Page 9 of Unmasking the Silver Heiress
Once her hair had been returned to a presentable, combed state, the drying effect of the fire had already done much of its work.
"What a lovely color," Sarah cooed as she began to wind Nell's tresses into a braid. "I wish mine was so straight and fine."
Nell had scoffed at that, but thanked her for the compliment as she nibbled on the food that had been brought up. By the time she finally crawled into that luxurious bed, she barely had time to pull the coverlet over her body before she had found herself rendered entirely unconscious.
That is until morning made its unwelcome appearance, as it always does. She was roused by Sarah, who had returned to assist her with her hair and clothing, beaming ear to ear, as though the rising of the sun was just the most thrilling thing ever to have happened.
"I would stay in that bed for the next week if I could," Nell had confessed, dragging herself back into the chair where her hair had been braided the night before. "I've never had the pleasure of one quite so luxurious."
"Oh yes, the bedding abovestairs cost so much, it'd make your eyes water," Sarah whispered conspiratorially. "So it's a waste, isn't it, that we rarely entertain guests, and never overnight?"
Nell did not respond, though it was more uncomfortable concealing the truth of her name and status in the light of day. Surely Nathaniel himself would clear up her identity in short order, and she could apologize for the deception to Sarah immediately thereafter.
"There, now, that's a lovely curl," Sarah said approvingly as she shook the braid from Nell's hair, leaving it in a shiny curtain of golden brown that fell nearly to Nell's elbows. "Shall we leave a bit down around the face and in the back? I think the shape of the curl would make a fetching look."
"Oh, if you like," Nell said, glancing back at her. "I usually just wind it into a tight bun."
"Oh, that's a shame," the maid replied with a click of her tongue. "If my hair were so biddable, I'd style it in all manner of ways."
And so, with the primping and pampering of Sarah's attentions, Nell found herself laced into her last clean gown, a thick weave of light blue, and her hair arranged to sit high on her head save for a spill of curls over her shoulder. She didn't mind the effect at all, even if it had taken an unseemly amount of time to arrange such a fashion.
She was led to the dining room and informed that the master would join her momentarily. She sat, upright and nervous, resisting the urge to crane her neck around every few seconds to check for her husband. She had left her spectacles and her book in the bedchambers, else she might have resorted yet again to the company of a thinly written sleuth and his daring deeds.
When he finally arrived, she nearly jumped out of her skin from the start it gave her, being that she had stared straight ahead in silence for what felt like an eon.
"Good morning," Nathaniel said airily, stepping over to the head of the table and seating himself. He blinked at her, the shadow of a little smile turning up the corners of his mouth as he took in her hair. "Did you sleep well?"
"Oh yes," she said quickly, still frozen in place. "Very well. I cannot tell if your bedding is particularly luxurious or if it was simply quite the contrast from the carriage bench and horse blankets."
"Perhaps a bit of both, hm?" he chuckled, motioning for a footman to bring them hot tea and frothy milk. "I thought perhaps we might discuss our plan of action before heading to Bond Street to see your aunt? I want to make sure we have an approach that works in tandem rather than accidentally stepping all over one another when we attempt to explain our conundrum."
"I rather thought we'd just toss the suitcase at her and flee before any repercussions could occur," Nell replied, lifting the tea to her lips.
Atlas stared for a moment, then finally shook his head and leaned back in his chair with an incredulous look on his face. "You really are full of surprises, Miss Applegate."
"Nell," she corrected, setting her teacup down and reaching for her cutlery. This breakfast looked like ambrosia compared to all of the tavern meals they'd eaten on the road, and she fully intended to enjoy every bite of it.
"Nell," he agreed, toying with his own fork while still considering her. "You think she will be angry, then?"
Nell gave a light shrug, finishing the bite she had just taken and dabbing at her lips before answering. "Anger isn't really what I'd call it. Aunt Zelda is a calculating woman, and I'm certain that whatever penance we must do for mucking up such a simple assignment will have all sorts of hidden pitfalls folded into it. We must simply stay on our toes and prepare for the unexpected."
"How does one prepare for the unexpected, pray tell?" he asked with some amusement. "Isn't that rather contradictory?"
"You are a politician, Nathaniel," she replied evenly. "You know what I mean, even if you might phrase it differently. After all, you must be prepared to speak when the opportunity to hold the floor arises, without knowing ahead of time what was said before or what will come after."
"Granted."
It was unsettling the way he watched her. He had done it the whole time they'd been in the carriage, like she was some book to be studied and memorized or a puzzle that could be unlocked. He seemed to have very little interest in his food, only picking at a piece here and there, all while wearing that expression of contemplation and observing her quite a bit more keenly than she was prepared to tolerate while doing something so undignified as eating.
"Thank you for seeing to everything last night," she said, hoping to snap him out of his reverie. "A hot bath was just what I needed."
"Mm, did they manage to find you a lady's maid? I don't keep one on staff here for obvious reasons, unfortunately."
"They did. Sarah," Nell replied politely. "Though she said she had worked for you for some years. Perhaps she had a skill set you simply weren't taking advantage of?"
"Perhaps so."
He seemed unconcerned with such coincidences and banal matters, which of course was only another opportunity to have him falling back into his unsettling observation of her.
