Chapter 23 #2
When we stepped outside, the same carriage that took us to the Christmas Eve party was awaiting us, and we climbed inside.
I watched the sky outside as we drove. It was dotted with stars that appeared to be much closer than they really were.
My eyes caught similar dots of light in the windows of Brackenridge Hall, and my stomach fluttered against my will.
After the carriage had rolled to a stop and we stepped inside the house, the smell of cinnamon and other warm spices flooded my nose. The house was warm with fire and friendly faces, and I spotted several guests who had brought masks of their own to wear. My smile widened.
As I surveyed the crowd, I noticed a familiar child standing beside her father, licking the pastel icing off the top of a tiny cake. She wore a familiar and oversized necklace, a ragged brown dress, and a sullen face that had been wiped clean with soap and a smile.
I walked in her direction, and she looked up just as reached her side. Her face lit up with recognition, her fingers flitting to the necklace at her collar.
“How lovely you look tonight, Caroline,” I said as I stooped closer to her height. “And what a beautiful necklace.”
Her eyes grew brighter. “Papa let me wear it one last time for the party. Tomorrow he’ll sell it for food.”
I considered her expression, full of joy and amazement. Where did she find the strength? “Are you enjoying the sweets?” I asked.
She nodded, offering a shy smile.
“May I teach you a trick?” I dropped my voice to a whisper. “If you tuck the top layer of your skirts into the ribbon at your waist, you may hide dozens of cakes in your skirts to eat tomorrow.”
She giggled, a quiet bubble of a laugh. “Is that what you do?”
“Always.” I winked. “We will be the same. But please keep it a secret.”
She gave a resolute nod that made me smile.
I glanced at her hair, lighter now than it had been before, washed free of the dirt.
It was styled in a single braid down her back.
I reached up to my head and removed one of my silver pins.
I took the end of her braid and twirled it around itself into a small knot at the base of her neck and secured it with the silver pin.
“There. Now we look the same too. Although…” I tapped my lip, “I daresay you are the most beautiful girl in the entire house tonight.” I smiled as she touched the pin on the back of her head in awe.
“Enjoy the party,” I said, glancing in her father’s direction as well. As I walked away, she tapped her father’s shoulder to show him the new pin in her hair.
My smile seemed irreversible now, and as I walked away, I steadied myself and refocused on the task I had come here to accomplish. A voice from behind me made my heart leap.
“I didn’t think you could become more beautiful.”
I turned slowly, steeling myself. James was smiling, just a soft lift of his lips that fluttered my heart. Every piece of me he had stolen was reflected in his eyes, and I had no power to reclaim them. My cheeks tingled with heat at his compliment.
“I didn’t think you could become more flirtatious.”
He laughed, looking down at his boots, then back at my face. “Forgive me.”
I smiled, hating myself for how much I enjoyed being beside him, talking with him, teasing him, laughing with him. It was all so unfair. “I assume you approached me because you have a plan to accomplish the quest we call ‘Rosemary’?” I said.
“That is one reason.” He smiled but it lasted only a brief moment.
“How can we bring them together?” I asked quickly, keeping my gaze moving around the room, not settling for too long on his face.
“Do you know for certain that she loves him?” I heard the suspicion in his voice.
I dared a glance at his face. “Yes, I have no doubt.”
James’s eyes were careful, withdrawn, and looking far too deeply into mine. I was afraid he could read my thoughts.
“And your brother? Do you know that he loves her?” I asked.
“It was difficult to believe at first, but now there is no question.” His eyes did not leave my face. “He loves her more than anything.”
I tried not to think too deeply about his words or the look in his eyes. My heart hammered. “What shall we do then? Or should we trust fate to the task?”
He smiled, one side of his mouth lifting more than the other. “If there’s anything I don’t trust, it’s fate. Come now, Charlotte, we’re clever. We’ll find a way.”
I searched the room, looking for clues—and a distraction.
The awareness I felt of James standing beside me, every breath, every movement, was too much to bear at the moment.
“We must separate. You speak to your brother, I to my sister, and we will meet again later to…conspire with our new information.”
He nodded with an amused smile. “Where will this conspiracy take place?”
“In this very spot. In one hour.”
He chuckled. “Very well. I will see you in an hour, then.”
I nodded and turned, eager to escape his gaze.
My mind raced as I walked through the crowd, searching for Clara.
I couldn’t find her, so I just tried to find the farthest corner of the ballroom that I could hide where James wouldn’t find me.
Not now, not in one hour. I leaned against the wall and breathed, squeezing my eyes shut.
I did not love him. I did not love him. I did not love him.
I opened my eyes and saw Mrs. Abbot and Lucy standing nearby. Relief flooded through me and I hurried toward them, knowing their conversation would serve as the perfect distraction.
Mrs. Abbot looked up as I approached. “Charlotte, there you are! Did you try one of the cakes yet? We have them prepared every year but this year they reminded me of you.” Her eyes crinkled at the corners and she whispered, “I must warn you…they are quite addicting.”
The thought of eating cake right now made me sick. “I will have to try one.” My smile was forced.
Mrs. Abbot glanced at the clock on the north wall then turned to Lucy. “Will you go fetch the guest book from the front room? The ladies will need to pick names soon and we ought to begin making the papers.”
My stomach flipped over as Lucy left and I remembered that particular tradition. “How many gentlemen are here?”
“Oh, at least ten unmarried. They are the ones who participate. Some are from out of town and considered quite eligible.” Mrs. Abbot winked at me.
I allowed myself to relax a little, knowing my chances of being partnered with James were slim.
I spotted Sophia standing with the housekeeper just outside the ballroom in the corridor.
She wore a pale green dress to match her eyes, which were peering into the ballroom with longing.
Her father wasn’t by her side, so I excused myself and walked over to Sophia, putting a smile on my face for her sake more than my own.
“Darling girl, I have missed you!” She heard my voice and looked up, grinning instantly.
She pulled her hand away from the woman's and walked toward me on the tips of her toes, holding her skirts.
“You look quite lovely this evening,” I said, earning a giggle. “Would you like to help me with something? It is a very secret task, and I think we will make a perfect team.”
She nodded, her face showing she intended to take her duty seriously.
I smiled. “First, tell me, are you fond of Miss Clara?”
“Oh, yes! She is very kind and very smart. She is teaching me how to read, and how to count, and how to sing. I like her very much.”
“I am glad to hear it. And does your father care for Miss Clara?”
Sophia's forehead crinkled. “I don't know. He doesn't stay for our lessons like he did before.”
I leaned down and whispered, “That is what we need to fix. Because Miss Clara loves your papa, very much.”
Her eyes rounded. “She does?”
“Yes.”
She gasped. “Will she marry him?”
“I hope so. But first we must be sure your papa knows that Miss Clara wants to.”
“Will she tell him?” Sophia's voice was quiet now.
“She is afraid.”
A crease settled between her eyebrows. “I tell Papa I love him every day.”
The look on her face was so endearing I had to smile. “Then I suppose you are much braver than most. Clara did try to tell him, but she wrote him a letter instead. But that is the mystery, because we do not know where the letter went, or if your papa ever found it.”
Her face lit up. “Miss Clara wrote a letter for me too! I can't read it yet, but when I'm big, I'll know how to read all the writing.” She clasped her hands together and rocked back and forth.
“When did she give you the letter?” I asked with a frown.
“I was in my nightdress on my way to the kitchen, and then the letter came through the door, just for me!”
My breath caught in my throat. “What?”
“I opened it up and it said Miss Clara's name at the bottom, so I put it in my bedchamber and I will read it when I'm older.”
She was beaming now, and I was still trying to process her words. Sophia had the letter all this time? My heart thudded.
Lord Trowbridge never received it.
I bent down and touched Sophia's arm. “You must find that letter. It was for your papa.”
“It wasn't for me?” Her face fell.
“Clara will write a new one, just for you. She will even teach you to read it if you wish. But first, please find the letter and bring it back.”
She gave a quick nod of her head and hurried across the ballroom and out the opposite door, holding her skirts up with one hand, showing several inches of her stockings.
I watched her until she was out of sight, then scanned the crowd for Clara, eager to tell her of my new discovery. I found her standing alone on the outer edge of the ballroom, watching the crowd with the expression of someone who wished to be anywhere else in the world but here.
“Clara!”
She looked up as I rushed toward her.
“Sophia has the letter! She had it all this time!” I lowered my voice. “Thomas never read it. He still doesn't know how you feel.”
The color drained from her face, and I started to worry she would faint.