The one part of my plan I hadn’t thought through was whether or not I should try to glance in the room before sneaking my hand into it. A slowly opened door may not be noticeable, but a woman’s hand? That would be hard to miss if either of them happened to glance at or be looking in the general direction of the door.
But Captain Calder had come to his room to change, and even though I’d seen him shirtless before, that had been out of necessity. Peering into his bedroom while he was a guest in my home went well beyond what anyone would deem necessary.
Grabbing the key would have to be fast then, and not careful, just as my dash to the west wing had been. It wasn’t as if Captain Calder wouldn’t know exactly what happened once he noticed. I didn’t need to hide what I was doing so long as I got it done.
Conversation continued inside—something about the knot on the captain’s cravat. I took a steadying breath and then quickly slipped my hand through the crack in the door. The key was only a few inches inside the room and I grabbed it and yanked it out of its slot. Then I closed the door with swift but silent movements, shoved the key in this side and locked it.
I’d never heard a more satisfying click.
I held my breath. Their voices were muted with the door closed, but their tones hadn’t changed. I clapped a hand over my mouth but felt a wicked smile form beneath it. Had I really just locked Captain Calder in his room without him noticing?
I silently pulled the key out of the lock.
Now to return to the rest of the party without anyone seeing me. Once again, it was time for speed, not stealth. I had nowhere else to hide the key other than inside my glove, so I shoved it into my left palm. Fortunately it fit. Then I dashed away. I reined myself in from flat-out running. There was still a chance I could be seen, and there was never a good reason for a woman to be running inside her own home. But I don’t think I’ve ever walked faster in my life.
11
EVELYN BLACKWELL
“Shouldn’twe wait for Captain Calder?” Hattie asked, after one of our footmen delivered the lawn bowls to our group in the east garden. Our back garden didn’t have the space for lawn bowls. It was flat and open, but only large enough for seating due to the steep drop-off that led to the more expansive grounds below.
Mama, Papa, and the older guests were sitting in chairs closer to the house, so it was the first time most of the younger members of our party had the chance to socialize without being overheard.
“Does Captain Calder often take such care with his appearance?” I asked the two lieutenants. “He’s been gone over half an hour.”
Brookhouse shook his head. “Not usually, no.” He glanced at Hattie appreciatively. “But then he doesn’t typically have such lovely company to dress for.”
Color rose to Hattie’s cheeks. Good. Thank you, Brookhouse. “I will wait for him,” I said. “We can’t play bowls with an uneven number anyway. When he arrives, the two of us can play battledore and shuttlecock.”
“I can wait for him,” Lieutenant Davis offered.
“No.” I smiled at Lieutenant Davis. It wouldn’t be the worst thing if he waited. Captain Calder wouldn’t be able to join bowls regardless, but Hattie needed this time with both the lieutenants and Vincent Howard. I didn’t need to be around any of the men. “I’m the hostess, and I insist.”
Despite being quieter than the other gentlemen, I got the feeling Lieutenant Davis was excellent at observing. He studied my face, and I don’t know what he found there, but after a moment, he nodded.
Vincent Howard, however, seemed less convinced. “I could wait with you,” he offered when the other three started toward the bowls. He looked almost disappointed I wouldn’t be joining. But why? I had no special skill with bowls. Not like I did with artillery.
“They can’t play with three.” I waved him toward the others. “Don’t worry about me. I insist.”
Davis grabbed the white jack and threw it, marking the beginning of their game. I silently thanked him.
Time ticked by as I debated joining the older members of our party rather than standing by myself somewhere between those playing bowls and Mama and the rest of the party. I hadn’t had time to dispose of Captain Calder’s key, so I fiddled with it beneath my glove while I waited to intercept Captain Calder if he managed to escape his room.
Roughly fifteen minutes later, he did.
The players were well into their game when he came storming around the side of the house. I froze. I was too far away to hear what excuses he gave Mama and Papa, but they weren’t long enough. For only a moment later, he’d turned and started striding directly toward me. He was too far away for me to catch the look of his face, but I didn’t need to. Each of his steps landed with such force I wondered if the ground might notbreak beneath him. He only glanced at the bowlers once and then never turned his head away from me.
Even though there were still yards between us, I stepped back as if I could protect myself from his righteous fury. A gust of wind picked up and the sky darkened beneath a heavy cloud the moment he reached speaking range. He’d brought a storm with him.
“I’m sorry, it seems the others started without you.” I tipped my head to the four bowl players.
He didn’t even glance at them. It only took him three tremendous steps to reach me. The scar I’d thought made his face intriguing in the croft suddenly looked menacing. I’d trifled with a man who’d lived through battles and that slash was proof of it. His eyes bore into mine, dark and intense. “Are you sorry? Truly?”
I pulled my lips together tight. He was too close to me, but I’d stepped back once, and I wouldn’t again. “No.”
“I didn’t think so. Otherwise you wouldn’t have locked me in my room.”
I furrowed my eyebrows “Locked you in your room? Why would I have done such a thing?”
