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The poor woman’s face went whiter than the first snow of winter. He supposed he should put her mind at ease, but after the day he’d had due to her poor judgment, he figured she deserved a little worry. “Sit down.”
She nodded and then sat in the chair across the desk from him. “My lord, I am dreadfully sorry. She promised me she would just walk to the park and return before noon. If I had ever thought she would run off, I never would have let her go alone.”
“Alone? My instructions were she was to have breakfast in her room and wait for the seamstress to bring her some proper clothing.”
“Yes, my lord,” she mumbled, staring at her feet. “I shall pack my things.”
“I don’t remember asking you to leave, Mrs. Abbott.”
She looked up slowly, her brown eyes as large as saucers. “Thank you, my lord.”
“However,” he said sternly, “I do expect you to follow my orders.”
“Of course, my lord.” She nodded her head vigorously. “It will never happen again.”
“See that it doesn’t.”
Mrs. Abbott left quickly, as if afraid he might change his mind. After the footman brought his tea and some food, Braden contemplated the situation at hand. He now had to find two people since the Bow Street runner he hired had discovered no signs of Jonathon in London. It was as if both Jonathon and now Miss Featherstone had just disappeared into the air. But Braden knew they had to be somewhere and London was the most likely place for both of them.
He was determined to find them both. And when he found her, she would regret the day she thought to thwart him.
The next fortnight flew by even as Tia was beginning to feel like a prisoner in this beautiful house. Emily had decided she would introduce Tia to the limited Society still left in London in September. Every day Tia endured fittings for dresses, dance instruction, and etiquette lessons. She had never imagined the life of a lady could be so tiring.
They started at eight in the morning and continued nonstop until luncheon. If Tia were lucky, Emily would tire and need a nap, giving Tia her only break. Once Emily would wake from her nap, they were at it again. Emily explained to her that since most of the ladies of the ton would have learned all this over the span of a few years, they had to learn this all in a fortnight.
“Come along, Tia,” Emily said, leading her to the ballroom for dancing instruction. “The party is tomorrow night and you must be able to dance every dance.”
Tia sighed. For the past few days, she’d tried to no avail to make Emily understand that no one would believe Tia was her cousin from the Midlands. “Emily, this is fruitless. No one is going to dance with me.”
Emily only laughed. “Everyone is going to want to dance with you.” She dragged Tia into the room.
Mr. Blackwell waited impatiently, tapping his foot. “You should never leave a man waiting for so long,” he reprimanded them both.
“I do apologize, Mr. Blackwell. My cousin was detained with an important letter from her mother.”
Tia shook her head and gave Emily a curious look. She supposed she should go along with the lie. “Yes, my mother had some news of my sister.” If only that were true. She might not miss the Midlands, but she did miss Mia dreadfully. Lately, she’d felt as if something could be wrong with her twin. But that was impossible. Nothing ever happened out there.
“Very well, our last dance to learn is the waltz,” Mr. Blackwell stated.
“My cousin has not been given permission to dance the waltz,” Emily said quietly.
“That does not matter. She still must learn it.”
Tia still did not understand how she must gain permission from some ladies she’d never met in order to dance a simple dance. Emily told her the dance was scandalous because a man held onto her while prancing across the dance floor. Tia doubted it was as bad as Emily stated.
As Mr. Blackwell taught her the dance steps, Tia confirmed her suspicions. The waltz was hardly as scandalous as she’d been told. It was quite an enjoyable dance, but not as strenuous as some of the country dances. By the fourth time, she had mastered the steps and could enjoy the beautiful music that accompanied them.
As their hour of lessons concluded, Tia glanced over at Emily. For the past few minutes, she’d been rather quiet, just sitting on the sofa watching them. Her face had grown quite pale.
“Are you all right, Emily?”
“Just tired. I believe I shall take a nap.”
“I will be up in a few minutes to check on you.”
Emily nodded and slowly headed to her bedroom. Once Mr. Blackwell departed, Tia walked up to Emily’s bedchamber and knocked on the door. “May I come in?”
“Of course.”
