Passion's Tide (4 page)

The following morning Amber was roused from her slumber by her maid, Grace, who opened the curtains to reveal another sunny day
.
Amber blinked against the onslaught of light and groaned
.
She had been having a strange dream about fairies and princes, and now, as the harsh reality of her situation dawned on her, she longed to return to that magical world. If only finding a husband w
ere
as easy as sprinkling flower juice in his eyes and having him fall madly in love with her at first sight, she thought to herself as she slid out of bed. But for now she would have to go about it the old-fashioned way.

She dressed in a simple gown of pale yellow silk, adorned with small blue flowers
.
Grace attempted to pin her hair up, but Amber soon grew restless and shoved a lace cap on top of the unruly curls
.
Not caring that she didn’t look entirely presentable she sailed out of the room, leaving Grace staring at her back in disbelief
.

Tying her lace apron about her waist, she ran down the stairs, colliding with the
valet as she rounded the corner.

“Oof…sorry Maxwell.”

“That’s all right, Miss Townsend
.
How are you faring this morning?” he asked her, concern evident in his voice.

“As well as can be, considering the circumstances.” She glanced around her and lowered her voice
.
“Maxwell, I must ask a favor.”

He nodded
.
“Anything, Miss Townsend.”

“I need you to go to the harbor and inquire about a ship leaving for England, and, if possible, book me passage.” If he was surprised, he didn’t show it
.
And as if understanding her haste he gave her a nod and turned, stopping at the front door to ring for a coach
.

Realizing that she could do nothing more until Maxwell returned, Amber decided
to have something to eat
.
Coffee and scone in hand, she settled in the breakfast room with
a
book, but found her mind wandering
.
After reading the same line three times, she tossed the tome
aside with a sigh and rang for a maid, voicing her wish to meet with Madam Lorelei
.

“And tell her I will pay her to make room in her schedule for me today.” The maid scurried off to complete her task, leaving Amber alone again
.
She
did not have long to wait before Maxwell returned
.

“I’ve located two ships,” he told her, shaking the snow off of his coat
.
“One merchant vessel and the other a passenger ship
.
The merchant ship departs in four days, but the passenger ship does not leave for three weeks.”

Amber sighed
.
“I cannot wait that long.”

“I thought that might be the case, Miss
.
I’ve booked you safe passage on the merchant ship
The Queen Charlotte
.
The Captain, despite his anxiet
y about
having a woman aboard, has agreed to take you to England
.
I even persuaded him to allow you use of his quarters, so you should travel in relative comfort.”

“Thank you Maxwell, you’ve been a great help.”

“Miss Amber, I know it’s none of my business, but did something happen to inspire this urgent need to leave home? Did your mother say something to you before she passed away?”

She was hesitant about divulging her problems to a member of the staff
, but Maxwell had been with her family since they moved to Boston, and had proved his loyalty time and time again. She trusted him implicitly, and before she knew it she was describing the contents of her father’s will.

“Ah, this explains the need to travel to Europe, but not the immediacy
.
Did the will say anything else?”

“It also maintains that until I am wed to this baron or duke, I cannot hold control over my family’s estates.”

Surprise registered on his face
.
“But I naturally assumed you would take over your mother’s role as head of the household.”

“So did I.”

“Well, then, who is in charge until you find a suitable husband? Surely not—”

She dropped her head
.
“Control is in the hands of my guardian, who, since my mother’s death, is Neil.”

“Oh lord, I was afraid you would say that
.
I must tell the maids to hide the silver
.
Has he done anything rash yet?”

“No, I don’t think he knew the details of my father’s will
.
How could he, when my mother hid it for all these years?”

A slow smile spread over his face
.
“Well, there really is no need for him to
know
yet, is there?”

His meaning dawning on her, she returned his smile
.
“You can be quite devious when you put your mind to it, Maxwell.”

“I picked up several tricks while watching you grow up
.
Now, I’m assuming you have a lot of packing to do?” She nodded
.
“I shall see that the trunks are brought up to your bedroom this afternoon
.
And if I’m not mistaken, that is Madam Lorelei’s carriage approaching.”

Sure enough, Amber heard the sound of horses
pulling up to the front of the house
.
Maxwell reached out to her and touched her arm. “
Miss Amber, your mother was a wonderful woman, and all of us
are saddened by her sudden passing
.
We know how close you were. If there’s anything at all we can do to help ease your loss, I implore you to please let us know.”

Amber blinked back another set of tears and gave Maxwell a quick hug. Thanking him
, she picked up her skirts and hurried into the parlor where she would greet her guest, attempting to fix her hair as she waited
.

She was shoving the last curl under her cap when the d
oor opened and the maid ushered the tall middle-aged
woman
into the room
.
Amber directed her towards the sofa and smiled.

“Madam Lorelei, I’m so glad you could meet with me today
.
I’m sure it must have been a hassle to rearrange all of your appointments, and for that I thank you.”

“By the tone of your lovely maid’s voice, I assumed this was an emergency?” She raised her perfectly arched eyebrows in question, as if demanding to know why she had been forced to alter her schedule
.

“Yes, I’m afraid I’m in need of a new wardrobe
.
You see, my mother passed away yesterday morning, and I leave for England in four days, yet I have nothing suitable to wear,” Amber explained, hoping her voice contained enough pathos to elicit a response from Madam Lorelei
.
When she received none she tried a different tactic: “I knew you were the only person in all of Boston who was up to the challenge of creating a whole new wardrobe, fit for a London Season, in just four days
.
No
body
knows as much about European fashion as you do, and your skill is matched by no one.” Amber knew she was almost there because the older woman had lost her scowl, a small smile even playing at the corners of her lips
.
“And, as you can imagine, I’m willing to pay you handsomely for your trouble.”

At last the dressmaker smiled and waved her hand dismissively, displaying a gaudy collection of rings on her fingers
.
“Let’s not bore ourselves by discussing the financial matters
.
Instead,” she inched closer to Amber and pulled out a sketchbook, “tell me what sorts of events you will be attending
.
Balls? Operas? Garden parties?” She paused in her drawing to look up, and laughed when she saw Amber’s blank face
.
“Don’t worry, you’ll leave with a whole set of gowns for each occasion
.
Now, I’ve been wanting to use this emerald satin that I just got in, and I have enough of that cobalt silk…” she trailed off, her hand a blur as she sketched out several designs
.

Madam Lorelei was in a good mood after
determining
Amber’s measurements, leaving with enough money to make five gowns and have plenty left over
.
She also carried out with her several older dresses with designs to alter them to better suit the more modern styles
.

The day was far from over for Amber, however
.
After eating a small lunch she called for a carriage and headed into town, picking up silk stockings, petticoats, corsets, shifts, ribbons, shoes, and lace caps
.

It was dusk when she finally returned home with all her packages
.
Famished, she ate supper alone in the dining room, and then retired to the library
.
The smell of leather comforted her as she walked alongside the shelves, running her fingertips over the spines of her favorite books
:
the ones her mother had read to her growing up, the ones she had read
herself when she was older, and the ones she had read to her mother as she lay in bed dying
.

Without looking, she pulled a book from the wall and headed over to the fire
.
Not even bothering to glance at the cover, she settled down and began reading
.
She was restless however
.
She had an odd sensation, as if something wasn’t right in the room
.
Slowly closing the book she got to her feet, looking around her for a possible explanation for her unease
.
And then she saw it.

The empty space on the mantle, where, just yesterday, the silver candelabra
had
stood
.