“I’d say that perhaps you misplaced them, but that doesn’t sound like you.”
Once again I failed to suppress a smile. It gave me butterflies to hear that he knew me well enough to say something about my personality like that.
Silence fell between us for a few moments. Though my gaze had been directed mostly at the lace gloves folded in my lap, I glanced up at him. His blond hair was just a bit too long, but he’d gotten rid of the sad attempt for a mustache above his lip. Could I see myself marrying this man? I certainly had thought about it plenty after our night in the woods together, but after he’d brought me to Wolf’s Peak, I’d all but put it out of my mind. If Adam was as committed as I was, I wouldn’t hesitate to spend the rest of my life with him, his hand in mine, his lips on mine.
“Hazel? Are you all right?”
I turned to meet his gaze. “Of course, why?”
“You...looked peculiar.”
Perhaps that was true, and I also hadn’t realized my heart was beating so fast. “Just lost in thought, I suppose,” I told him. That was true, at least.
“What were you thinking about?”
“Oh, just things silly and inconsequential.”
“Impossible. You’ve never had an inconsequential thought in your life.”
I laughed. “That’s sweet.”
Once again, we fell quiet. “So, what is this party for?”
“The duke is hosting it for Christine. He wants to help her get used to her surroundings. I think he’s concerned that her new life is overwhelming.”
“That’s understandable.” I couldn’t imagine what life was now like for her. I had been completely awed by Wolf’s Peak, and I had grown up in finery and wealth. For Christine, coming from the streets and poverty, it must be utterly overwhelming.
Our carriage came to a stop outside of Wolf’s Peak. When the door opened, Adam stepped out and reached his hand up to grasp mine. Our skin touched through my lace gloves, and he gently helped me out of the carriage as my heart raced.
He hooked his arm through mine and together we ascended the steps into the manor. We were greeted at the door by the butler who led us through the mansion. Just as I had the last time I was here, my eyes lingered on the glistening chandeliers and the thick rugs. The home oozed luxury, but had I been the one living here, I would have been far too overwhelmed. I would have been concerned I would break something simply by touching it.
The butler opened the doors onto the balcony and we stepped outside into the sunshine. Below us, wrought–iron tables and chairs were set up around the fountain while music played from a phonograph. The green lawn beside the gardens had both croquet and horseshoes available for guests, and a few were taking advantage of them.
As we descended the steps, I took in the other guests. Adam might have told me I was here to grow my friendship with Christine, but it didn’t escape my notice that all the others at the party were either the duke’s councilmen or their wives.
We landed on the cobblestone path and from across the garden, Christine waved at me. I was hesitant to leave Adam’s side, but this party was for Christine, and I could meet up with him later.
“I’ll see you in a bit,” I told him, and he gave me a nod as I broke from him and met up with Christine and Annabelle at a little table beside the fountain.
“You’re here with Adam!” she exclaimed as I drew closer.
I couldn’t hold it in any longer. “I think he asked my parents for permission to court me!”
Annabelle clasped her hands over her mouth. “Oh, that’s wonderful! Do you think we’ll have another summer wedding?”
My face flushed. “Well, I don’t know about that. I certainly do hope so. It’s all a bit new.” I needed to change the subject, or my embarrassment might engulf me. I looked around at the other guests. “Who is everyone?” Many of the men I recognized, but I didn’t know all of their names or all their wives.
“Would you like to introduce us?” Christine asked Annabelle.
We talked for a bit about the duke’s councilmen. Annabelle pointed out that Lord Melle had brought his nephew, and my heart fell a bit. Perhaps I really was here as a friend for Christine, and not as a date for Adam.
While we filled ourselves with petit fours and played croquet, my eyes kept flickering over to Adam. He spent most of his time near the duke, but at one point came over during our last game of croquet as the sky was turning a pretty shade of pink. When the game came to a close, Annabelle the easy winner, he pulled me aside.
“Would you like to go for a walk with me?” he asked.
My heart thundered. “Of course.”
He took my arm, and we started off past the gardens down the path toward the lakeside. From here, the rocky beach stretched down past Weylyn. My home and Adam’s both sat on properties that bordered the lake, and many of the wealthier residents in the lake lived right on the lakeside.
“I’ve enjoyed seeing you today,” he said as we walked arm–in–arm. “I haven’t seen you enough as of late.”
I tilted my head at him. “I just saw you on Sunday.”
“Before that, though. Before all this nonsense with the duke’s engagement.”
“Nonsense?”
He turned to me. “It was a mistake, Hazel, and I apologize.”
“Oh. Well, apology accepted, I suppose.” My head was reeling.
“I regret that I kept my distance from you for nine months. I feared I had made a mistake.”
I glanced down at the rocks. “Oh.”
“I feared that I wouldn’t be enough for you. I thought that perhaps a life with the duke would be better for you.”
“You couldn’t have asked me?”
He shook his head. “It was nonsense.”
We were silent for a moment. He paused, taking both my hands in his and looking into my eyes.
“I don’t ever want to go that long without seeing you, Hazel. It tore me to pieces every time I had to stay away. I don’t think I could survive it again.” He took a deep breath. “Hazel, despite my mistakes this past year, would you be willing to court me?”
I pinched my lips to keep myself from smiling too broadly. “Nothing would make me happier.”
He leaned down, and our lips met, his hand cupping my face as we kissed by the lakeside.
Chapter Sixteen
“I’ll be honest,” my mother said as she pulled my hair back, “I never considered you and Adam.”
My eyes met hers in the mirror. “Why is that?”
She shrugged. “It simply wasn’t something I ever considered. I’ve always thought of him like a son.”
I didn’t say anything as I watched her insert the pins to keep my hair in place. I could see why she felt that way; I could remember the days when Adam and Harry and I would play outside from dawn to dusk, the days before we became too old to play together without rumors and whispers. My mother may have thought of Adam as a son, but I had never thought of him as a brother. Even then I’d always had a flutter in my chest each time he smiled at me.
“Not that you don’t make a lovely couple,” she said to me, twisting a curl around her finger. “I don’t know why I never saw it before. You know each other so well, and he’s clearly smitten with you.”
I worked to keep my smile under control. “Do you think?”
“Oh, undoubtedly,” she said, though I don’t know if she was being honest or if she was simply excited at the prospect of her daughter marrying a class above.
My mother reached over and rummaged through the messy pile of jewelry on my dressing table. I still hadn’t found a new home for my jewelry since the box was smashed, and I hated looking at the tangled pile. My mother sighed as she pulled the necklaces apart.
“Where is your peridot necklace?” she asked me.
“I told you, it’s missing,” I reminded her. “I haven’t seen it since my room was ransacked.”
She frowned. “It wasn’t ransacked,” she said.
“Mum, my
things are missing!”
“Then you need to be more responsible.”
I rolled my eyes while she continued to search through my jewelry. She pulled out a set of pearls. “Wear this with your pink dress,” she told me.
I could make my own choices on clothing, but I didn’t bother protesting. She was taking me into town to buy new things, and I didn’t want to get on her bad side lest she take this privilege away.
“That sounds perfect,” I told her, standing up from my table and crossing to my closet. The dress she was talking about was a blush pink with small green leaves embroidered on the waist and hem. After the dress was on, I opened my top dresser drawer to find a pair of gloves. I’d planned on wearing my lace gloves with the green ribbon, but they weren’t there.
“That’s strange,” I murmured, searching through the neatly stacked gloves. When was the last time I had worn them? The wedding, if I was remembering right, just like my missing gown and missing necklace. What had I done when I got home that evening? I’d gotten undressed and put everything away, I was sure of that. Was it just a coincidence that nearly my entire outfit from that day was missing? If so, it was an awfully strange coincidence. Could someone really have sneaked into my house and stolen my things? What possible purpose could that serve?
I chose a pair of gloves without ribbon instead and pulled on my boots. At least my shoes weren’t missing; the white suede heels were nestled at the bottom of my wardrobe with the rest of my boots and slippers.
My mother was relaxing with a book and a cup of tea in the living room when I entered.
“Are you ready?” my mother asked as a commotion started at the back door. We both turned to look as Harry and Adam stomped the dirt off their shoes on the back rug.
“What are you two up to?” Harry asked as they joined us.
“We’re about to head into town,” my mother said. I looked over and smiled at Adam. He smiled back and the butterflies returned to my stomach.
“What a coincidence,” Harry said. “That’s where we’re headed too.”
Adam gave my brother a nudge, but Harry didn’t seem to notice.
“Would you like to join us?” my mother asked. “We can take one carriage.”
“Oh, no,” Adam said quickly. “We’ve got quite a bit to do, and I don’t want to make you wait for us.”
“I thought we were just going…oh, wait, never mind,” Harry said as Adam gave him a look. I glanced between them, but they refused to give us any more of an explanation. I tried not to be disappointed, as much as I would have liked Adam to come along with us. Perhaps I had just seen him yesterday, but I missed him.
My mother, for her part, was unfazed at the secrecy between the boys. “All right, then. Perhaps we’ll see you later. Come along, Hazel. The carriage should be waiting.”
She set down her book and started toward the front door. I followed after her through the parlor, but I was only about halfway there when I felt a hand on my arm.
“Hazel.”
I turned to see Adam above me and I smiled. “Yes?”
“Perhaps I could see you tomorrow?”
I grinned. “I would like that very much.”
Adam grinned back. “Wonderful, fantastic. Around two o’clock?”
“That would be perfect.”
He leaned in, kissing me gently on the forehead. “See you tomorrow.”
My heart light despite the secrecy between my brother and Adam, I left the house and joined my mother in the carriage waiting outside.
“Where are we going?” I asked her as our carriage pulled away from the house.
“Belladora’s, I think. We’ve already got your measurements on file there.”
“Mum, that’s so expensive,” I protested.
She waved her hand at me. “It’s not as if we can’t afford it. Besides, you’re courting now. You need clothes that will impress so he’ll propose.”
“I don’t want Adam to propose simply because of my gowns,” I told her. “I want him to propose because he loves who I am.”
“Oh, darling,” my mother sighed. “Men aren’t that mature.”
Belladora’s was calm when we walked in. Soft music played from the gramophone, and a few women were milling through the shop. The same saleswoman from before, Anna, greeted us, but this time she turned to me.
“We’re ordering you a few dresses this time, I hear,” she said.
“Yes,” my mother responded proudly. “She’s courting someone.”
“Mum…” I muttered, my face turning red.
“Oh, that’s terribly exciting,” Anna said. “Why don’t you go wait by the fitting rooms while I go find a few styles for you to try on?”
My mother went to browse while I sat on the ottoman by the fitting rooms. Across from me was a tall mirror, and from here it seemed like I could see every flaw: the dullness of my hair, the freckles across my skin, the small paunch under my belly button when I sat. I turned away from the mirror as Anna approached with a pile of dresses draped over her arm.
“These are all different cuts,” she said.
“All up to date though, yes?” my mother cut in, crossing over to where we sat.
“Of course, the latest trends, straight from Paris,” Anna assured her.
“Wonderful,” my mother said.
Anna opened one of the fitting rooms for me and we went inside. The room was surprisingly spacious, a mirror on one end and a bench with a cushion on the other. Anna undid the buttons on the back of my dress and I slipped out of it.
The first dress she chose for me had a higher neckline with lace tickling my skin. The skirt flowed from my waist, and the sleeves were full over my shoulders.
“Oh, it’s lovely,” my mother said as I stepped in front of the three–way mirror.
“You don’t think the sleeves are a bit much?” I asked her, pulling at the satin. “I feel they’re a bit overwhelming.”
“I can have them made a touch smaller,” Anna mused, writing notes on a pad of paper. “What do you think of the shape?”
“Certainly flattering,” I said, smoothing my hands over the skirt.
“Can we make her waist smaller?” my mother asked.
“Not without surgery,” I responded with an eye roll.
“The next gown has a more structured waist,” Anna assured her, and once again we were back in the fitting room and I was climbing into the next gown.
After several more dresses, my mother and I picked a few styles to order. I found I preferred lower necklines, smaller sleeves, narrower skirts, and sashes around the waist. Those seemed to flatter me most; the lower neck elongated my torso, the smaller sleeves didn’t overwhelm my face, the narrower skirts didn’t make my rear look fake, and the sash was the only thing that narrowed my waist properly.
Together my mother and I flipped through the fabric swatches, settling on some pastels like a blue floral pattern and pink ruffles. My favorite, though, was for a softer gown with chiffon sleeves. I had chosen a soft sage for that one. My mother had hated the gown, but it had been so much more comfortable and much lighter than the others, I had insisted on it. In return, she picked another gown that was perhaps more in fashion but wouldn’t be worn by me if my life depended on it.
While my mother paid and chatted with the saleslady, I wandered over to look at the display of accessories along the far wall. I was fingering a pair of lace gloves with green trim, similar to the ones that had gone missing. I wondered if I could get my mother to purchase them for me.
The bell over the door tinkled, but I didn’t pay it any mind. From across the store I heard Anna say, “I’ll be with you in just a moment,” but I didn’t think twice until I felt movement behind me.
I looked up into the mirror to see Hattie and Lillian standing behind me. Lillian’s arms were folded, while Hattie’s were planted on her hips. Both had their mouths pinched into tight lines.
“Fancy seeing you here again,” Hattie said. “I’m surprised your famil
y has enough money for you to come shopping here twice in one month.”
I rolled my eyes. “You know full well that my family is fine financially. Both your fathers are my father’s clients.”
The two came up alongside of me, pretending to check their reflections in the mirror as they spoke to me.
“There’s a rumor going around,” Hattie said as she held a pair of earrings up to her ear.
“Oh?” I said, holding my breath, waiting for whatever was coming next.
“We hear that you and Adam are now courting,” Lillian said. “How did you manage that?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, unable to look at my reflection in the mirror any longer.
“You don’t know if you’re courting, or you don’t know how you managed to ensnare him?” Lillian asked.
I clenched my fist at my sides, my nails digging into my palm. “We are courting,” I finally said, and both of them scowled.
“So, what’s your secret?” Hattie asked. “What did you do? Sleep with him? Or did your father offer him money?”
“It’s not like that,” I said, knowing my protests were pointless. I turned to move away, but Lillian gripped my arm in an iron grasp. She yanked me back around so our eyes met in the mirror.
“I thought we told you to stay away from him,” she hissed.
I shrugged away from her clutches but she held tight. “It’s none of your business, Lillian.”
“We’ve made it our business,” said Hattie.
“For heaven’s sake!” I said, trying to keep my voice low so that I didn’t attract my mother’s attention. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
Lillian turned me so we were face–to–face. “We would have, but you wouldn’t leave Adam alone!”
She shoved me backward, and I nearly landed on Hattie, but she in turn shoved me off of her so I hit the bottom of the wooden display and tumbled to the floor.
“What on earth is going on here?” Anna’s voice floated through the shop as she charged over to see what the ruckus was about.
“She tripped,” Hattie said. Her eyes were wide, trying to look innocent, but Lillian’s face still held an expression of dangerous malice that made goosebumps break across my skin.
The Wolf's Choice (The Wolf's Peak Saga Book 4) Page 13