The Address(43)

“The children seem delightful.” Daisy propped her elbow on the table and fiddled with a loose curl.

“They’re a handful.” Miss Honeycutt gave a sweet smile. “I’ll tell you, it’ll be a reprieve to have Mr. Camden around more, to provide a fatherly sense of discipline to them.”

“He’s quite busy with his work.”

Sara hadn’t meant to bring attention to herself. Mrs. Haines cocked her head, curious.

“I mean, even though the Dakota is up and running, he’s off to work on the next project for Mr. Hardenbergh. I’d advise you to keep a close eye on the girl Lula. She has more temerity than most girls of her age.”

The nanny nodded. “I agree. Quite the sprite.”

“What’s Mrs. Camden like?” asked Daisy.

Sara knew she should stop her from prying, but she wanted to hear the answer. She sipped her tea in an effort to help the mutton haricot go down easier. The cook would need a good talking-to, as the servants’ dinners were in stark contrast to the delicacies from the picnic. Sara added that to her list of tomorrow’s duties.

Miss Honeycutt waved her fork about, thrilled to have an audience. “She’s quiet, often takes to bed with some illness or another. Too bad, as she has the most beautiful dresses. I don’t know if she’ll be able to manage up here in the wilderness. I hear it takes forever just to get into town.”

“The city is gradually moving north.” Sara couldn’t help herself. “There are some grand mansions on Fifth Avenue in the Fifties, and they say they may build along the park as well. We happen to be the first.”

“Can’t happen soon enough for me,” said Daisy. “Did you hear about the masquerade ball at the Rutherfords’ last night?”

“No, what about it?” Miss Honeycutt practically jumped out of her seat. Daisy had met her match when it came to dreaming.

“It’s in the afternoon paper. They had over a thousand guests, but someone stole some kind of treasure.”

Mrs. Haines sniffed. “Treasure? What treasure?”

Daisy looked about and lowered her voice, eager to share the intrigue. “This morning they discovered a valuable knife was missing from Mr. Rutherford’s library. Worth thousands of dollars. From Tibet, it was.”

The image of the gold-and silver-plated handle popped into Sara’s head. She’d stood less than a foot away from it. What if Theo thought she’d taken it?

She cleared her plate and sent a porter with a sealed note to Theo, asking him to meet her on the roof at eight o’clock.

As she paced and waited for him, the silliness of her actions became clear. She’d been desperate for a chance to speak with him and had used the knife as an excuse. She was about to run back downstairs when he appeared.

He looked around and then stumbled over to her, pulling her into his arms. This is what she’d wanted, more than anything. To be held by him one last time.

“My dear, I am so sorry we didn’t get any time to speak. I was about to come to you when I received your note.” He pulled her to a corner where the chimney rose up, and leaned her against the brick. His hand stroked her face down to her chin, which he held with his index finger and thumb. “This is what I like. This is what I want.”

He kissed her then, long and sweet, peppered with small strokes of his tongue that made her insides turn over.

After a moment, she leaned her head on his shoulder. The cool air whipped her face, but she didn’t want to go back down.

“Did you hear that something went missing from the Rutherford library last night?”

Theo threw his head back and laughed. “Was that you? Do I need to search you for contraband?”

“It was right where we were standing.”

“Probably one of the servants. In any case, I wouldn’t have taken a knife.”

“Really? And what would you have absconded with?”

“One of those fantastic books from the Middle Ages. I’d have something to entertain me, at the very least, until the police found me out.”

She’d never spoken so easily, so openly with another person, and she ached at having to let it all go. But there was no way to continue on, with his family so close at hand. He was married. He had three lovely children. She would not jeopardize their happiness.

“We’re lucky we weren’t caught together, Theo.” Her voice was firmer than she’d believed possible. “We have to move on with our lives. You have Mrs. Camden and your children here now. We can’t do this anymore.”

He sighed and rubbed his hands together. The wind picked up, lifting up the lapels of his jacket. “I am sorry, Sara. You are the world to me. You’ve been such a help in every way. I want you to know I’ve fallen in love with you.”

“Enough.” She remembered the way her mother had hardened her heart. Now it was her time. Even though this was much harder. They were in love and would be working in close proximity. “We won’t speak of this again. Good-bye, Theo.”

She grabbed her skirts, which seemed to have a mind of their own, flapping around Theo’s legs, and walked away.





CHAPTER FOURTEEN



New York City, December 1884


If only Sara had had more resolve. In the month since their meeting on the roof, while Sara didn’t allow Theo to kiss her or do anything else untoward, his looks, and the way he lightly touched her arm when they passed each other in the hallways, were enough to fuel her dreams at night. She was convinced his intentions weren’t to make her feel guilty but simply to show her he was thinking of her, too. That the one night they’d had together was something they both cherished.