Secrets of Sloane House(60)

“I will. And what will you do?”

“Oh, I’ll check outside in another moment or two. If the brawl is over, I’ll go on my merry way.” She leaned forward. “I have the whole afternoon off. Three more hours.”

“Then I insist you stay for the rest of the practice and allow me to walk you home.”

She knew, of course, that she felt too happy about his invitation. It wouldn’t do for her to get any closer to him. Especially when she considered Veronica’s threats. “I’m not sure if that is a good idea.”

“Please reconsider. It’s rare that we are away from the many prying eyes and ears at Sloane House. Plus, we have many things to discuss.” His face became shadowed. “Some things have happened recently that you might not know about.”

Thinking of Veronica accusing her of stealing and Nanci’s refusal to talk about what had happened between her and Douglass, Rosalind nodded. “I, too, have news.”

“Mr. Armstrong?” Deacon Thomas called out, his voice now tinged with impatience. “Do you intend to return to us anytime soon?”

“Yes, Deacon,” Reid said after a quick wink in her direction. “I am sorry for the disruption.” He scooted off the pew and trotted back to his place in the choir.

Rosalind couldn’t help but smile as she leaned back and watched him take his place. He really was the most wonderful of men. Kind to her, recklessly full of fun with deacons. Suave and debonair with the ladies and gentlemen of his station.

As she realized that one day he would find his wife among those ladies, she felt a bit deflated. It would be so nice to imagine that their alliance could continue for years and years. Oh, she certainly didn’t entertain any hopes that everything that kept them apart would suddenly not matter. She was too much of a realist now to ever think that.

But she did like to think that they’d become friends of a sort. Simply put, she enjoyed his company, and she had a feeling he felt the same way about hers. But once her mission was concluded, their alliance would fade. No bride of his would understand a friendship with another woman.

And even if she did, it certainly wouldn’t be the same. They would have lost their reason for being friends. Before long, their conversation would falter into meaningless comments about the weather and the state of their health.

And their former friendship would be merely something she recalled with a slight, surprised skip of her heart. Wondering if she’d simply imagined their alliance was something more than it ever was.

Perhaps she was even doing that now?

The thought gave her pause and embarrassed her. As the deacon raised his hands and led both the organist and the choir into another hymn, Rosalind scooted a bit farther into the center of the pew where the light from the open doorway didn’t skim her skirts. Where she could sit in the shadows, alone with her thoughts.

Desperately hoping that Reid wouldn’t be able to discern her thoughts from where he stood.





CHAPTER 21

Reid couldn’t help but continually glance toward Rosalind. Sitting by herself in the middle of a lonely pew, she looked more fragile than ever.

And, he realized, beautiful.

Wearing a smart-looking bonnet instead of the usual servant’s white cap, her dark mahogany hair shone against the dark wood behind her. Her simple dress, devoid of lace, bric-a-brac, or beadwork, emphasized her slim figure.

It took everything he had to stay on task and keep his attention on the choral director’s directives and the complicated musical score they were learning. Still, he fooled no one.

“Who is the lady?” Andrew Biltmore whispered when the deacon was correcting the sopranos’ stanza.

“Merely a friend.”

“Surely she is more?” he said, lowering his voice. “She came to your rehearsal, after all.”

“She’s here by happenstance. There was a ruckus outside. A few men started an argument and several others joined in. She stepped inside for safety, then was drawn in by our music.”

Andrew looked like he was torn between skepticism at the story and gratification about their chorus bringing in an audience. “It’s your lucky day then.” He grinned. “Where did you meet her? At one of your many parties or dances?”

Reid shook his head. Andrew was a junior lawyer in a small legal firm. Not of his social class. While he was socially acceptable, he wasn’t part of one of the families that attended the balls. He was certainly nowhere near Douglass Sloane’s social status, or Reid’s for that matter. But that said, Andrew was quite a bit beyond the servant class.

And that meant Andrew would be shocked and not a bit dismayed to imagine that Reid was courting a housemaid. Young men generally hoped to marry up, after all. Reid instinctively knew Andrew wouldn’t understand a mere friendship between them, either. And to betray Rosalind’s confidence was unthinkable.