No Mildred.
Nothing but darkness.
Schooling her features into a polite mask, Sophia stepped into the tunnel, Fairfax right behind her.The space was not only too narrow for them to walk side by side, he likely had to bend almost in half to keep from bumping his head.He gave directions on which way to go when the passageway diverged, which set of steep stairs to climb.Sophia paused each time, as though without his direction she had no idea which way to go.Had not just come this way an hour ago.
Each twist, each corner, she expected to see Mildred.
Nothing but a few cobwebs.Every now and then she thought she heard something, a sound not created by her or Fairfax.Had Mildred hidden herself?Was she stumbling along just in front of them at the edge of the candle’s light?Or trailing behind them in darkness?
“Here we are, safely at your chamber door,” Fairfax said at last.
For a heart-stopping moment she thought he was going to embrace her.Instead he reached around her to press the latch and the door swung open, revealing her room just as she had left it, with a lit candle on the mantel.Including the big, comfortable bed in the center of the room.
The chamber … and bed … he usually slept in when he visited.
“Thank you for your escort,” she whispered, tilting her head all the way back to see him in the close confines of the passageway.
He touched two fingers to the underside of her chin and bent toward her, as though about to kiss her.Her breath caught.
“Sweet dreams,cara,” he rumbled in her ear, and stepped back.
“You… you too.”She stepped through the doorway and closed it behind her, leaning against it before her knees gave way.
You too?You too?How inane.She wanted to thump her head against the door at her idiocy, but didn’t want to draw his attention.
She touched her hands to her chin.Where his fingers had just been.Fairfax’s bare hands.She half expected the skin to be scorched, but it felt chilled.
Come to think on it, she was chilled all over.Her gown was soaked through.
She couldn’t change, though, and climb into the big, warm bed.Not until she found Mildred.Where had the girl gone?Sophia cocked her head but could not hear Fairfax’s footsteps.Was he still standing just on the other side of the door?He would expect to hear her preparing to retire, so she lit another candle on the mantel and strode toward the dressing room.
A soft scratch on the door by the fireplace made her freeze, then she rushed over and opened it.
Mildred stumbled in, blinking against the comparatively bright light.
Fighting to contain her relief and surprise, Sophia glanced around her, back into the passageway.
No sign or sound of Fairfax.
Sophia shut the door and hugged Mildred to her.
“That was not part of the adventure I expected tonight when you appeared at the folly,” Mildred whispered, setting down her valise and blanket.
Sophia opened her mouth to reply but saw Mildred had not arrived alone.Her first instinct was to yelp and squash the large black spider she noticed crawling on Mildred’s shoulder.Instead she tugged the girl over to the open window and used a quill pen’s feather to transfer the arachnid outdoors, and closed the window against the storm.
“Me, neither,” Sophia whispered.“However did you find the correct door?”
“When I heard you speak, I hid in the first place the tunnel branched to wait for you, then followed after Lord Fairfax passed with the candle.”She shuddered.“I hope I stayed far back enough that he couldn’t see or hear me.I was worried about being left behind in the dark, not knowing where I was going.”She shuddered again.
“You’re here now.Let’s get you clean and dry.”
Soon they were both washed and dressed in clean clothing, their wet garments hung before the fire to dry.Mildred quietly moaned in delight at being able to wash and borrow fresh clothing.The only garment of Sophia’s large enough to cover Mildred’s much taller frame was a chemise.
“We can’t keep going like this,” Sophia said after she had blown out the candle on the bedside table.“We have to settle the matter between your father and Lord Wingfield and Mr.Huntley.”
“Soon, I hope.”Mildred gave a huge stretch and yawn and tugged the blanket up to her chin.“I forgot how comfortable beds can be,” she murmured.
* * *
