A Lady Most Intrigued (A Grimm Regency Tale #4)

CHAPTER 8

While Miss Hannah stood with a straight back reading the sign on the wall beside the doors, I adjusted my suit. The journey took most of the afternoon, but it appeared solicitors worked long hours much like mill workers.

“Right this way, Miss Sheppard, sir,” the clerk said as he showed us into an empty office.

Sir , don’t think I’d been called that in my entire life. It made me feel uneasy. I felt like it must be obvious to him and everyone else that I was a fraud and at any minute, I’d be dragged away.

“No need to look so nervous.”

I raised my gaze to Miss Hannah. She stood in front of me, perfectly still, with her hands clasped. Before I could respond, the door opened and a short man who’d never missed a meal in his life waddled in. His spectacles slid down his nose as he closed the distance.

“Miss Hannah Sheppard, this is unexpected. I haven’t seen you since you were a little babe. That would have been around the time Lord Sheppard passed.” Mr Fredericks smiled and took Miss Hannah’s hand before turning to me. “And who might you be?”

“This is my consultant, Mr Ingham; he’s accompanying me on this journey in case I need things explained.”

He watched me for a moment. Seemingly satisfied with the answer, he walked around the desk and sat down in the leather chair. He motioned to the two smaller ones near to where we stood. I waited until Miss Hannah was seated before taking the one beside her.

“What brings you here, then?”

“I was hoping for some information regarding the accident of my late uncle, Thomas Nicholason. I believe you did the probate.”

“Oh no dear, that was my father, rest his soul. I do remember it though, a carriage accident. Happened not long after I became a partner here.”

“Yes, I have some details, but I hoped I might solve a little mystery if I could see the will.”

The chair squeaked as Mr Fredericks sat back in his chair.

“Being that it’s been read in, it’s probably filed away somewhere in the basement. Oh, don’t worry, it will be there, but it might take a day or two for my clerk to locate it.”

“That’s fine. We will remain in town for as long as possible.” Hannah stood up, and I scrambled to find my feet as well. “Would you be so kind, when you find the papers, to send word to the Feandon Hotel?”

“Of course, of course. Are you going to be visiting the old estate while you’re here, then?”

“Possibly, if my cousin is home.”

“Oh, Lord and Lady Sheppard won’t be there at this time of the year. They travel further up north for a few months with the family. Nice housekeeper, same one that was there when you were born.” Mr Fredericks picked up a gold pocket watch from the table. “I must get on with my work. My clerk will see you out.”

****

The carriage ride from the solicitor’s office to the hotel felt longer than it probably was. The clip clop of the horses’ hooves on the cobblestone streets echoed off the stone walls of the buildings we passed. I sat back, my fingers tapping on my knees.

“Well, that was interesting,” Miss Hannah said. She sat across from me, back straight, and hands folded in her lap. The way her eyes danced and her lips turned up slightly at the corners made me wonder if she was enjoying the outing more than a ball.

“Do you think he’ll find anything useful?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Hopefully. But even if he doesn’t, at least we tried.” Miss Hannah leaned forward, lowering her voice to almost a whisper. “And it’s rather exciting, isn’t it? Trying to solve a mystery?”

I couldn’t help but smile. Her enthusiasm was contagious. “I suppose it is. Though I feel a bit out of place in these clothes.” I tugged at the collar of the suit. Not two miles into the journey, strangling me seemed to be its sole intention. Even on the days where the fluff flew thick, I never felt so suffocated.

“Nonsense, you look quite distinguished.” She sat back, smoothing her skirt. “No one would ever guess you work in a mill.”

“Not until I open my mouth to speak.”

“Perhaps people should realise that every person receives a different kind of education. For me, it was being told to tell which fork did what; how I should dress, present myself, and speak; how to pretend to be nice to people I can’t stand. You learnt more practical skills of how to use your hands to make things. Speaking only gets you so far.”

“But your education included things like reading. Those who can do that in this country get to tell the rest what to do.”

“Very true.”

The carriage rolled to a stop, and the door opened. I stepped out first, offering my hand to assist Miss Hannah. She took it with a smile and a nod of thanks as she descended to the street.

Before us hotel loomed, its stone fa?ade rising several storeys. Wrought-iron balconies jutted out from the upper floors and awnings shaded the lower windows from the sun. A smartly dressed doorman greeted us as we approached, opening the heavy oak doors before ushering us inside.

“We will take your belongings to your room. Please enjoy your stay,” the doorman said.

Polished marble on the floors and walls, along with the large glittering chandeliers, were all I saw at first. I felt my jaw go a bit slack as I took it all in - the plush furniture, the intricate mouldings, the artwork on the walls that probably cost more than I’d make in a lifetime twice over at the mill.

While I stood there like a stunned fish, Miss Hannah strode confidently to the front desk to arrange for our rooms.

“I’m afraid we only have one suite available at the moment for you and your brother, Miss Sheppard,” the clerk said apologetically. “With two bedrooms, of course. Will that suffice?”

Miss Hannah glanced back at me, arching an eyebrow in question. I just shrugged before nodding my head. What choice did I have in the choice? As long as no one discovered she didn’t have a brother, her reputation would be maintained with separate bedrooms.

“That will do nicely, thank you,” Miss Hannah said, signing the guest ledger with a flourish.

A bellboy appeared to escort us upstairs, leading the way down a carpeted hallway to an ornately carved wooden door. He unlocked it and stepped aside, allowing us to enter.

If I thought the lobby was impressive, it failed to compare to the room. Plush velvet sofas and chairs were arranged around a marble fireplace, thick rugs covered the polished wood floors, and floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over the city. If only Ma could see all this. Or James. Or Millie.

“Will there be anything else, sir, miss?” he asked, hovering expectantly. Hannah pressed a coin into his hand and he bowed before closing the door.

“Well,” Miss Hannah said brightly, clapping her hands together. “Since we have some time before we expect to hear from the lawyer, what should we do?”

I wandered over to the window, looking out at the unfamiliar streets below. Horse-drawn carriages clattered by and well-dressed ladies and gentlemen strolled along the sidewalks, parasols and walking sticks in hand. I’d stepped into a world so different from the dank, noisy mill and the tiny, cramped house I shared with Mother.

“I’m not sure, Miss Hannah,” I admitted. “This is all a bit much for me.”

Miss Hannah joined me at the window, standing close enough that I caught a whiff of lavender.

“If we are to be here for a couple of days, best call me Hannah. Anything else will raise the chatter amongst staff quite quickly, I dare say.”

Hannah. Calling Millie by her name was easy. This should be no different.

“Hannah.”

“That’s better. Now, we could go for a walk perhaps,” she suggested. “Take in some of the sights before night falls. Perhaps tomorrow we might visit the museum that’s in town. It’s not as grand as the one in London but I hear there is a small exhibit on ancient Egypt that’s said to be quite fascinating.”

I turned to look at her. The sunlight streamed through the window, making her hair shine. My fingers twitched against my jacket at the thoughts that wouldn’t hush. I wanted to reach out and brush the strand of hair behind her ear. To breathe in her scent. To kiss her.

“A walk sounds good,” I said finally. “Some fresh air to clear the cobwebs.”

Hannah looked around the room before leaning close. “But there are no cobwebs.”

I smiled. “Clear our head…mind…this.” I tapped the side of my head.

“I like that phrase.” She smiled, looking pleased as she turned her gaze back to the window. “Excellent. I’ll just freshen up a bit and then we can be off.”

As she disappeared into the room closest, I breathed out slowly. Perhaps I’d drowned in the lake that night and become one of the Grimm brothers’ fairy tales. First the frog and the lake, and now here in a fancy hotel surrounded by lords and ladies.

Stepping to a mirror that hung on one wall, I straightened my jacket and squared my shoulders. No matter how out of place I felt, I had to play the part. For Hannah’s sake, if nothing else. She was counting on me.

Not long later, Hannah emerged, looking as lovely as ever. She’d pinned her hair up under a little hat and donned a fresh little jacket over her dress.

“Shall we?” she said brightly, extending her arm.

I took it, feeling a little thrill at her touch.

Outside, the streets were crowded with all manner of people - labourers and chimney sweeps, flower sellers and newsboys, dapper gentlemen and fashionable ladies. The air was thick with the smells of horse manure and coal smoke, but despite that, I could just smell the fresh bread and roasting meat that wafted out from the shop doors.

Hannah enjoyed stopping at windows to look at the wares. The words meant nothing, but in some I could see numbers—those I understood. Those numbers reminded me again and again who I was.

While the fine china cups and glittering jewellery saw Hannah pause to look, it was the bolts of fabric that tempted her inside one building—dragging me with her. I shifted nervously from one foot to the other as I felt all the ladies looking me over before returning their attention to what they had been doing.

I managed to get my feet to move to where Hannah stood beside a display. She seemed particularly taken with a dress of pale green silk, trimmed with cream lace. She sighed as she fingered the fabric.

“It’s lovely, isn’t it?” she said. “But I shouldn’t. Mother would be most displeased if I spent money on something so frivolous.”

“It would suit you,” I said without thinking. She looked at me in surprise and I felt my face grow warm. “I just meant…the colour. It would bring out your eyes.”

She ducked her head, but I saw a soft pink colour on her cheeks. “Thank you, John. That’s very kind of you to say.”

We moved on, stopping to listen to a street musician playing a lively tune on a fiddle. A few people had gathered round to listen, tapping their feet and clapping along. On impulse, I reached out and took Hannah’s hand, spinning her into a dance. She laughed as we twirled around, her skirts swishing about her ankles.

For a few blissful moments, I forgot about everything else: the class differences that divided us, the mystery we were trying to unravel, the strike back at the mill. There was only the music and the sunshine and Hannah’s hand in mine.

But of course, it couldn’t last. The song ended, and we slowed to a stop, both a little breathless and flushed. Hannah smiled up at me, her eyes sparkling.

“We should get back; the lanterns are being lit.”

She took my arm, and we began the walk back to the hotel.

“I don’t know. I’ve ever felt so alive before,” she said.