Chapter 9
Agnes tiptoed up the front steps to the door that would lead her into Bellmoor Manor.
She wasn’t sure why she was doing that, exactly.
The wind was loud enough to have covered the sound of her footsteps, and if someone had actually caught sight of her, then creeping would do no good.
It was just an instinct. She couldn’t make herself stop stooping, even though her cloak covered her head and obscured her face.
No one would know this was her, even if she was seen.
Opening the door felt wrong. She wanted to knock. But the duke had said to just walk in, so she mustered her courage and pushed the big door open.
The butler stood in the foyer, and it was clear by the lack of surprise on his face that she was, indeed, expected. “You know your way to the library, Lady Agnes?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said.
“Can we bring anything up for you? I can send up some tea.”
“That won’t be necessary.” She would have liked tea, actually, but she already felt as if she was imposing on the duke’s hospitality, and accepting a drink would only make matters worse.
She hurried down the hall to the library.
This door had been left ajar, and her book was sitting on the table beside the chair she’d sat in last time she was here.
She closed the door quietly and hurried over to the book, heart pounding with eager anticipation.
Finally, she would have a chance to do some reading.
She would make real progress in the book. Maybe she would even finish it!
She was surprised by the pang of disappointment that realization set off within her.
She’d expected to take pride in the accomplishment.
But instead, it occurred to her that when she finished reading, she wouldn’t be able to come back here anymore.
Nothing else on her list required her to spend time at the duke’s house.
And though she would still see him for various list items, there was something special—something intimate—about meeting in his home.
She would miss it here, she realized. She would miss the smell of the book binding and the cool, quiet atmosphere.
She liked this library, and if she had the option, she would have come back often.
She would have finished this book and moved on to another—not even anything scandalous, necessarily.
Just something that appealed to her. Something she would enjoy reading.
Perhaps he’d still let me come and read here from time to time. After all, it’s a big favor I’m doing for him, pretending to be in this courtship.
Of course, there were big favors ahead that she meant to ask of him as well. She couldn’t allow herself to forget about that. This book was probably the easiest thing on her list. Things were bound to become more complex when they moved on to some of the other items. Especially number five…
Well, she wasn’t ready to think about number five just yet.
She turned her attention to the book instead.
It was much easier today than it had been the last time she was here.
With no one watching her, she found it simple to keep her focus on the page, and before she knew it, she had sped through two dozen pages.
She glanced up at the clock on the wall, thankful for the fact that a room had been prepared for her, hoping that her carriage driver would follow the instructions she had given him and be waiting outside when the sun came up.
Here was something she had never even thought to write down on her list—spending the night at a gentleman’s home!
And that was a most improper idea! She wouldn’t have dared to write it down even if she had thought of it.
It was the perfect example of the way her list was leading her into adventures she hadn’t even dreamed of, opening doors that would never have occurred to her to try to unlock.
That she wasn’t going to see the duke on this visit detracted only slightly from her excitement.
After all, she had spent the evening with him.
That had been enough for her to have her fill of their banter.
To be alone now was something else, something extra special.
It gave her the opportunity to really sit and relish the fact that she was here.
Maybe I won’t go to bed at all tonight. Maybe I’ll stay up all night reading. Wouldn’t that be adventurous! If I finish this book, I could choose another—I could read as much as I liked. All night in the library of a duke!
Now she was rather wishing that she had asked for some tea. Perhaps a maid would come to check on her. If that happened, Agnes decided, she would ask for both tea and biscuits. She might as well make the most of this rare occasion.
She got up and opened the library door. Surely that would be all right to do, since it had been open when she had come in.
And this way, if someone were to walk by, she could get up and hurry over to ask them for something.
Or they might see that she was in here and come to her first, to find out whether there was anything she needed.
She smiled at the thought and returned to her chair, picking up her book and diving back into the salacious story.
She had lost track of how much time had gone by when a sound distracted her from her reading and caused her to look up.
She was certain for a moment that she was going to see the duke standing there, and she was surprised by the way her heart began to pound in response.
It was almost as if she was excited, but the possibility—but that didn’t make sense. She had been glad to be on her own.
Or had she?
She wouldn’t deny that being around him had been intriguing, even if it had been mildly irritating.
He kept her guessing, the way an extraordinarily good book kept her turning the pages, curious to see what the characters would do next.
Maybe she had been too quick to tell herself that she’d seen enough of him for one night.
Was it possible she was still interested in more conversation?
It didn’t matter. The figure standing in the doorway wasn’t the duke at all. It was Helena.
Agnes looked over at the clock. As she had suspected, it was well past midnight.
“Helena? What are you doing out of bed?” she asked.
“Does your uncle know that you’re up and about?
I don’t think he would like you being here.
” An understatement if ever there was one.
Agnes knew full well that the duke had asked her here under the cover of darkness specifically to avoid another interaction between Helena and herself.
He was not going to be happy about this at all.
Helena didn’t answer Agnes. She wandered over to one of the bookcases instead.
Agnes frowned. “Did your uncle give you permission to come in and search for books after all?” That seemed odd, since they had just discussed that issue a few hours ago at the ball.
Surely he would have mentioned it to her if he had changed his mind about the matter.
At least, she thought he would have. Perhaps he wouldn’t.
Maybe he thought it was none of her business.
Helena didn’t answer. She continued to stare at the bookcase.
Actually, Agnes thought, there was something very odd about that stare. She wasn’t searching. She didn’t seem like she was looking for a specific title. Her gaze wasn’t moving over the books at all. She was just looking straight ahead, not really seeming to take anything in.
Agnes frowned and got to her feet. “Helena? Are you all right?” She crossed the room to the girl’s side and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Are you ill? Should I call for your uncle?”
Nothing. No response.
Agnes came around to an angle that allowed her to look Helena in the eyes. They were vacant and staring. Helena was here in body, but her mind was somewhere far away.
Sleepwalking. The word came to her, a memory from a book she had read long ago.
She had never witnessed sleepwalking before, had never known what it would look like, but this must be it.
This odd, empty stare. Moving about the house with no destination in mind—without your mind being a part of things at all. It was a bit frightening to her.
She bit her lip. What was she supposed to do now? Did you wake up a sleepwalker? She couldn’t remember if that was the right move. But she could hardly leave Helena to wander around the manor. What if she fell down the stairs or injured herself in some other way?
The right thing to do is to see her safely back to bed—but I don’t know where her bedroom is, and she’s in no state to tell me.
Agnes was going to have to find someone who could help her get Helena back to where she was supposed to be.
Unfortunately, that would mean wandering around the house, which she didn’t think the duke wanted her to do—but what was the alternative here?
He would understand, given the circumstances.
Besides, she was fairly sure the staff was all aware of her presence, so she wouldn’t be causing any trouble by allowing them to see her.
Carefully, she put an arm around Helena’s shoulders.
She spoke in a low voice that she hoped would be soothing—if the girl could hear her at all, that was.
“Helena, I’m going to take you back to bed,” she said.
“You’re perfectly safe now that I’ve found you, but sleep is best done lying down.
If you know which way your bedroom is, maybe you can start walking in that direction? ”
No response. Well, she hadn’t really expected that tactic to bear fruit.
She guided Helena to the door, out of the library, and into the hall.
It was empty. The foyer might be a good place to start the search for a member of the staff who could help them—but then, it was so late.
What if everyone was already asleep—what if there was nobody at all available to help her with this?
No, that can’t be the case. There will be someone.
After all, I still haven’t been shown what my own sleeping arrangements are, she reasoned.
Someone was going to have to take her to the room that had been set up for her—and that meant someone had to be awake. All she had to do was find that person.
The foyer was empty, though. Agnes was disheartened. What had happened to the butler who had greeted her on the way in? He had to be somewhere, didn’t he?
A thought occurred to her. Wherever Helena’s room was, it was likely that she had left her door ajar.
She hadn’t closed the library door when she had come in, so it didn’t seem as though she was troubling to shut doors on her midnight walk.
If Agnes could find the room with the open door, that was likely to be the right one.
Lacking any help, the best option might be to just wander down the hall and keep her eyes open for that telltale sign.
She tightened her grip around Helena’s shoulders and pulled the girl down the hall, away from the foyer. Helena came easily, willingly. She didn’t resist. Thank goodness for that. Agnes didn’t think she’d have had the physical strength necessary to force Helena along if she had put up a fight.
They rounded a corner—
Agnes froze.
There was the duke, walking toward them, a candle in his hand, lighting up his face. And he had just seen her standing there with her arm around Helena, the very thing Agnes knew all too well he had wanted to avoid.
Before she could take stock of the expression on his face, before she could determine whether he seemed angry about what he had encountered, the candle flickered and went out.