the airy reply. “Now, in the much more important matter of your wardrobe…”
“I really cannot spend any more, Lady Isabella. I’m sorry. If you feel my… appearance reflects poorly on you, I would not blame you…”
She waved this aside. “If you were to sell some small things from…”
“I can’t…”
“Because of Henry’s ridiculous will, I know. But you might easily find a way around that. You must know that people from the very highest rungs of society occasionally need to… exchange items they have inherited for… cash. Which they do not want known, of course. So embarrassing. There are people who manage such transactions and would never breathe a word of the sale…”
“It isn’t that. Well, it is. But I don’t think such people would be interested, you see. Henry’s collection is practically worthless.”
“What?”
“We had a man in from the museum to evaluate it, and he said one or two pieces are authentic and worth something, but the rest is just… well, more or less clutter.”
Lady Isabella seemed stunned. “But… nothing?”
“Henry spent thousands of pounds on objects that are good for nothing but paperweights.” Charlotte couldn’t keep the bitterness from her voice.
“Thousands of…” Lady Isabella looked devastated.
Charlotte was touched by her concern. She hadn’t realized that Lady Isabella had taken her situation so to heart. She tried to lighten the mood. “The burglar would have been quite disappointed if he’d managed to steal anything.”
“The… yes. Quite a joke on him.” Lady Isabella recovered herself. She gave a trilling laugh. “Well, I am very sorry, my dear. I had hoped to be of some help.”
“And I appreciate your kindness.” The carriage pulled up, and she prepared to get down. “Thank you for a… lovely morning.”
“Of course.”
Charlotte used her key to enter as the carriage moved off and was startled to find Callie sitting in the front hall, tail curled around her front paws, as if waiting for her. “Hello, Callie.” Two heads popped over the banister above her, and Lucy and Tess came hurrying down. “Is something wrong?”
“Well, Miss Charlotte, the cat had a… a relapse, like,” replied Lucy.
“She tore a fine linen dishtowel to shreds,” added Tess. “Mrs. Trask said it ain… isn’t even good for rags.”
They both stared accusingly at Callie, who ignored them. She was gazing so steadily at a bit of wall behind Charlotte that she had to turn and look. There was nothing visible but paneling. “That is very disappointing to hear,” she told the cat. “I thought you were a… a reformed animal.” She was trying not to laugh, and Lucy saw it.
“It was one of the new dishtowels, Miss Charlotte.”
It was true that they couldn’t afford to replace many household items. “Very bad. You are a bad cat.”
Callie remained oblivious. Lucy sniffed.
“Mrs. Trask must have scolded her at the time,” Charlotte said.
“She did, miss, but…”
“Well, we shall hope it doesn’t happen again.” What else did they think she could do? Charlotte was just deeply grateful that Callie had not turned her destructive attention to the “exhibits” on this floor. She started up the stairs. The two maids headed for the kitchen. The cat slipped past her and when she reached her bedchamber, Charlotte found Callie already there. “You miss Anne and Lizzy, don’t you?” she said as she took off her hat. “I do, too.”
***
Lucy yawned and folded up her mending. “I’m off to bed,” she said to the rest of the staff. She kept her voice casual, but Mrs. Trask gave her a glance that made Lucy nervous. No one was better than Mrs. Trask at putting two and two together. Still, Ethan had said his good-byes a good quarter hour ago.
She paused a moment outside the room, but nothing was said about her departure, so she hurried up the stairs and slipped out the back door. Ethan was waiting at what she now thought of as “their” bench. He rose as soon as she appeared, a large dark shape with open arms. Lucy could do nothing but walk into them.
Enfolded, held against him like a treasure, she couldn’t keep hold of her doubts and worries. The feel of his coat against her cheek, the heady smell of him, drowned out everything else. She rested there for a needful bit of time, then raised her head and laced her arms around his neck.
The kiss enflamed every inch of her. Heat blossomed from deep in her belly and ran out to her finger ends, and then farther still, as if her soul touched his where