and quiet. It tugged at my heart.
After the group had gathered together again, we made our way back to the house. The sun had fully risen by the time we stepped through the doors, but all I wanted was to go back to sleep. After debating over what to do with the rest of the day, I decided to pay a visit to Jessie. It was the one place I knew Mr. Hill would not come looking for me, and she was the only one who understood why I couldn’t marry him. With luck, he would have an enjoyable time with Miss Benham that afternoon.
With luck, he would forget all about me and that forbidden kiss.
Chapter 23
It seemed Mr. Hill was not the forgetful sort.
When I sneaked back to my room that afternoon, a letter rested against my door. I took it inside before sitting on my bed and unfolding it. The note itself was short, and another pang of despair struck my heart when I saw who it was written to.
Sophia,
I could hardly read the rest, my eyes blurring with tears. Perhaps he hadn’t heard me deny that name as my own. Or he hadn’t realized what I meant—that I wasn’t really Miss Sophia Sedgwick.
Meet me by the stables at four o’clock. This is simply a request, but one that will be enlightening, and will allow you to convey your feelings without the need to speak to me again. If you do not come, I will know that what you said this morning is true. If you do come, I hope you will, at the very least, provide me with the answers I seek.
I threw the note onto my bed, falling back against the covers. He must have left it at my door before his ride with Miss Benham. It was nearly four o’clock already.
It would be better if I didn’t go. Or rather, better for me, but not for him. I owed him an explanation. There were risks in telling him the truth, but he deserved to know it. And I trusted him enough to know that he wouldn’t tell anyone here at Winslow House, and would ensure I made it back home safely in my disguise. He might think badly of me, but at least he would know why I had so heartlessly refused him.
I reminded myself that he had treated Jessie with kindness, and she was a maid, so there was a chance he would still be kind to me. He had even written to his uncle in an effort to save who he thought was my maid’s father. My heart ached at the reminder that that was also another piece of the truth I would have to reveal if I met him at the stables. Mr. Hill would likely think I had only befriended him as a way to achieve my own designs. What he didn’t know was that I had always wanted to be near him, and helping Papa had been my best excuse to allow it, even though it had been dangerous. If both our hearts broke because of my choice, at least Papa had a better chance at the rest of his life than he had before. That thought was the consolation I needed as I stood, taking a deep breath before the mirror.
I would be honest and forthright. I wouldn’t allow any of my emotions to show. As I made my way down the stairs, I replaced the barriers on my heart, willing them to be strong enough to withstand the storm that was coming.
A shrill laugh made me stop at the base of the stairs. I walked closer to the sound, my heart pounding. I had become quite familiar with the voices of each guest at Winslow House, but this voice was even more familiar.
“She will not be punished for it. I only wished to give her the opportunity to experience what it is like to be a lady. But I have come now to enjoy the last week of your house party in her place. I did not know Mr. Hill had such a beautiful property, or I might have come sooner.”
Dread sank deeper in my stomach as I approached the drawing room door.
“My dear friend Anne likes it even more than her own family’s Hampden Park, and so I couldn’t resist coming for my chance to be mistress of it.”
I closed my eyes against the sting in my head.
This could not be real.
Sophia couldn’t really be here.
“I believe