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“What did you say this fellow did?”
“Orville Hendrickson is a financier who deals in the stock exchange.”
“So probably has a house full of servants.” He surveyed the home and asked, “How many can I expect to run into?”
“At this time of the morning only a few of the kitchen maids will be up preparing breakfast for the senior staff first. Stella won’t be joining them until later, as well as Mr. Hendrickson’s butler.”
“Will one of those maids include Becky?”
She nodded. “Aye, more than likely she will be in the kitchen cooking. The others will be in the scullery or off to light the fireplaces.”
“Where is the scullery in location to the kitchen?”
“Behind it. Why?”
“I think it a good idea we draw as little attention to our presence as possible.”
“Right.”
“Is there a joining door?”
She nodded. “But the servants’ hall is connected to the kitchen so we got into the habit of keeping it shut because of the strong odors caused by the garlic we hung over the hearth in spring to dry.”
“Perfect.”
Sam led the horse to the back of the house where the entrance to the kitchen was located. Finding a recluse spot, he drew the horse into the shadows and hitched him out of sight. As Ivy slid from the saddle, he reached up and grabbed her around the waist.
Her light blue eyes raised and met his gaze. The urge to kiss her was overwhelming, but he had hurt her terribly. He didn’t know if she would ever allow him close again.
“Let me go in alone,” he told her.
“No way.”
“Ivy, I need to go slow on this. Draw the truth out of Becky. If we frighten her, we may never get the truth.”
“I’m coming.”
He frowned down at her. Distrust still danced in her eyes, but there was something else. Pure obstinance. She needed to confront her accuser. Even if it meant it caused her doom. Hell, he didn’t need her being so proud at that moment. But he could understand it.
Since he knew how effective tying her to a tree would be, he sighed and said, “Watch yourself. Don’t allow emotion to rule your head. It may get pretty heated.”
“I won’t.”
“All right then,” he took her hand and turned toward the door. “Let’s get this over with.”
Chapter 15
Ivy waited behind Sam. Not because she wanted to, but because he kept a hand splayed out across her stomach to prevent her from moving past him.
The warmth which that hand provided was intoxicating. It felt as if it would pull her in further. It frightened Ivy to realize she wanted to be drawn in. Though she was grateful for Sam’s help now, no matter the outcome, she could never risk getting that close again.
She turned her attention to the window. It glowed yellow indicating the kitchen staff were up and starting their morning routine as predicted. Someone walked by the window and she felt a jolt of excitement.
“That’s Becky.”
“Are you sure?”
Even from that secluded spot and the darkness surrounding the home, she would have recognized the young woman easily. She had a practice of wearing her long blond locks in elaborate chignons on the top of her head rather than the nape as most maids did. Ivy had always thought the look impractical for scrubbing dishes. But it made her long neck and sculptured face more pronounced.
