush that now heated her cheeks.
He helped her to stand and then took precisely two steps back.
“I’m not going to swoon again.”
Carlisle did something completely unexpected then. He smiled. And heaven help her, it made him even more handsome.
“There’s no need to be embarrassed. Given the state you were in when you arrived, it’s completely understandable.”
She almost sagged with relief at his words. It would have been unbearable if the viscount realized the flush in her cheeks was the result of her inconvenient attraction to him.
“I apologize for imposing on you in such a manner.”
He stared at her for several seconds before he spoke. “I’m surprised you ventured so far on foot given the weather.”
She wrapped her arms around her waist and shivered, remembering just how cold it had been. “I thought I’d bundled up sufficiently when I set out. It wouldn’t have been so bad if the snow hadn’t started to fall in earnest. It slowed me down, so the trip took much longer than normal.”
“It wasn’t snowing when you left?”
She shook her head. “And when it started, I didn’t think it would be so bad. I can’t remember the last time we had a proper snowstorm.”
“And you didn’t turn back because…?”
“By the time I realized I shouldn’t have ventured out, I was closer to your estate than to ours. I couldn’t bear the thought of spending longer than necessary outdoors.”
He clasped his hands behind his back again. There was a searching quality in the way he looked at her that had her thinking he wanted to ask her a question that might causeher offense. She rushed to reassure him. “If you could ask for your carriage to be prepared so I can return home, I’d be very grateful.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
She tried to ignore the way his denial made her feel as though she was imposing. “If it’s warmer now, I suppose I could make the return trip on foot?—”
