Of Noble Birth by Brenda Novak Read Free Book Online Page A

elegant day dress made of blue
barege, it had a high, plain body that buttoned up the front to the
throat. Full bishop sleeves ended in a deep cuff at the wrist, and
the skirt had several flounces, each bordered with quilled
ribbons.
    “My lady, if you will stand before the
mirror, I’ll have a look at the problem,” Alexandra said.
    “The tear is here.” Lady Anne indicated a
spot that looked as though she’d caught her skirt on a nail or some
such. “I was tempted to wait until I reached my mother’s, but this
gown was a gift from her. I’m afraid if I don’t have it fixed right
away, the damage will become irreparable.”
    “I see.” Alexandra bent to examine the
offending flounce. “This shouldn’t be too difficult to mend. When
I’m finished you won’t even know it was there.”
    After helping the duke’s daughter to remove
her dress, Alexandra carried it from the room in search of a
needle. She did not yet know where she was to find the color of
thread she needed, but with twenty seamstresses staying under the
same roof, sewing supplies could not be far off.
    “How is everything?” Calvert asked. He had
been hovering near the portal and nearly pounced on her when she
emerged.
    “So far, all is well. I need some blue
thread and a needle, however, and I have no idea where to find
them.”
    “I’ll show ye.” Sonya appeared from nowhere,
it seemed, and led her upstairs to a large, well-equipped room.
    Alexandra found thread in a rainbow of
colors and chose the one that best matched Lady Anne’s dress. Then
the doorbell sounded, and Sonya left to answer it.
    It took only a few minutes for Alexandra to
stitch the tear. But when she left the sewing room and reached the
landing, she stopped short. Her stepfather’s voice echoed through
the hall below; Willy wasn’t more than ten feet away.
    Panic raised the hair on Alexandra’s arms.
She had a good inkling what Willy would do if he found her here and
learned she had already collected some of the money for the skirts.
She had experienced such retribution before.
    Sonya told him Mr. Calvert would be with him
shortly and ushered him into a room straight off the bottom of the
stair as Alexandra’s thoughts flew in a thousand different
directions. In a matter of minutes—as soon as Calvert saw her
stepfather—Willy would learn the truth. She had to hide!
    No, she had to escape! If Willy caught her
now, she’d never make the train. Worse, she’d probably be unable to
leave the house for several days. She’d miss Aunt Pauline for sure,
and lose the opportunity to be free of her stepfather.
    Feeling the weight of the money already in
her pouch, Alexandra hesitated a mere fraction of a second before
racing back the way she had come. She quickly donned Lady Anne’s
dress, praying that Willy would never recognize her so elegantly
garbed, and snatched a bonnet of blue satin and dangling black lace
from the workbench of some unknown milliner.
    Ducking her head so the lace that cascaded
down her back would fall about her face, she crept to the top of
the stairs. Calvert was nowhere to be seen, but Willy hovered near
the entrance to the room where Sonya had asked him to wait.
    How could he have such terrible timing?
Alexandra wondered, writhing in the misery of her own bad luck. She
had been so close!
    Her fingers curled into the palms of her
hands as she started down the stairs. It was now or never. She had
to escape before Calvert appeared.
    Willy glanced up, his attention drawn by the
swish of her skirts. His gaze passed over Alexandra like a cold
breeze, but she steeled her nerves against it. Keeping her chin
tucked resolutely into her chest, she allowed him a clear view only
of the black tulle of her cap.
    He cleared his throat as Alexandra brushed
past, so close she could have reached out and touched him. The fear
that seized her at that moment nearly caused her to collapse in a
puddle at his feet. She knew he probably expected her to glance up,
but she