The Time of the Clockmaker by Anna Caltabiano

Author:Anna Caltabiano
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2015-10-29T04:00:00+00:00

FOURTEEN

I WOKE TO a sharp knock at the door. The sound seemed to echo in my head and shake me awake.

“Yes? Come in,” I mumbled into my pillow, but then resolved to at least sit up.

“I’m so sorry to wake you, my lady.”

Seeing that it was just Helen, I slumped back onto the bed.

“I’m terribly sorry,” she began again. “But you’ve been sleeping quite late . . . and Lady Sutton sent one of her women for you . . .”

I sat bolt upright.

“What time is it?” I squinted at Helen, who was now quickly opening the curtains. She moved at a faster rate than I was accustomed to seeing from her, and that made me think I had slept in more than I had intended.

“Noon, my lady.”

“My God, noon?” I sprang out of bed, not caring that I shocked Helen with my profanity. “Helen, please help me get ready. I had promised Lady Sutton I would take dinner with her.”

After her standard “Yes, my lady,” Helen set to work pulling a black dress onto me and somehow managing to make my hair look presentable.

Miss Hatfield had always told me that to survive in a different time period, looking the part was almost half the battle.

“Ouch.”

The hairbrush Helen was wielding snagged my hair.

“I’m so sorry, my lady.”

“No matter,” I said quickly. Helen looked terrified, thinking that she had inflicted lasting pain upon me, and I wanted to calm her down. “I would just like to get ready quickly. I’m sure Lady Sutton’s woman does not want to wait any more than she already has.”

“Yes, my lady.” She went about tidying the folds of my dress. Upon finishing, she stood to the side. “Should I call Lady Sutton’s woman in?”

“No, no,” I said. “I’ll just meet her in the sitting room. You may go.”

Helen looked surprised by what I said, but nevertheless curtseyed and left.

In truth, I wanted a second with Henley before I left for Lady Sutton’s.

Are you sure this is wise? Henley asked as soon as I heard the door close.

“Going to Lady Sutton’s for lunch?”

Someone tried to kill you only last night.

“And that’s precisely why I need to go. I’m not going to give whoever this is the satisfaction of terrifying me. Besides, it’s not as if I’m safer in my room.”

What about the fact that you’re going to Lady Sutton’s for lunch when you should be looking for the clock?

“What about that? We’ve established that it’s not in the countess’s possessions. Now I just have to start looking around court, unless you have any better ideas.”

Henley didn’t reply, but I knew he was deep in thought.

“And what easier way is there to snoop around than to actually be invited?”

Easier than breaking in, that’s for sure.

With that, I started for the door.

Just promise me you’ll watch out for yourself.

“I’ll try.”

Trying isn’t good enough.

“Isn’t watching your job?”

Henley didn’t respond. I didn’t know if it was because he had nothing to say or if it was because I was already out the door amid people who might overhear.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.