In Good Company (36 page)

Millie scrunched up her nose. “Davis has been secretly seeing one of the maids, Ann, for over a year now, so any keenness on his part has probably just been a ruse to hide that relationship. But don’t go letting anyone know about that relationship, and don’t even think about letting either Ann or Davis go from their positions.”

“Since you told me you’re planning to tell Harriet about Davis and his tailoring skills, I have a feeling he won’t be in my employ long, but of course I won’t let him or Ann go.”

“Wonderful, and . . . thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome, and since that’s settled . . . shall we waltz?”

“I should warn you that what we’re about to do will not remotely be considered a waltz, not given my two left feet.”

“We’ll see about that.” Laughter rumbled in Everett’s chest but the rumbling died a sudden death when he pulled her close, his breath fanning her face. “Did I tell you how lovely you look tonight?”

“I don’t believe so,” Millie managed to whisper.

“Well, now you know, and . . . we’re waltzing.”

Millie blinked and realized she was, indeed, gliding over the uneven stones of the terrace, Everett’s strong arm pressing her a little too close for comfort as he steered her around, his steps perfectly timed with the music. A glance over his shoulder found the children clapping their hands, while Lucetta flashed her a grin as she pushed Davis through the steps of the dance.

“I, ah, couldn’t help noticing that some of your guests seemed to be very friendly with you tonight,” she said after Everett dipped her in his arms, the action sending butterflies fluttering about her stomach.

“Of course they’re friendly, Millie. They’ve been invited to what will surely be deemed the ball of the summer season, and . . . I do hold a bit of power within society.”

“You enjoy that power, don’t you.”

Everett slowed his steps and stared into her eyes. “I’m not that fussed about it anymore.”

“But . . . you’d miss it, wouldn’t you, if that power, or your position within society went away?”

“I think it would be next to impossible for that to happen.
I’d have to do something really foolish for society to turn its collective back on me.” Everett pulled her even closer and slowed their steps until they were barely moving. “This is nice.”

Edging a little away from him, she lifted her head and found her breath catching in her throat when his gaze suddenly locked on her lips.

Tingles spread over her entire body even as her knees began to give out, and then . . .

“Everett, there you are. I’ve been searching all over for you.”

Everett’s arm dropped away from her, and when Millie turned, she found Caroline, strangely enough, smiling at them from the edge of the terrace, although there was something odd resting in the woman’s eyes.

Before Millie could get so much as a squeak out of her mouth, Caroline turned and let out a laugh. “Doesn’t this just prove how devoted my darling Everett is to his wards? Why, little Elizabeth wanted to see how a proper dance was done, so what does my Everett do? Shows her by teaching . . .
the nanny
.”

The last two words sounded somewhat forced, but Millie didn’t dwell on that, not since she was being faced with what looked to be all two hundred of Caroline’s guests, all of whom had assembled on the back lawn, and all of whom were watching her with rather daunting expressions on their faces.

A gentleman Millie recognized as Mr. Dudley Codman stepped out of the crowd, and a mere moment later he was standing right beside them, a smile on his face but anger in his eyes. Taking hold of Everett’s arm, he let out a hearty laugh.

“Caroline has decided, since your guests are so curious, to hand out the pails sooner than expected. Since this is
your
ball, and
you
provided your guests with the treasures inside those pails, well, you should be present when your guests are given their pails.” Dudley lowered his voice. “Do not even think about
declining, Everett. You’re walking a fine line here, and embarrassing Caroline in the process. This is her night, remember that.”

For a moment, Everett looked as if he wanted to argue that point, but then nodded to Caroline. “Shall we attend to our guests?”

Caroline smiled far too sweetly back at him. “I need to have a little word with the nanny first, but then I’ll join you.”

The hair on Millie’s neck stood to attention.

Everett shook his head. “I don’t believe that’s necessary.”

“I wasn’t asking your permission, Everett.”

Looking back to the crowd that seemed to be edging closer, Millie squared her shoulders. “I’ll be fine. You should go see to your guests.”

“I don’t think I should leave you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Everett. I’m not going to do anything to her.” Caroline smiled. “If you must know, I need the help of the children for an extra little surprise I’ve planned for later on this evening, and need to talk to their nanny about it. We’ll only be a short time.”

“We’ll be fine,” Millie told him again.

“I’ll walk with you, shall I?” Dudley asked as he practically pushed Everett forward. Thankfully, once Everett began walking through the crowd, that crowd turned and followed him back into the house.

“It’s amazing how cooperative people can be when there’s the added lure of treasure,” Caroline drawled before she set her sights on the children. “I need the three of you to go up to Elizabeth’s room, and do not leave that room until I come to fetch you.”

“I’m not comfortable having them out of my sight,” Millie said slowly.

“They’ll be less than comfortable if you keep them out here, especially since I have a few things to say to you that might not be appropriate for . . . tender ears.”

Lucetta stepped forward. “Millie doesn’t have to listen to anything you feel you need to say.”

“Shut . . . up.”

Millie caught Elizabeth’s eye. “Darling, I need you to take your brother and sister to your room for just a little bit. I’ll join you as soon as I’m able.”

Looking close to tears, Elizabeth nodded, took hold of Rose and Thaddeus’s hands, and hurried across the terrace and out of sight.

“Horrible creatures,” Caroline muttered before she turned and set her sights on Millie again. “Now, you and I, my dear, need to come to an understanding.”

“An understanding?”

“Exactly.” Caroline lifted her chin. “You must find Everett’s interest in you very romantic, but surely you must know that he’ll end up with me in the end. He’s a tried-and-true gentleman at heart, raised to adhere to the rules of society, no matter what those rules demand of him. Because of that, he certainly won’t deny me, especially in front of the highest members of society, what he’s been promising for years.”

Millie drew in a breath. “You’re going to go through with announcing your engagement tonight.”

“Of course I am, in fact . . .” She lifted her hand, fumbled with the clasp of a small reticule that was looped around her wrist, then pulled out a box. “This is the ring I’ll be wearing by the end of this night. It’s an engagement ring I picked out, and an engagement ring that will soon be joined by a wedding band.”

“Everett didn’t mention anything about a ring he was going
to give you tonight,” Lucetta said. “And why would you be holding on to it?”

Caroline ignored Lucetta, keeping her attention squarely centered on Millie, who was beginning to feel a little queasy. “You didn’t think he was going to throw everything away for you, did you?” She had the audacity to laugh. “He may be overly fond of you, my dear, but gentlemen like Everett don’t marry the women they’re fond of . . . they amuse themselves with them for a bit, then move on to the next amusement.”

Lucetta’s lips curled into a snarl. “Everett doesn’t think of Millie as an amusement.”

“Shut . . . up.” Caroline turned her gaze back on Millie. “It pains me, it truly does, to see that hurt on your face, dear, but you’re not good enough for Everett, and since you seem somewhat intelligent, you must realize that.” She let out a sigh. “He was coming out here to tell you of our upcoming engagement, but . . . being a man, he apparently decided to cushion the blow by dancing with you first, something that was not well done on his part since it, I believe, allowed you false hope.”

“You would have me believe that Everett came out here to tell me about his upcoming engagement, and then . . . decided to waltz with me to
cushion the blow
?”

“Society gentlemen do rather odd things at times, my dear, but . . . allow me to spare both of us any further drama. This is my ball, Everett has made promises to me that I expect him to honor, and it is past time you took your leave.”

For a second, tears blinded her, but then Millie drew in a breath and squared her shoulders. “I can’t leave the children.”

“Do you honestly want to stay and watch Everett and me become engaged, because believe me, dear girl, given your obvious affection for the man, it won’t be pleasant for you.” She smiled. “As for the children, I really am intending to have them
help me with a bit of an extra surprise I’ve arranged. I’ll either have a maid see them settled tonight here at Seaview, or, if they turn difficult, I’ll send them home with Abigail. But, they’re not your responsibility, my dear, no matter how much you wish they were, and—just so we’re clear—as of this moment, you may consider yourself dismissed from your position.”

With that, Caroline reached up and patted Millie’s cheek, before she headed for the cottage and vanished from sight.

Tears blinded Millie once again and she could barely see Lucetta’s face when her friend came up beside her. “Are you all right?”

“Do you really think they’re going to go through with their engagement tonight?”

Lucetta bit her lip. “I’d love to be able to say with certainty that she was lying, but . . . members of society are different from us. Because of that, I can’t know for sure if Everett would be willing to risk his position in that society by not going through with the promises he apparently made Caroline.”

Millie’s shoulders drooped. “I thought . . . Well . . . it no longer matters what I thought, but . . . I need to get out of here.”

“I’ll bring the buggy around,” Davis said, stepping out of the shadows and looking uncharacteristically solemn as he nodded to Millie and then walked away.

“I’m not at ease leaving the children, though,” Millie whispered.

Lucetta rubbed a soothing hand down Millie’s arm. “Don’t worry about them. I’ll find Abigail, tell her what happened, and then I’ll stay with the children.”

“That’s a lot to ask of you.”

“It’s not.” Taking Millie by the hand, Lucetta smiled a rather sad sort of smile. “I’m sorry, Millie. I was hoping things would turn out differently.”

Millie straightened her spine. “As was I, if I’m being completely honest. But, if nothing else, I’ve finally seen exactly how ill-suited Everett and I are for each other. I may still find him incredibly appealing—especially since I’ve discovered he’s not nearly as insufferable as I used to think—but I need to face reality. He’s not my Mr. Darcy, no matter how much I might have tried to convince myself he was, and I need to accept that and move forward with my life—a life that does not include Mr. Everett Mulberry.”

18

A
nxiety settled in and refused to disperse the longer Caroline was absent from the ball. Nodding distractedly at a lady who was thanking him for the jeweled bracelet she’d found in her pail, Everett made his way across the crowded hallway, dodging numerous guests who’d brought their pails out there, probably in the hopes of finding a bit of room to enjoy their treasure hunting since the ballroom was a true crush. Spotting his mother beside an ornate fountain Miss Pickenpaugh had positioned right in front of a window, Everett headed her way.

“Did Caroline invite every person in Newport to this ball?” Dorothy asked as she fanned her face with one of the fans he’d thought were going to be the only favors given out to the ladies.

Everett smiled. “Mr. McAllister is responsible for the guest list. And I wouldn’t be surprised to discover he’s also the one responsible for giving Caroline the idea about the treasure pails.”

“Which I’ll be certain to speak with him about,” Dorothy said as a lady pulled a sparkling bracelet from her pail and let
out a squeal of pure delight. “But since I don’t want to dwell on how much money Caroline’s little treat to the guests is costing you, especially since I’m quickly coming to the conclusion she did it out of sheer spite, we should talk of something pleasant. Have you seen Millie lately?”

“I have, out on the terrace, but . . . I’m afraid I might have made a bit of a blunder, leaving her out there with Caroline and all, especially after Caroline, along with a lot of our guests, found me teaching Millie how to . . . waltz.”

“Oh . . . my.” Dorothy sent him a rather sad shake of her head. “That was a blunder, dear, and if I may give you some motherly advice, you need to go back to the terrace, immediately.”

“I don’t think Caroline would do anything to her,” he said slowly.

“Which just goes to show how truly negligent I’ve been with teaching you the intricacies of a lady’s mind, but . . . off you go now, and . . . good luck.”