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As if mirroring her thoughts, Miss Russel shrugged. “Will anyone care about a bunch of nobodies like us?”
“Your father will,” Mrs. Parson’s replied sternly.
Miss Russel waved a dismissive hand. “Father isn’t here. Besides, I’ll just tell him I forced you along, and you’ll be spared from blame.”
“Any objections, Miss Lambert?” Cecily said.
Miss Lambert shook her head. “No, I am alright.”
Cecily clapped her hands. “It’s settled, then. Let us wait another few hours and be off.”
“Very well,” Arabella replied, trepidation creeping in despite her enthusiasm. She had the odd feeling that something was going to happen tonight thanks to this impulsive decision, but it was far too late to turn back now.
* * *
The air was indeed as still as Cecily claimed when they finally emerged from the kitchen doors onto the expansive lawn, and Arabella inhaled the crisp, sweet summer air. She felt more invigorated than she had in a long while, perhaps owing to the clandestine nature of this trek. The five of them shuffled down the path with only the light of the full moon to light the way. Arabella walked beside Cecily, the others falling behind in muted but excited conversation.
“I never did ask you about the ruins,” Cecily murmured.
“Ask me what?”
“I saw someone’s horse tied to a tree on our way up. Did you see anyone else? I had worried that Lockhart had shown up to make himself a pest, but that didn't seem to be the case.”
While Cecily may have proven herself to be a potential friend, Arabella did not know her well enough to deduce whether she could be trusted with information that put her reputation in jeopardy. Even Caroline didn’t know about the kiss yet. “No,” she answered, keeping her voice even. “We must have just missed them, whoever they were.”
Even in the dim light of the moon, Cecily’s doubtful expression was visible. “If you say so.”
“Oh, my! It’s beautiful,” Miss Russel’s delighted exclamation cut through the tranquility as they crested a hill. The excitement was well warranted, for the sight that lay before Arabella was truly breathtaking. The waters of the lake were still, as if a mirror had been constructed over the entire length of it, and the vibrant reflection of the shining moon and twinkling stars on the surface made for a fantastical scene straight out of a dream. Cecily and the others gleefully trotted down the path, vocalizing their awe. Even the placid Mrs. Parson couldn’t help but to laugh along with the others as they frolicked to the shores. Arabella stayed behind a moment longer, wanting to commit the awe-inspiring scene to memory. Her painting skills wouldn’t do the scene justice, but she would damn well try her best.
“Come on, Arabella!” Cecily called from the shore.
“One moment.” She looked behind her at the distant facade of the house, wondering if the moon was bright enough to go back for her sketchbook, and then froze. A man was walking up the path, nearly to the base of the hill. Arabella looked at the frolicking ladies. The tall hill hid them from view, so long as no one reached its crest as the man was currently about to do. Alarmed at potential discovery, Arabella frantically scoured her brain for a solution. Every second she took to think, the man grew closer, until she was able to faintly make out his features in the dim light of the moon. Her heart hammered in her ears, mouth going dry. “Milton.”
He stopped at the foot of the hill, looking almost startled to see her there. “Miss Hughs?”
“Hush,” she snapped in a muted whisper, putting a finger to her lips for emphasis, as if he could even see the finer details of her face. She could barely make out his own in the dim light, but the angular plains she could make out and his tall, commanding stature were long familiar to her. “I am not alone.”
“No?” There was a hard edge to his voice, as if the words distressed him.
Gathering the meaning of such a tone, Arabella almost rolled her eyes. “I am with some new friends.” Punctuating the statement was splash and a girlish sheik, followed by muffled giggles as whomever had made the noise was playfully silenced.
He shifted from one foot to the other, silent for a few awkward moments, before speaking once more in a far quieter voice. “I will leave you ladies to it, then. You were here first, after all.” His head shifted, and she imagined he was smiling. “Rest assured, my lips are sealed regarding this late night excursion. Heaven knows how many times the boys and I have done the same.”
“Thank you,” she whispered back, relief coursing through her at Milton’s magnanimity. She shouldn’t have been surprised, considering how much of his relaxed personality he showed her.
He rose his hand with a friendly wave. “Goodbye, then.”
Some strange sort of panic seized her. This might be the only time they were alone together, considering how determined he was to carve out distance between them. She watched his back fading into the night, her indecision worsening with each step he took.
“You coming, or what?” Cecily shouted playfully, even as the others shushed her.
Arabella put a hand to her chest to stay her thundering heart and wondered if what she was about to do was wise. She turned back to the women. Miss Russel and Cecily had taken their shoes and stockings off and were wading around the shallows, skirts bunched in their hands, whilst Mrs. Pearson lounged with Miss Lambert on the shore. “I’ve come down with a bit of a headache. I think I may retire, after all.”
“If you are sure,” Cecily said, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
“Feel better,” Miss Russel called.
Mrs. Pearson put a hand to her head. “Between the two of you, we’ll be discovered in no time at all. They already had, not that Arabella would tell them of it.
