Free Defiant Impostor by Miriam Minger

so," Ertha
continued as they walked together into the hall, "but what this house
needs is little children again, their laughter filling the rooms and the sound
of their feet running up and down the stairs. It's been too quiet here for too
long. I hope you find a husband soon, Miss Camille."
    Susanna met the housekeeper's eyes. "That is my
plan, Ertha," she said honestly. "It's what my father wanted and what
I want. A husband and lots of children." Glancing at the sweeping black
walnut stairway that led to the second floor, she added softly, "We're
going to have a welcome ball here on Saturday, for the Grymes family and some
of the other neighbors. Would you see to the preparations?"
    How strange, Susanna thought, as Ertha's wrinkled face
split into a surprised yet radiant smile. That was her first request as the
mistress of the house, and it hadn't been difficult to give at all. In fact, it
had seemed quite natural. Maybe from watching Lady Redmayne give orders to
servants so many times, she had actually learned something.
    "Why, of course I will!" the housekeeper
enthused. "It's been too long since we had a house party at Briarwood, and
if Mr. Robert Grymes is coming, I imagine he'll tell everyone within shouting
distance about it. That man has a real fondness for revelry, and so does his
oldest son, Matthew. You can be sure that there will be plenty of young men
here on Saturday eager to make your acquaintance. You'll have that fine husband
of yours in no time at all!"
    Ertha's pleased laughter ended abruptly, her eyes
growing wide. "Oh, my, I've so much to do. Believe me, I've a feeling this
ball will be the Tidewater's social event of the summer. I have to talk to Prue
at once. We've got to plan the menu, and—
    "Why don't you go and speak to her right now,
then," Susanna interrupted kindly, sensing the woman's eagerness to be
about her work. "I can see my way upstairs. Just tell me which room is
mine."
    "Are you sure, Miss Camille? It doesn't seem
right, me not showing you to your room, what with you just arriving and
all."
    "I'll be fine. Really."
    "Very well, if you say so. You'll find your room
at the very end of the hall, facing the rear of the house. It's the same one
that used to belong to your parents. I'm sure Elias has already taken your
trunks upstairs. I'll send Corliss to wake you in an hour or so, and she'll
help you dress for dinner."
    With that, the housekeeper hurried away, talking
excitedly under her breath. Susanna, smiling, climbed the stairs, looking
forward to being alone for a while. Yet at the top of the stairway, her
curiosity was aroused again by the sight of four closed bedroom doors in
addition to hers down the carpeted hallway.
    As long as she was taking a tour of the house, she
might as well see these rooms, too, she reasoned. If they were even half as
lovely as those downstairs . . .
    She was not disappointed. The first guest bedroom was
spacious and well-appointed, with white walls, blue brocade draperies at the
tall windows, and a matching spread upon the double bed. She crossed the hall
to the opposite room and, turning the silver-plated knob, stepped inside.
    "What in bloody blazes . . . ?" she breathed
to herself.
    She stared in stunned confusion at a room that appeared
not only occupied, but also in a state of wild disarray. The huge four-poster
bed was unmade, the pillows scattered, and the rumpled sheets strewn with
clothes, while a pair of dusty jackboots lay nearby on the floor—
    Jackboots! And that was a shirt and a pair of breeches
tossed upon the bed, not a gown and lace undergarments. Why, this must be a
man's room . . . unless she had stumbled upon the site of a carnal tryst and
the lover had fled without his clothing.
    No, that was ridiculous, Susanna thought as she moved
still further into the room. Her gaze skipped from an upended tricorn hat and a
leather belt lying atop a richly upholstered chair to a massive wardrobe, its
doors half-open. Even from where she stood, she