“This is not right, and you well know it,” Sally muttered.
“All I know is that we are close to catching our thief, and I’m not going to allow anything to stop me.” Maxey lifted Lady Wentworth’s gown to her ankles and stepped quickly toward the hedges.
Sally grumbled, “We will get caught and tossed out of the party.”
Maxey shook her head. “We will be wearing masks, or have you forgotten? Nobody will know who we are. Not even Ignatius Burke, since he has never met us.”
When they reached the hedges, Sally’s breaths came out ragged. Perhaps Maxey should slow the pace. But time slipped by too quickly, and shadows grew thicker and deeper as the evening progressed.
Maxey bent low and studied the hedges as she slowly moved, hoping to find a break in the branches for them to enter through. Although maybe Sally wouldn’t fit. Maxey glanced over her shoulder and eyed her friend’s full figure. They had to try. Going onto the estate this way might be their only chance.
With each step Maxey took, her heartbeat quickened. Tonight would be the ideal time to get to know the Wentworths’ wayward brother. She even had the perfect topic of conversation: the opera. For seven whole days, she had attended the same performance. How could she not? Ignatius’s singing had amazed her and left her breathless. She had tried numerous times to introduce herself to him, but he wasn’t receiving visitors.
A light flashed between the hedges and caught her attention. There was a hole where the branches appeared to have been snapped. Her hopes lifted, and she smiled.Perfect.It might be a tight fit, but they could squeeze through.
She came to a sudden stop. Sally bumped into her from behind and let out a small squeal.
“Shh…” Maxey turned and placed her hand over the maid’s mouth. “I found a way to get inside.”
Sally’s eyes widened. When Maxey pointed to the spot in the greenery, her partner scowled and shook her head. “My large body cannot wedge through that tiny opening,” she mumbled against Maxey’s palm.
“Yes, you can. We shall both fit.” Maxey dropped her hand from Sally’s mouth and stepped closer to the hedge. “I’ll go first.”
Bunching up the skirt of her gown and holding it close to her body, Maxey maneuvered sideways through the bushes. Branches yanked hair from her tight bun and swept dangerously close to her eyes. When she reached the other side of the hedges, relief gushed through her.
Quickly, she brushed her gown and smoothed her hair. Thankfully, deep shadows guarded her entry. Close to the house, a few couples strolled in the moonlight, their throaty giggles rising in the night. The couple seemed more interested in each other than searching the yard for intruders.
Grunts and groans from Sally brought Maxey’s attention back to her companion. “For heaven’s sake. Be quiet.” Maxey held some of the branches back to allow her partner through.
The poor woman had scratches on her face, and more of her hair hung loose than had remained in the knot on the back of her head from this morning. Just as Sally stepped onto the grass, she tripped on a fallen branch and stumbled to her knees.
When she looked up at Maxey from the undignified position, she held in a groan. No doubt Maxey would hear a mouthful soon, but the first order of business was to fix Sally’s hair before someone noticed. Hopefully, the mask would hide the scratches on her face.
“Have you completely lost your senses?” Sally muttered as she scooted out of the hedges completely. “Good grief, woman. Will you stop at nothing to find the man?”
Maxey crouched to her companion’s level and frowned. “No. I’m here for a purpose, and I will do everything possible to accomplish what I came to do.”
Sally folded her arms across her large bosom and huffed. Ignoring the icy stare, Maxey pulled out her mask from the thick ribbon circling her waist.
“Quickly, get in disguise, Sally. We don’t want to appear out of place.”
As Sally searched for her mask in the crouched position, a large, very masculine hand appeared in front of Maxey, reaching out to help.
“May I offer assistance?”
“Yes, thank y—”
She sucked in a breath and fell back on her buttocks, staring up at the dark-haired man with a charming smile. Even though shadows played across his face, she would know him anywhere, since she had stared at his magnificent profile while watching him at the opera these past seven days.
The very man she’d sneaked into the party to find, the murder suspect, Ignatius Burke, stood in front of her…offering his hand.
With her pulse beating frantically in her ears, she scrambled for something intelligent to say. Now she must slip into character.
She cleared her throat, preparing the role she had worked on for two weeks of trying to find him. To Ignatius Burke, she would be an aristocrat and not a servant.
“Thank you, kind sir, but I fear my friend and I have lost our—” She scanned the area around her partner, who still sat on the ground staring with wide eyes at Ignatius. Sally’s mask lay on the ground.
“Oh there it is, Sally.” Maxey cheered as she picked up the mask and handed it to the maid.
