Page 91 of The Muse of Maiden Lane

She retreated back to the staircase in the hall. The banister was a good solid oak, with only minor damage to one of the posts. She examined it briefly as she ascended, just as she examined the snug bedrooms located above. There was no draft. No damp. With a little paint and paper, and a few colorful furnishings, the house wouldn’t just be habitable. It would be cozy. Charming. To be sure, it would be a home.

Returning downstairs, she found Teddy waiting in the same spot beside the window where she’d left him. His expression was pensive.

His mouth curved faintly when he saw her. “Well? What’s the verdict?”

“I like it immensely.” Stella sank down on the window seat, bringing their eyes level. She preferred talking to him this way to standing over him. It was more companionable. More intimate. “I expect you’ll be very happy here.”

“Yes, well…” He ran a hand over his hair. “That was the plan.”

She inhaled a deep breath, sighing a bit dreamily as she once again took in the light through the windows. It wasn’t the most brilliant of rooms. Not as bright, certainly, as the small parlor at Sutton Park. But there was something otherworldly to it. Almost magical.

Perhaps it was the gleam of the grease on the windowpanes. Or perhaps it was the fact that the two of them were alone—wholly alone.

“Is this where you would have painted me?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“And paid me, according to your letters.”

His clever blue-gray eyes were suddenly intent. “You’ve been considering it.”

“I confess, I have.”

“And?”

Stella’s pulse skipped. She understood what she was doing. She was taking a risk with her reputation. With her entire future. But she was seeking employment, wasn’t she? By that measure, the decision was practical, not reckless. Any payment she received from Teddy would be used to offset her living expenses.

“I’ve decided to do it,” she said.

Teddy’s eyes blazed. But he didn’t say anything. He only looked at her steadily.

Stella feared she hadn’t made herself plain. “I’ll pose for your painting,” she clarified. “If you still want me—”

“I want you,” he said. “Make no mistake. I only—” He broke off. “Things have become a bit complicated of late. But…regardless…I’ll still be using the house as my studio. Providing the repairs can be done expeditiously, and providing you’re at liberty to come each day until the portrait is finished. It could be months. And with you returning to Derbyshire next week—”

“I am not returning to Derbyshire.”

His gaze bore into hers, making her pulse skip its rhythm. “What?”

“I’m not ever returning.” Stella gave Teddy an abridged explanation of the events that had transpired at the vicarage—of Daniel’s ultimatum and her dire response to it. “So, you see, I’m completely on my own now, and fully at liberty to do as I please.”

Rather than being encouraged by the news, Teddy appeared to be vexed by it. His face darkened with evident concern. “But…where will you live?”

“After Mrs. Blunt and her husband return to Yorkshire, I shall stay with Mrs. Malik for a time. But only temporarily. I intend to seek employment.”

“Doing what?”

“The only thing I’m qualified for. I shall find work as a lady’s companion. I’m already adept at being inconspicuous. The only difference is now I shall hopefully be compensated for it.”

Teddy’s ebony brows sank ominously. He didn’t look at all enthused by her plan. Rather the reverse.

“It will suit perfectly,” Stella said, attempting to make him understand. “I’ll pay Locket’s expenses with the income from my inheritance, and take care of my other needs with the wages from my new position. For anything else, I shall use the money I earn from posing for you.” She gave him a quizzing look. “So, you mustn’t attempt to stint me.”

He didn’t laugh at her teasing. He didn’t even smile.

Stella’s own smile faded. A knot of building indignation formed in her chest. “You don’t approve.”

“No,” he said bluntly. “I don’t.”