Series: Willow Winters
Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 72146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
I stop those thoughts before I pity myself any longer.
Alice and Blanche won’t come to my rooms until I call for them. I gave them permission to go down to the village this evening, but I know they’ll have spent most of the ball in one of the servants’ passageways, watching guests dancing and choosing their favorite gown and eating sweets off the trays that pass them by.
My heart beats a bit faster at the feel of someone’s presence.
A quick glance over my shoulder confirms there is no one ahead of me in the hallway, and no one behind. For the moment, no one’s eyes are on me. I am free to do as I please.
I take a few steps down the hall to my rooms out of habit. That’s what I have done all my life. I’ve been obedient and never made any trouble for my parents.
And now I have spent all evening thinking of what I might do for myself. If I waste this opportunity, then I didn’t mean any of it.
I turn around and go the opposite direction, passing the hallway to my father’s rooms. At the end of the hall is a servants’ passageway. The door opens silently and closes just as quietly behind me.
The hall is narrower, but it’s well-lit and clean—frequently used, but empty now. Most of the servants will be finding people’s cloaks and helping them out to carriages. I stride through the door on the other side. The passage here curves both ways. I go to the left and enter a series of rooms that lead to the balcony above the ballroom.
Not everyone has made their way out yet. The hum of conversation rises from the floor, louder when people laugh. They are finishing their conversations, I think. One more story. One more promise to visit. They are not in any hurry to leave, though they don’t seem to wish to stay.
I’ve hardly stepped out onto the balcony itself when I feel it, and my lips part with a small inhale. The beat of my heart stalls before seeming to race in my chest. I feel his eyes on me again.
Pretending not to notice, I slip out onto the balcony. No one looks up at me, but why should they? They expect me to be in my rooms, being prepared for bed.
When I finally decide to look for him, I can’t see anyone on the balcony level. I let my gaze move carefully and methodically across the balcony.
There—he’s on the opposite side, his dark suit blending with the shadows. He stands in the alcove where I first saw him. Who is this man who stays in the shadows? Surely I would have met him this evening but it’s difficult to see his features.
Slowly, so I don’t draw any attention—I don’t want it now—I make my way around to the other side of the balcony. My skirts slip on the floor. I keep my breathing steady. I keep myself as calm as I can, though I know he’s been watching me all evening.
Perhaps longer.
Finally, I step into the balcony opposite the one I came out of.
Only one sconce is lit, and the man is not there. The adrenaline that raced in my veins slows. Blinking away the confusion I peer around the room.
I know where he’s gone. This is not only an alcove. The short passageway at the back leads to a small outer balcony. I follow the fresh air, and the moment I step out, he clears his throat. It’s not quite a laugh, but it’s not nothing, either. He means for me to know he is there.
I still, my body paralyzed.
The man is on the left side of the balcony. Without any sconces, his face is completely hidden in the shadows. I only manage to get a glimpse of his eyes before he turns his face and I can’t see them anymore.
Matching him, I move to the other side of the balcony. My heart pounds at the risk.
We are alone.
Yes, we are separated by several feet of the balcony, but it would only be a matter of steps.
“You’re here on my birthday,” I say. “I wonder if I saw you dancing at the ball.”
He does not answer, so I leave space for him to reply. When he doesn’t, I feel like the space has opened up for me instead. Space for me to be bold.
“You’ve been watching me.”
He does not answer still, but something in the air shifts. It seems to bend to him. A heat wraps its way around me. I know he’s there and yet he stays hidden. Perhaps he is only a squire. The thought is an unfortunate one. Straightening my shoulders to view our surroundings, I don’t try to look at the man who seems to prefer to be hidden.