More than one lady had pointed toward her, talking of how she didn’t wear jewelry, and she had even seen the shock on someone’s face when they had discovered that Allan was her brother.
“She is the sister of a marquess? Goodness, I heard Lady Dorothy would sooner be seen in a rabbit warren than a ballroom. She shouldn’t bother wearing such gowns and should go back to the warren tonight.”
Dorothy swallowed past a lump in her throat and hurried to the nearest side door, pushing it wide open in her effort to get some fresh air. She was in such haste that she didn’t register at first how the door hadn’t been locked as she stepped out.
After three strides onto the path, she took a deep breath and tipped her head up to the sky, inhaling the freshness. Above her, the stars glittered in the clear night sky, and the moon peered down as a thin crescent. With no clouds to offer any sort of insulation, the early spring night was chilly, and she rubbed her hands up and down her arms, trying to bring some warmth to them.
Allowing the door to swing shut behind her, she strode through the garden. She loved a midnight walk, though Allan was the only one who knew that, for the staff had told him two years ago that she was sometimes found outside even when the sun rose. Tonight, she admired in the grounds what she loved to see at night.
The flower heads looked silver and black, rather than their usual yellow and pink hues. The trees glittered, their dewy leaves shimmering in the moonlight. It was all so beautiful, a world far from the clammy, claustrophobic feeling of her bed.
Running her fingers through the leaves of the yew bush she passed, Dorothy rounded a corner and stepped into the knot garden. A perfect square made of a water fountain in the middle and eight paths that intersected in straight lines with yellow-stone paths, at this time of night, it was merely shadows. The bushes that danced in the breeze, their branches bending back and forth, looked almost like the dancers from the ball, as if they had lost their way and come outside.
The shadow of the fountain moved, and for a second, she thought someone really was outside, dancing, then she laughed at the absurdity of it all. Most of the guests had gone home hours ago, except the ones who were staying at Lady Webster’s.
Then, the shadow moved again, and Dorothy saw no one was dancing. In fact, someone was just walking past the fountain, their head downturned and their hands thrust into the pockets of a heavy frock coat.
Dorothy backed up. After overhearing all the gossip that night at the ball, she had no wish to fuel it further. If someone saw her out here, the rumors would reach all of Lady Webster’s guests by the end of breakfast.
“Lady Dorothy? Oh, yes, she walks at night, did you not know? Can’t stay in her bed. Quite unladylike, don’t you think?”
The potential rumors made her walk faster. She didn’t pay attention well enough to where she was going and rounded the yew bushes. Rather than escaping back to the path, she ended up entering the knot garden from the other side. She skidded to a halt, realizing her mistake, but before she could turn back again, she came face to face with the bearer of that silhouette.
“Dorothy?” The unmistakable voice made her freeze.
He stepped forward, his coat billowing in the wind. His face moved into a sheen of moonlight, bright enough for her to see the stern expression on his face.
“Stephen,” she murmured.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
“What the hell are you doing out here at this time of night?”
Dorothy backed up, startled by the sudden strength in Stephen’s words.
“Me? What about you?” She waved a hand toward him.
The peace that had been in the garden a minute ago vanished, and an owl took flight from a nearby tree, darting into the night. They both spun around at the sound, and Stephen raised his forefinger, pressing it to his lips.
When he moved closer to her, Dorothy saw exactly what he was wearing. Beneath his open frock coat, he still wore his trousers and shirt from the ball, along with his waistcoat, which was open as well. Her mouth felt dry, and she struggled to swallow past that feeling.
“Dorothy, this is most—”
“Improper,” she finished for him, knowing what he was going to say. “Imagine what people will think if they hear a young lady has been walking alone at night.”
“Why bother coming out here if you already know my objection?”
“Because my life is not run by your objections.” She walked around him and pursued a path through the knot garden, heading back in the direction of the fountain.
“Dorothy!” he hissed as he ran after her. “I’ll escort you back inside.”
“You will do no such thing,” she spoke quietly, glancing at the windows nearby, but all the curtains were drawn. Not a soul was looking at them. “You are not my guardian. Allan is the only one who could order me to go back inside.”
“I escorted you here on his behalf, may I remind you.” Stephen stepped in front of her.
“Oh, enough of the orders.”
“I am not ordering you. I am… requesting…” he trailed off, realizing it wasn’t a good excuse.
