Reluctant Deception - Cambria Smyth Page 0,77

up, Lib! It's a huge success! You should be thrilled, and proud, of what you've done here."

Sensing Libby's reluctance, Connie took her hand and guided her out of the room. "Come on. Let's get out of here. All these roses are making my nose itch."

Libby eyed Connie speculatively as they wandered through the mansion. "Thanks for helping out tonight. You've been a savior, Connie. And it looks as though you got the electricity working again."

For a brief moment, Connie looked confused. "Oh,... yes, ah, it was a simple matter of overloaded fuses according to Jim Baxter. Which reminds me," she continued excitedly, “did you know it was his great-great grandfather who took those photos of Harte's Desire? We got to talking tonight. He said he's got a wonderful collection of photographs and promised me he'd look through them to see if there were any of Harte's Desire that weren't in the ones you have."

They passed through another hallway and headed towards the ballroom. They were almost there when Connie held out a hand to stop Libby.

"Wait a minute, Lib. You can't go in there. Everyone is going to want to talk with you and it will be midnight 'til you get to the gazebo. Why don't you duck out the kitchen door?"

Nodding in agreement, Libby followed Connie through the gigantic kitchen filled with cooks, servers, and a vast array of delicious smelling foods. Libby's mouth watered and her stomach growled as she recalled how very little she'd eaten all day. Maybe after seeing Chris she would sneak back in for a bite to eat. If she still had an appetite. She snatched a few hot hors d'oeuvres off a serving tray and popped them into her mouth as she stepped through the back door Connie was holding open for her.

Libby took five steps before she realized the crane wasn't in the back yard, either. She quickly turned around and called out to Connie who will still watching from the open door.

"I thought you said there was a crane out here?"

"Chris will explain everything," Connie yelled back, pointing anxiously toward the gazebo before hurrying back into the kitchen.

Libby walked purposefully over the brick patio, carefully avoiding the cracks so she wouldn't catch her high heels in them. The last thing she wanted to do tonight was fall and make a complete spectacle of herself in front of Christopher Darnell and the historical society members.

Although the sun had set an hour ago, the night air was mild and filled with the delectable scent of roses from the bushes surrounding the patio. Every now and then a tendril of fresh, cooling air from the river swept by, carrying aloft its own pleasing fragrance of marsh and meadow. Libby noticed the stars were twinkling brightly overhead and a full moon had just begun to ascend the heavens. It was the perfect night for a party.

As Libby approached the gazebo, several of the ballroom's French doors opened. Couples spilled out onto the patio and immediately began dancing to the music being played in the ballroom. Notes from a slow, very romantic song washed over Libby, reminding her instantly of the one dance she and Chris had shared not so long ago. Resolving not to let her emotions interfere with the task at hand, Libby peered anxiously through the darkness at the gazebo looming ahead of her. As her heartbeat thundered in her ears, she worried about their impending encounter. What was she going to say to him?

Discerning a figure seated on one of the benches in the deep shadows under the gazebo, Libby darted up the three steps and approached him. Unsure of what to say. Unsettled by the riot of emotions tearing through her. Uncertain of what was about to happen next.

She was sure of one thing, though.

Despite the love she still felt for him, she was angry. Plenty angry. There was absolutely no reason for him to ruin her party with a crane and wrecking ball.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

When Libby and Connie finally appeared at the back door, Chris sat fully upright, bruising his spine against the hard iron bench in a painful reminder of the less-than-comfortable seating offered under the gazebo. Muttering an expletive, he watched Libby step out onto the patio, glance around, then call something back to Connie. He couldn’t hear what she said, but he imagined it had to do with the crane she was expecting to see in the yard there.

Damnation, but it had taken a lot to convince Libby