Page 59 of Finding Hope
“You look a treat, miss,” the maid said when she surveyed her handiwork.
“Thank you, Jenkins. I only wish I felt a treat.” Hope decided she might as well see what the maid knew. She was so desperate for a resolution. “Jenkins.”
“Yes, miss?”
“I do not know how much your mistress is taking you into her confidence, but someone has been sending me unsigned notes, and I have been involved in several incidents which have appeared to be accidents, but feel very intentional. Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary at all?”
Her round, rosy face brightened with excitement at getting to share some gossip. “His lordship did ask me a few things which made me wonder,” she admitted. “And then there were the footmen stationed at either end of the hall.”
“Have they seen anything?”
“If they have, they haven’t told me, but I did hear the Duchess asking them to report any unusual activity directly to her, when she did not know I was nearby.”
“Does she think to catch me doing something clandestine?”
“I could not say, miss, but she is a cold one.” The maid shivered dramatically.
There was a knock on her door, and Faith looked inside. “May we come in?”
“Of course,” Hope said, and was a bit surprised when her sister’s husband followed her inside and closed the door. Faith was looking radiant in a blue net gown with capped sleevesover a cream-coloured slip trimmed with gauze roses around the hem. Hope had to admit that marriage suited her sister very well.
“How are you feeling?” Faith asked in her motherly way.
“As well as can be expected,” Hope admitted.
“You look very elegant,” Westwood said with a fond smile. “Forgive the intrusion, but I wanted to know how I can help you. As you know, I have a band of friends who will step in at the lift of your finger.”
Hope smiled with sadness. “Why is it that we are always in need of rescue, Faith?” she asked her sister, recalling Westwood’s friends coming to their rescue once before.
“You are a threat to someone,” Westwood answered. “I am convinced this is all the work of a female. This is not how a man would go to work.”
“We are well acquainted with how gentlemen do things,” Faith said with a scowl, no doubt recalling her all too recent encounter with a deranged Sir Julian Wright, who had arranged a wager to publicly ruin Faith. The wager had become so out of hand that Lord Westwood had been kidnapped and Sir Julian had been killed.
“I agree with you,” Hope said, but did not think this person deranged, merely selfish and calculating. But how far would they go to have their way?
“Hope, I want to call in my friends, at least for tonight. There will be too many people present for us to watch you alone, unless you do not dance and remain next to one of us the whole evening.”
“And that would never do,” Faith said quickly. “The best thing is for you to dance every dance and be happy.”
“You know that will be difficult,” Hope replied.
“But you see why it is necessary, do you not?” Westwood asked. “Rotham, Carew, Cunningham, Stuart, Fielding, LordGus—even Brosner are all willing to protect you. That would be eight sets if you include one with me.”
Hope debated sharing her suspicions and decided it might be best. “I think I need to stay away from Rotham. I have a strong suspicion these threats are tied to his partiality for me.”
Westwood frowned, and Hope could see he was considering the truth of the matter. “Be that as it may, would it not draw more attention were you to ignore him?”
“Supposing all my dances were already spoken for? Is it too late to arrange that?” she asked. It would be much more difficult if she had to deny Rotham in person.
Westwood hesitated, but shook his head. “I will see it done.”
“Thank you,” she said softly. The last thing she wanted to do was offend Rotham, but she could not but think it was for the best.
As Jenkins placed the final touches on Hope’s coiffure, there was another knock on the door. Westwood opened it and accepted a bouquet of flowers.
They were beautiful, bright yellow henbane, and Hope suspected they were from Rotham. Where else would flowers be found but from the estate?
Westwood handed the arrangement to her, then excused himself to make the arrangements with his friends as her other sisters, ready to go downstairs, came into the room to show off their gowns.
