Page 23 of Once Upon a Midnight Dreary
Her gut was coiled in tight knots as she glanced around the room.
Then she saw it.On the bedside table where her candle had been, a crushed lilac.
Victoria slept.She awoke to a knock on her door and a muffled voice calling her name through it.When she finally dragged herself from the depths of sleep, she sat up, yawned and realized the morning light pressed against the window.
“Victoria?”came the call again.
It was her uncle.
She shoved off the blankets and stood, realizing she was still in her dressing gown.Her slippers were discarded by the bed.When she’d returned to her room after the incident, she’d not bothered to remove her robe and instead climbed into bed, shivering under the covers until she finally managed to sleep.
“Coming,” she called.
A quick look in the mirror of her dressing table revealed her disheveled appearance.Her hair was a mess of tangles.There were dark circles under her eyes.It was difficult not to see the fatigue lining her features.
She tied up her hair quickly and then hurried to the door, opening it a crack to see her uncle, fully dressed with his hat, standing in the hall.
“Still abed?”he asked, one brow raised.“You missed breakfast.”
“What time is it?”Her heart lurched.
“Quarter to ten.You look exhausted.”Concern flickered through his gaze as he looked her over.No doubt noticing she was still in her nightclothes.
She forced a smile.“I’m fine.Just tired.I didn’t sleep well last night.”
That was an understatement.Even when she did sleep, it was fitful and plagued with nightmares.
“The carriage is leaving to take me back to the city.I was hoping to see you before then.”Disappointment creased his face.
“Give me a moment.I will be down to see you off.I’ll meet you downstairs.”
He nodded as she closed the door with a quick snap.She peered around the messy room, trying to pull herself together.Her gown was still discarded on the chair near the wardrobe.Her shoes left there.She ripped off the robe and hurried to the wardrobe to find something to wear.As she tugged out a pale yellow gown, she halted, realization pounding through her.
Once her uncle left for the city, she would be alone in this house with Gabriel.
Her breath hitched as she clutched the gown to her chest.
Did she dare remain here with him?With everything that happened last night—which she did not want to think about—she wasn’t sure shecouldstay.Was she strong enough?Bold enough?
What choice did she have?
Return with her uncle to his brownstone in the city where her meddling aunt was determined to see her married off or…
She swallowed hard.
Or she could stay.Make a life here.For her mother, who had once found peace in these gardens.For the little girl who whispered through the walls.For herself, becoming the independent woman she dreamed of becoming since the moment the letter from the solicitor landed in her hands.
Breathing in deeply, she knew what she had to do.She was staying.And she had very little time to dress before her uncle departed.She tidied her hair, pulling it back and tying it with a silk ribbon.Then she dressed in the yellow gown, stuck her feet in her shoes, and headed down the stairs.
Her uncle waited in the foyer, his bag in hand.Gabriel was nowhere in sight, which was a relief.She dreaded facing him this morning, though she couldn’t say why.Something about the previous night’s events left her spooked to her core.
As she stepped down, she plastered on a bright smile, then hooked her arm in her uncle’s.
“I’m sorry to see you go,” she said.“Are you sure you can’t stay longer?”
“I’ve been away from your aunt and the bank too long already.”He patted her hand.
Gabriel appeared, silent and stealthy, already at the door.She startled when she saw him, though his face remained unemotional.She hadn’t heard a footstep.Had he been there the whole time?Perhaps he was concealed within the shadows and she hadn’t noticed him.
