grin. “Tricks. That’s what he said, Miss Cecilia.”
Cecilia braced her hands on her hips, her mind churning. What might Georgiana do in a similar situation? There was no question of her forcing her way past Duncan, but mightn’t she be able to talk her way around him?
For all his imposing size, Duncan was quite a young man, with a sweet, affectionate temperament. He was particularly sweet on Amy, whose presence turned him from a confident, friendly lad into a blushing, stammering schoolboy.
Cecilia would never be so cruel as to mislead Duncan with false hopes, but she happened to know Amy was as sweet on Duncan as he was on her, so what was the harm in it? A little stealth on her part, and all three of them could have what they wanted.
“I don’t see what’s so awful in wanting a book. I saw a copy of Mrs. Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho on a shelf when I was down there earlier, and I promised Amy we could read a bit of it together tonight, once Isabella fell asleep.” Cecilia gave a careless shrug. “Amy will be terribly disappointed, but I suppose it can’t be helped.”
As Cecilia had expected, Duncan’s face flushed as red as his hair at the mention of Amy’s name. He bit his lip, struggling between his duty and his affections, then he gave Cecilia a hopeful look. “Just a bit of reading?”
“Yes. Nothing so sinister in that, is there?”
“Mayhap I could go and fetch the book for ye, Miss Cecilia?”
Cecilia thought quickly, then shook her head. “No, you don’t know where it is. It will be much quicker if I just nip downstairs and fetch it myself.”
Duncan’s eyes narrowed. “Ye wouldn’t be trying to fool me, would ye?”
“No, of course not.” It was awful of her to tell so many lies to poor Duncan, but she had to get out onto the castle grounds. “Here, I’ll even leave my cloak behind, if it reassures you.”
Duncan let out a sigh, as if he already suspected he was going to regret trusting her, but the lure of the lovely Amy was too much for him, as it so often was with amorous gentlemen, and he stepped away from the door to let Cecilia pass. “Not more’n a few minutes, Miss Cecilia.”
“Yes, yes!” Cecilia scurried down the hallway toward the tiny bedchamber where Amy had moved once Cecilia became Isabella’s nursemaid, and knocked briskly on the door. Amy threw it open, frowning when she saw Cecilia standing there. “What are you doing running about the hallways? Lord Darlington says we’re to remain in our bedchambers tonight.”
Cecilia ignored the question. She took Amy’s hand and pulled her through the door. “Oh good, you’re still dressed. Come with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“I was hoping you’d agree to keep an eye on Isabella while I, ah…run downstairs for a bit.” Cecilia didn’t mention she intended to run downstairs and straight out the front door.
Amy had been following along after her willingly enough, but now she tugged her hand free. “What do you need downstairs at this time of the evening?”
“Just a book from the library, but I don’t like to leave Isabella alone.”
Cecilia’s cheeks heated a little at the lie. Amy noticed it, and gave her a long, searching look, her arms crossed over her chest. “A book.”
“Yes. Mrs. Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho. Remember I said we might read it aloud?”
Cecilia had hoped mention of the Gothic romance would distract Amy, but her friend snorted. “Oh, it’s Mrs. Radcliffe now, is it?”
“Yes.” Cecilia widened her eyes innocently. “What else would it be?”
Amy stared hard at her with her lips pursed. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re about. You’ll catch your death out there in the cold, and if you don’t, the ghost will get you.”
“Come now, Amy. We both know there’s no ghost in those woods—that is, no ghost in the library, I mean.” But something, or someone was out there, and Cecilia needed to find out who, or what it was.
Amy knew Cecilia well enough by now to know there was more to this than a copy of The Mysteries of Udolpho. She was quiet as she battled with her better instincts, but at last she sighed and slid the shawl from her shoulders. “All right. Go on, if you must, but take this.” She handed the shawl to Cecilia.
“You’re a treasure, Amy.” Cecilia threw her arms around her friend in an impulsive hug. She turned and dashed toward