Even if she did decide to return to London, she couldn’t face it today. She soon convinced herself that Captain Rose had proved not to be truly dreadful, and it would be only sensible to stay and talk to the man when he wasn’t in his cups. That talk, however, would take place in a safer spot than a bedchamber. In the parlor downstairs. Yes, that would be safe. With this plan in mind, however, she definitely needed to learn more about him, so she asked Louise to help her wash her hair. It was impossible to have a conversation while washing her hair over a basin, but when the maid began to work a comb through the tangles, Bella started on her subject. “I encountered Captain Rose in the corridor last night. A very handsome man.” “That he is, ma’am.” In the mirror, Bella could see the twitch of a wicked grin on the maid’s face. Bella sighed. “But a bad man, I fear.” “That he is too, ma’am.” But then the maid said, “No, not bad. But bold, and with wicked ways.”
