The minute Betty was gone, Izzy threw an old dress on over her chemise and put on some sturdy shoes. She didn’t want to go out into the garden and get dew all over the hem of her ball dress and dancing slippers anyway.
Besides, she had preparations to make. Precautions to take.
Half an hour later she made her way to the summerhouse, carrying a small lantern. The night was dark, with a blanket of clouds concealing the moon and stars. She unlocked the summerhouse and used the lantern to light a couple of candles, then placed it in the window as a signal to Lord Salcott.
She lit a few more candles. It was late, after two. Maybe he’d fallen asleep. He’d left the ball shortly after their dance.
Lord Salcott appeared so silently he startled her.
“Thank you for coming,” he said. “I have wanted to speak to you privately for some time.” He glanced around. “Thank God that chaperone didn’t come. The woman has been driving me mad.”
Izzy would have laughed if she hadn’t been mentally preparing for a quarrel. “You hired her,” she pointed out. “You can hardly blame her for doing her job.”
“I can and I do,” he said. “But let’s not argue about her. What I wanted to say—”
Izzy cut him off. “WhatIwanted to say was how dare you dismiss my suitors without consulting me.”
He rolled his eyes. “Is this about Harvey again? Have you decided you want him after all? Make up your mind.”
“No, it’snotabout Mr. Harvey,” she said, exasperated.He knew perfectly well she didn’t want to marry Mr. Harvey. He was just saying it to annoy her. “It’s about you, deciding who is or isn’t allowed to court me! It’s not your decision to make—it’s mine.”
“He came to my house and asked me straight out.”
“You should have sent him away.”
“I did.”
“Without telling him yea or nay, I mean.”
“He came to me as your guardian. What was I to do?”
“But you’renotmy guardian. You’re Clarissa’s.”
“And you want me to explain that to every man who comes calling? Expecting an answer fromyour guardian.”
“Oh.” She saw his point now. Curses. “Well, I see that it would be awkward to explain that, but why not just tell him to speak to me? Explain that it’s my choice.”
“I could I suppose, but isn’t it better if—” He broke off as the sound of jangling bells shattered the peace of the night outside. “What the—”
“Quick, lock the door.” Izzy pushed him toward the door. “Hurry!” She extinguished the little lantern and ran around blowing out candles.
“Now, lie down on the day bed.” Thankfully he didn’t argue.
“What the devil is going on?”
“Shhuush!” she hissed. “It’s Milly.”
“Who?”
“The neighbor who spies on us—remember? Now hush or she’ll catch us again.” Izzy had wound a string of Lady Scattergood’s Indian brass bells around the Harringtons’ garden gate. It had served beautifully as a warning.
“Lie down flat on the daybed; she won’t be able to see you there,” she told him.
She blew out the last candle and felt her way toward the big squashy chair but tripped over something in the dark.
“Oof!” Lord Salcott exclaimed as she landed half on him. Before she could scramble to her feet, he pulled therest of her up so she was lying full length on top of him. She started to clamber off him, but froze when the door handle rattled.
Milly was carrying a small lantern. It threw a dim light, enough to see that Milly’s hair was in rag curlers and that she was wearing a nightgown with a dressing gown over it. Didn’t the girl ever sleep?
