The Last Eligible Bachelor - Ashtyn Newbold Page 0,67

with Mr. Hill? A thrill of excitement cut through my misgiving. It would be an adventure of sorts, and seeing the surprise on Miss Downsfield’s face the next morning when she discovered her scheme was ruined would be well worth the risk. I took a deep breath. “Very well.”

“We shall plan on it,” he said.

“And if we’re seen?” I raised my eyebrows. “What then?”

“Your reputation could be in danger.” He turned toward the door before glancing behind his shoulder with a wink. “I suppose you would have to marry me.”

My eyes rounded in shock and he turned toward the door again with a deep chuckle. “We won’t be seen,” he said in a reassuring voice, peeking out the crack between the double doors before opening them slowly.

He slipped into the hall before facing me. “I will join the guests in the drawing room first.”

“And I will come in a few minutes.”

He nodded, casting me a smile before fading into the dark hallway.

Chapter 20

I paced nervously in front of the flickering candle by my bedside, stopping to unpin my hair and arrange it in a loose braid over my shoulder. The pain in my head subsided with my hair lower on my scalp. I still wore my gown from that evening, and I hadn’t dared remove my gloves. The pendant still rested against my hand, the metal having long lost its coolness after the hours it had spent against my palm.

Mrs. Ollerton hadn’t bothered to hide her displeasure with me after I had returned from leaving the room in a rush. I could only imagine how much more displeased she would have been had she known what was hiding in my glove the entire evening.

My heart thudded as I checked the time. There were two minutes until midnight.

Picking up the candle, I sneaked out of my room, careful not to make a sound as I walked downstairs to the library. The house was silent, evidence that the rest of the guests had gone to sleep. Or at least to bed. My feet moved noiselessly along the ground floor, and I searched the hall for any sign of Mr. Hill. I touched the door handle at the library, dreading the slight creak I knew the doors to make. Thankfully, I didn’t have to open them.

“Miss Sedgwick, you look quite clandestine this evening.” Even in a whisper, Mr. Hill’s amusement came through unmistakably.

I turned to face him, unable to control my smile at the sight of his mischievous grin. “As do you.”

He held a candle of his own, the small flame flickering and casting shadows over his face. I hadn’t thought it possible for him to look more handsome, but the candlelight did him all sorts of favors. My gaze caught on his open collar, where his cravat was regrettably missing. That combined with his mischievous grin and slightly unkempt hair, not only did he look handsome, but he looked devilishly handsome.

My stomach fluttered with nervousness as I glanced around the hall, half-expecting to find Mrs. Ollerton in her nightdress, watching us with shock and disapproval. “We ought to hurry,” I whispered, starting in the direction of the drawing room.

Mr. Hill followed in silence, his footsteps nearly as quiet as my own as we made our way down the dark hall.

“Did you hear that?” Mr. Hill whispered, a hint of panic in his voice.

I stopped, my heart thudding. I strained my ears, but all I could hear was my own pulse and the rush of air exiting my lungs. “No.” I whirled to face him, eyes wide. “What is it?”

His lips twitched, betraying an amused smile. “Nothing.”

My jaw dropped. The incorrigible tease. He had no mercy for my anxiety over this entire situation—replacing the missing pendant, being here at Winslow house at all, and especially being alone with him in an empty hallway after midnight.

He chuckled, his eyes dancing in the candlelight.

I scowled. “You know, I could set fire to your shirt right now, Mr. Hill.” I held up my candle, letting it hover dangerously close to his blasted collar. “If you dare test my nerves again.” I was only half-jesting, but he seemed to take it as a full jest.

“If you did, I would have to remove it, and I daresay our situation would be far more improper than it already is.” He raised one eyebrow, as if to reprimand me for suggesting such a thing.

I managed to control my blush for once, trying not to dwell on the image he had