Page 45 of Rescued from Betrayal
It was odd that someone had chosen to decorate this room in what she would deem a masculine air. The flowers seemed to be an afterthought.
Baylor’s staccato rap on the door brought her out of her reverie. Yanking her spectacles from her face, she slipped them into the box. When the lid was secure, she said, “Come in.”
Her lady’s maid entered, and Melior thought she heard her grumble something about the wait. She ignored the maid and set away her paints to dress for dinner.
“Sir Nathaniel asked that you take care with your appearance this evening,” Baylor said.
“Oh.”
Baylor walked to the bureau and started removing items. Melior bit back her frustration at the maid’s continued coldness. Not that they need be friends, but the least the woman could do was explain herself.
Finally Baylor turned and seeing her expectant stare, said, “Apparently you have company for dinner.”
They were hosting guests? A fountain of anticipation bubbled up and then crashed down when she realized that she had not been made aware. Was not the planning of dinner parties the responsibility of the lady of the house?
“Baylor,” Melior said, glancing at the maid through the mirror. “Why was I not informed before now?”
“From what I gather, their arrival was a surprise to Sir Nathaniel and the Dowager Lady Stanford.”
“Do you know who it is?”
“Aye, but I’ve been instructed to keep it a surprise.”
A surprise. Did that mean it was someone she might know, or perhaps a person of rank and importance? That last thought sobered her. She needed to temper her expectations. Now that she was a baronet’s wife, few people in her family's circle would still associate with her, much less pay a surprise visit.
She ran a hand over her cream-colored gown with yellow overlay that tended toward gold. “Please fetch me my amethyst beads.” The pop of color would do wonders for both her outfit and her complexion.
“Where did you last place it, my lady?”
Melior turned a confused gaze to the maid. “Me? You were the last one to remove them and place them in the box with all my other jewelry.”
Baylor riffled through several small compartments. “They are not here.”
Melior rose from her seat and searched the box herself. Leaning in she saw blurs of gold and silver, but nothing purple or even white. A sinking feeling settled in her stomach. Not only were her amethyst beads missing, but her pearls as well.
She glowered at the maid. “Did you take them?”
“No, my lady.” Baylor held up her hands to ward off the words. “I have not seen your beads since I removed them after dinner on Sunday.”
Melior did not believe her. The only other people allowed in her chambers were the housekeeper and the upstairs maid, Jenny. She snatched out a gold chain and matching bracelet and stomped back to the mirror. Setting the bracelet on the table, she set to clasping the necklace about her neck.
“Here, my lady, let me help you with that.”
Melior jerked back. “I can do it myself.”
She sounded like a petulant child, but she refused to let the maid touch another of her jewels until she knew exactly who had taken her things. Then again, it was not as if Baylor would steal the gold chain right off her neck. And the bracelet would be nearly impossible for her to clasp by herself.
After several unsuccessful tries she finally relented and allowed Baylor to help. The maid’s pinched expression showed a similar irritation. Whether she was the cause of the apparent thefts, Melior could not tell. But when it came time for her to go downstairs, she ushered the maid out of the room and locked the door with a key. She would take no more chances of things going missing.
Her mind was so consumed with the missing jewelry she did not hear the steps behind her until someone swooped in, grabbed her about the waist, and twirled her around. She squealed in surprise.
Eddie’s laughter filled the corridor as he set her down. She spun around and slapped his shoulder. He laughed even harder.
“We are not children anymore, Eddie. One would think you were still five and ten with those antics.”
“Being five and ten sounds preferable to being five and twenty. It is a shame there is no way to stop time, or better yet, reverse it.”
She agreed with him there. How many disagreeable things could she have changed if she’d had a way to turn back the clock?
