A Heart Revealed Read Online Free PDF Page B

Amber’s reflection as she spoke more quickly. “If you know of it I will not mention it again.”
    Amber’s irritation was profound. “Are you completely addled? I have no idea what you are talking about.”
    Suzanne pursed her lips as she threaded the stockings out of Amber’s hair. The bulk of her hair fell down Amber’s back once it was released, causing her scalp to tingle with relief. Suzanne went to the wardrobe, opened it, and returned with a wooden box similar in size to the cigar boxes Amber had seen in her father’s study, though not as fine. Suzanne set the box on the dressing table and opened the lid.
    Amber gasped as she looked upon the contents, which were just as Suzanne had said—tangles of hair in Amber’s exact shade. “What is this? I have never laid eyes upon this in my life.”
    “I took the liberty of talking of it to your mother’s maid, Nelson, and she confided that your former maid had said you were losing hair at an alarming rate. She’d gone about collecting it.”
    “Collecting my . . . hair?” Amber was too shocked to feel anything but confusion as she stared at the box.
    “She was afraid it might be blamed on her if you took notice of it.”
    “Of course it shall be blamed on her! She was below her appointment and obviously rough amid her duties.”
    “I can understand why you would assume as much,” Suzanne said, her words hesitant as she continued. “But when I was working on your arrangement tonight, I noted much hair falling to the ground. More than I have ever seen. Even now, upon removing your pins I am shocked at how much hair has come out with them.” She stepped around Amber and opened the wide pocket on the side of her apron where she’d been depositing the pins as she removed them.
    Amber was taken aback at how much hair was gathered there. She could barely see the dark-colored pins amid the auburn strands. She thought back to the concern she’d felt earlier that evening regarding the difficulty with her hair and felt a coldness in her chest. She turned in her chair and looked at the section of rug beneath Suzanne’s feet. The dark strands of hair—seemingly dozens of them—stood out on the blue and gray rug.
    Amber lifted a hand to her head. She’d barely given her hair any of her own attention since arriving in London as Helen had taken on the responsibility. Prior to leaving Hampton Grove, however, she had at times attended to her own styling when the maid she shared with Darra was attending her sister. She had memory of her thumb and middle finger not touching, so thick was the girth of her gathered hair. She pulled her hair together now and noted that her thumb overlapped her finger to the first knuckle. Her breath caught in her throat, and she turned sincerely frightened eyes upon her maid.
    “What does it mean? You must know of this based upon your experience with other ladies.”
    Suzanne shook her head, looking truly distressed. “I have worked with hair that has thinned with age, of course, and I have attended to wigs and hairpieces for different matrons—that’s how I knew a set of stockings could give you the proper appearance this evening—but I have never known of anyone losing hair like this, Miss. And certainly not among young women like yourself. Not ever.” She stepped behind Amber again and gingerly took the hair from Amber’s hand and parted it in the back. “If you’ll but use your hand mirror and turn your back to the dressing table glass, you will see what concerns me the most.”
    Feeling light-headed, Amber did as Suzanne suggested, holding the hand mirror in front of her face and turning around on her stool to see the larger reflection in the looking glass. It took a few movements of the mirror before Amber saw what Suzanne wanted her to see, and she gasped, lifting her hand to what she could only explain as an empty spot. It was an inch or two in width, and she hit Suzanne’s hand away in order to run her own fingers