lass. But these are things we need to consider. They tell us what we should do.”
“Bryce, what are we going to do? I need to search the house again for the code or get my clothes or something. Everything I own, except this pouch on my arm, is still there.”
She pulled her hands free and buried her face inside them. Bryce scooted closer and ran his hand over her brown locks. “Do ye still have the itinerary?”
“Aye, I do.”
“What’s next on the list?”
She lifted the blue pouch and pulled a piece of paper free. They studied the scrawled words as Lucy voiced what she read. “Joshua was scheduled to be at a masquerade ball tomorrow night.”
“Then I guess we’re going to a party,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips.
Chapter Forty-One
The Lombard name could only get one so far. The room fee was covered for one night but nothing more. The couch was overly short and lumpy and Bryce’s legs fell over the side. Placing his arm under his head, he tried to get comfortable.
Morning came and his belly growled with hunger. Sunlight wafted through the thin curtains. He shifted and slung his arm over his eyes, blocking out the light.
The door to the next room was closed. Lucy rested in that room, the woman who filled his every waking thought and his nighttime ones as well.
Tonight they planned to attend a ball. With no money and no fancy clothing. Bryce struggled to figure out a way for them to blend in. They couldn’t go with what they wore on their backs. This situation was impossible.
Those thoughts only led to more questions. What kind of man was he? With all his needs currently provided to him by a woman, he questioned if he’d lost his Cameron pride.
It was Lucy. Around her he was a different person.
He sat up with his hands cupping his head. The night’s sleep had been fitful, full of tossing and turning, and bad dreams. He stared intently at the closed doors. As if by the power of his gaze, the large wooden panels opened.
Lucy twirled into the room dressed in yesterday’s clothing. She smiled and said, “What a glorious day.”
“It is?”
“Of course. The sun is shining and we have a roof over our heads. And I have a plan.”
Had he misheard her? “What?”
“Here’s what we do.”
Astonishment filled him at the thoroughness of her thoughts. She had every detail mapped out and listed. Had the lass rested at all?
“What do you think?” she asked.
“I think it sounds brilliant,” he replied, a tad off balance.
She clapped her hands, her face filled with delight. “Good. Now all we need do is enact it. It shouldn’t be overly difficult. We will be asking help of two great actresses.”
The morning hours passed slowly. Bryce reviewed the plan several times in his mind. While he rehashed her ideas, Lucy stood in front of a floor-to-ceiling looking glass. The size of the pane was something Bryce had never seen before. Why, a person could stand in front of it and see his entire self in one moment. It was simply amazing.
Lucy didn’t resemble herself at all, as she was covered in what appeared to be soiled linens, with grass, dirt, and small twigs sticking from her hair. Self-study completed, she turned to Bryce. “Now, let’s start on you.”
She covered him in a sheet and he watched as she ripped the seams of the clothes he’d worn the evening before. Large gaping holes covered the thick material. Hunching his shoulders, he cringed. Next came the dirt. No doubt the cleaning lady for the inn would wonder where the dirt from their potted plants had gone.
Once his clothes were prepared, Bryce dressed. Lucy clucked her tongue with approval. Bryce felt like he had worked all day on the farm, or perhaps ridden a horse over a dry, dusty road. Although the feeling was familiar, he still felt uncomfortable.
They were ready to put on their show, but still they needed to exit the inn without being seen. This proved to be a tad more difficult than anticipated. Every time they opened the door to sneak out a new person entered the hallway.
With an exasperated sigh, Lucy retreated into the room once again. “We are running out of time. We may have to walk out into the hallway and hope the inhabitants escort us to the street.”
“Leave this to me.”
With an awkward stagger, Bryce walked out the door. He hit the walls and thumped other doors.