Page 61 of Cinderella's Charade With the Duke
‘I had not thought of that,’ she replied. She kissed Daphne’s cheek. ‘I will go now. Let us hope you are right.’
‘I know I am,’ she said with a wink. ‘And even though he won’t admit it, he needs you, too,’ she added, casting a glance to William who had his back to them.
Hattie couldn’t entertain the mere thought of it, so she ignored it, lifted her skirts and tore off in a run towards the lake. Finding Millie safe and sound was all that mattered now. Her heart pounded in her chest and the distance between the drive and the lake seemed far longer than ever before. She called out as she ran. ‘Millie!’ She travelled further and called again, ‘Millie!’
A flock of starlings startled from a bush, sending a dozen dark arrows shooting out into the air, and she skidded to a stop, gasping in surprise. She caught her breath and stood staring out at the lake which had seemed so manageable before. Now she was overwhelmed by all the places Millie could be. There were patches of high grass, trees not far off from the lake’s edge, and even the shed where she and William had almost made love. All of it seemed so changed to her. Now it was a place of loss and sadness, not the haven of joy it had been the day before.
Her heart stilled. Perhaps that was exactly how Millie felt, too. The wind ruffled Hattie’s hair and the once-blue sky was transforming to the grey clouds of coming rain. They needed to find her before the storm. Unlike Hattie, Millie didn’t like the rain, especially thunderstorms. It reminded her of the night she’d lost her mother and the night of her father’s accident.
Hattie examined the lake in small sections. The far side was the best place to hide, so she trusted her instincts and started a slow, careful search through the thick grass, mindful of anycreatures hiding from the coming rain. One step after another, she continued alone. The darker the skies turned, the more worried she became. ‘Millie!’ she called. ‘Millie!’
Still, there was no answer.
She stood, frustrated and uncertain. Then she heard it. A small, tiny quack. Then another one. It was farther down and a bit from the lake. She followed each quack and paused after each sound to make sure she was still heading towards it as the winds picked up. One rogue raindrop fell and then another. She shivered and hugged her body as the wind whipped her hair along her face.
Quack.
It was close, so Hattie picked up her pace until she reached a large oak.Quack.She scurried to the other side of it and spied a big open knot near the base with Millie inside it.
Quack.
‘Millie!’ Hattie squealed in delight.
‘Miss Potts!’ she said. Hattie almost didn’t believe the words. Millie had spoken.
Millie’s eyes widened and she climbed out of the tree, clutching a small duckling in the folds of her skirts. Hattie knelt and opened her arms, enveloping her within them. The tiny duck quacked in alarm. Millie pulled away to calm it. She cooed to it and ran her tiny fingers over its furry head.
‘We have been so worried,’ Hattie said, pressing a kiss to Millie’s head and running a hand along her hair. ‘Everyone is searching. I am relieved you are safe.’
‘I am sorry,’ she murmured and tucked herself under Hattie’s arm. ‘I—’ She paused and looked past Millie.
William stood panting and out of breath, his gaze full of love and relief. ‘Millie,’ he said, his voice raspy and full of emotion.
‘Father!’ she cried and rushed to him, the tiny duck jumping from her hand and into Hattie’s lap. She held its tiny tremblingbody against her chest. Joy consumed her. Millie was foundandshe was talking. There was no greater gift the day could have given her.
Except perhaps to be a part of this reunion…this family. For it to be real rather than the make believe it was.
William fell to his knees, gathered up his daughter in his arms and wept. Soon, Hattie gave up all efforts to quell her emotion, wrapped her arms around them both and wept, too. For she knew what she wished for would never be. It had all been a product of her fancy.
Her life was no fairy tale, but at least Millie was found and she had found her long-lost voice, too.
Chapter Twenty-Six
In the light rain, the trio of them hurried back to the estate, barely making it before the sky opened to a full-fledged downpour. Mrs Chisholm and Miss Bellows fussed over them all and soon they were all wrapped in blankets, snuggled in front of a roaring fire with mugs of steaming tea in their hands to warm them. Millie sat between Hattie and William and the ache of knowing it would never be real plagued Hattie. But there was nothing to be lost in enjoying sweet Millie and this moment, no matter how fleeting it was.
Millie yawned and leaned into Hattie. Her mug teetered in her small hands and threatened to spill over the rim. ‘Let me take that, sweet girl,’ she offered as she took it from her hand.
‘I am glad you are back, Miss Potts,’ she murmured before she drifted off to sleep.
‘So am I,’ William said quietly, his gaze searching hers.
She swallowed hard. ‘I am glad Millie is found, but I cannot stay.’
‘Why? She loves you, and I… I—’
‘That is why. We cannot trust one another.’ The truth pained her.
‘Hattie,’ he began, reaching out and touching her shoulder.
