Moonlight Wishes In Time by Bess McBride

Author:Bess McBride [McBride, Bess]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bess McBride
Published: 2012-12-31T14:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Mattie awakened in the morning to a soft gray light filtering in through the crack in the curtains. She turned her head quickly to locate the wing chair, but William wasn’t sitting in it, keeping watch over her. She had begged William to let her sneak upstairs after their second dance. Anxiety had taken its toll—anxiety about being discovered, anxiety about her future, anxiety about being in William’s presence—and she had been desperate to relax.

She turned on her side to stare at the chair—William’s chair, as she thought of it now. Where was he? Was he awake? Had he gone off to work? Did he work? She couldn’t remember. The last thirty-six hours had been hectic.

One moon down, only twenty-nine more to go, she thought. Twenty-nine more days. How would it happen, she wondered? Would she go to stand on some balcony at midnight? Would she put her robe and slippers on and traipse out into the garden again, waiting to be taken up in a light? Or faint? Would she be in the middle of a conversation with William and suddenly fade away? Or even lying in his arms?

Mattie shivered, and then she chuckled. Fat chance she’d ever end up in William’s arms. He was way too romance-novel-cover handsome for her to handle.

A tap on the door brought her out of her pleasant daydream.

She sat up. “Come in,” she called out. William?

The door opened slowly, and Jane peeped in, pushing the door wider with her foot while she balanced a silver tray.

“Good morning, miss. I hope you slept well.”

“I did, thank you, Jane.”

Jane closed the door behind her with a hip and moved toward the bedside table with the tray of what looked like hot chocolate and some sort of biscuit on a saucer.

“What’s that, Jane?” Mattie peered at the biscuits, which resembled biscotti.

“Biscuits, miss. You’re to drink your chocolate, miss, and dress quickly. Master William asks for the pleasure of your company in his carriage this morning. Miss Sylvie will be joining you. Master William sent me to tell you.” Jane’s lips twitched becomingly in her otherwise passive expression.

“Carriage!” Mattie cried. “Are we going for a ride?”

“Yes, miss. I believe Master William and Miss Sylvie have planned an outing to the lake.” Jane headed for the wardrobe.

“You’re kidding! That sounds great!” Mattie said as she jumped out of bed. She grabbed a biscuit. “I’ve never been in a carriage before. How exciting!” Mattie crossed over to open the curtains on a softly lit day.

Jane pulled her head out of the wardrobe to stare at Mattie.

“Never been in a carriage? But how is that possible, miss?”

Mattie bit her lip. “Well, I mean, we didn’t have a carriage,” she mumbled lamely. She turned away to head for the bathroom.

“Oh,” Jane murmured as she returned to selecting garments. “Even I have been in a carriage. My father owned a conveyance, and I rode with him to visit his patients.”

Mattie mumbled an acknowledgement and stepped into the bathroom, not looking forward to the cold water left over from the night before.

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