Page 35 of The Winter Rogue
Carefully skimming her eyes down the list of all the prominent families in the neighborhood—and those of slightly less consequence who would still be invited so that the event appeared full—Charlene tried to breathe calmly.It was a long list because there would be no greater catastrophe for her mother than to have a half-full ballroom for one of her soirees, his name had to be here somewhere…
But no.Drew’s name was missing.
Well, there was no point making a fuss.Charlene simply made a mental note to quietly correct her mother's oversight.It would be rude not to invite the man, not to mention the party would be the perfect opportunity for her to get him alone so they could speak.
With that in mind, Charlene set about the tedious task of writing out invitations to everyone on the long list.The celebration would happen a few days before Christmas, so they needed to send them out immediately.
The question was, would Drew come when he received his invitation?Or would he cut all ties with her?
Charlene wasn't sure, nerves twisting in her gut.But she had to believe he would want to see her as well.
Perhaps that was why no other man had met her standards?Was it possible, all these years…that she had been waiting for Drew?
Chapter Nineteen
Drewblinkedblearilyintothe gloom of his bedchamber.It was hard to say what time it was, but at least he felt well rested.A little groggy, but better than when Polly and Billy had—bloody hell!
Flashes of his servants helping him to bed popped into Drew’s unsettled mind, which included—to his mortification—one of them having to undress him.
Almost afraid to find out, he looked down and was relieved to see he was not, in fact, nude.They had stripped him down to his woolen underwear and, thankfully, stopped.
With mortification heating his cheeks, Drew crawled from the bed and opened his drapes.He blinked as the midday sun glared into his eyes.With a curse, he looked at the clock on his mantle.
It was—it can’t be nearly two o'clock in the afternoon.
How long had he slept?Hadn't he gone to bed around the same time yesterday?At least, he assumed it had been yesterday.Good Lord, was it possible he had slept for over a day?
Quickly freshening up, Drew dressed before heading downstairs straight to the kitchen, hoping to find Polly.
He found her rolling out some sort of pastry, and was relieved to see that when she looked up, she smiled.
“Glad to see you are finally upright and walking under your own steam.”
“Yes, well, good to see you as well.And thank you, for yours and Billy's assistance—was it last night?”Drew hated the confusion he felt.Definitely too much of the decanter.
Polly snorted.“It was yesterday afternoon.”She looked over at the clock in the corner and tipped her chin toward it.“You slept for over four and twenty hours.Probably a good thing, too, you were a mess.I hope you're feeling better now.”The hope in her tone did not go unnoted.
“I am.Would you mind making me a plate of some meat and cheese or whatever you have handy?I'm famished.”Drew patted his belly and almost smiled.He supposed he was feeling better in a general sense after all that rest.“I'll be in my study.”
“Very well.I cleaned up the mess you'd made in there and aired it out this morning.It might still be a touch chilly in there, but I got a fire going a little while ago in case you woke up.”
“You're a gem, Polly.You and Billy both.Thank you.”Drew nodded and left the kitchen.
In his not quite freezing study he found a stack of fresh correspondence, as well as the contracts he'd been trying to review.Perhaps it was best to sort through the correspondence first to see what, if anything, needed immediate attention.As he sifted through the pile, he stopped when he spotted what was clearly an invitation from…Lord and Lady Brookhaven.
No.Surely not.
Curiosity overwhelming his better sense, Drew opened the item and sat down as he read the details.They were having a Christmas gathering, and they had invited him?Was that to ensure his continued silence—or a complete and utter accident?Was there someone with a similar name, perhaps, who would be expecting an invitation and would not receive one?He expected that was likely the case, but a part of him wanted to go; wanted to see Charlie again, perhaps one last time, to give her a proper farewell.
Drew bit his lip.He had a voyage planned soon anyway, and he really needed to stay away from her.No, he shouldn't attend.It was better if he kept his distance.
Regretfully setting the invitation aside, he sifted through the rest of the items.Nothing required his immediate concern, so he picked back up the contract he had been reviewing and started reading it from the beginning.
A short while later, Polly appeared with a tray and he waved her over.“I'll eat here at my desk.Thank you, Polly.”
She brought him the tray with far fewer grumbles than normal.He supposed she was being gentle with him, as he had just recently woken up.
Still, that did not prevent her gaze from lingering over his correspondence.As she set the tray down, she said, “Oh, a Christmas party?Are you going?”
