When no alarm was raised about her presence, she straightened up and took a step deeper into the gloom. Thankfully the fire, and therefore everyone’s attention was on the other side of the building. The pillar she had shimmied down was cloaked in darkness and so it was possible for her to melt quietly away.
She had no idea where she was or where she could go. All that she knew was that she had to get as far away as possible. She wandered away slowly, trying to get her bearings. Realizing that the street she was on was mostly commercial buildings with rooms at the top she hesitated, wondering if she might get accommodation there.
But I have no money to pay for it.
She kept walking, anxiety building as she realized she was stuck in the middle of London with nowhere to go, no one to help her, and with no means to get home.
I could work.
She thought of the various jobs she’d carried out in Whitehaven. There was a lot she could do if only someone would give her a chance. Just then, she heard church bells toll to signify the witching hour. She stopped, thinking hard.
Surely, if I go to the church, they won’t refuse me sanctuary?
She nodded, resolute, and began to walk in the direction from which she heard the bells. As she caught sight of the church steeple, she also saw that the church was still open. She heaved a sigh of relief and began to run. Just as she lifted her foot to the first step, a man dressed in vicar’s robes stepped out of the church and began to close the door behind him.
Emily froze, wondering if she should hide until he was gone…but then it was too late and he had already caught sight of her. He turned, giving her a curious once-over. She cowered, suddenly remembering how scandalous her gown was.
“May I help you with something, young lady?” the vicar’s voice was gentle and without judgment. Emily looked up at him from beneath her lashes and could find nothing to say.
“Do…do you need sanctuary?” the vicar took one step closer to her and Emily took a step back, swallowing audibly.
“I will not hurt you.” The vicar slowly put his hand out as if she were a mistreated dog he was trying not to spook. “Tell me what you need.”
Emily sneaked a peek at him, letting him descend the steps until he was standing just opposite her, his hands folded in front of him. But she did not say a word, her throat was too dry.
“Do you need sanctuary?” his voice was patient and gentle as ever.
She nodded jerkily.
He let out a breath and then stepped down from the last step so that he was standing beside her. “Will you come with me? I have a cottage just around back.”
She looked up into his face, wondering if she could trust him or if this was just another trick.
“My wife is there, with my two boys. I apologize in advance for their boisterousness. Have you eaten? My wife always has some tea and cake waiting for me after the midnight service. Will you come and have some with me?”
As he spoke, he led her gently down a path that curved around the church toward a cottage she could see at the back, nestling in a grove of trees. A truly unexpected sight in the middle of London.
“Don’t be frightened, this is consecrated ground. Behind our cottage is the church graveyard and that is why we have trees. It’s really quite lovely and peaceful…”
His voice washed over her, soothing and melodious, and she found herself following him without further hesitation. Before she knew it, he was ushering her into his cottage and bidding her take a seat. A tall slender woman clad in just a shift was sitting by a table where a single candle burned, knitting. Her eyes widened in surprise when she caught sight of Emily.
She got to her feet with an ‘Oh’, and her husband was immediately by her side. They whispered together before the woman came to her, a smile on her face.
“Welcome to my home.”
Emily just blinked up at her. The woman’s brow furrowed and she looked concerned, looming over Emily to look her over. “Can you speak?” she asked softly, articulating clearly.
Emily nodded.
“Can you tell me your name?”
“It’s Emily, Madam.”
The woman smiled. “Emily. What a lovely name. I am Mrs. Anne Harrison, and this is my husband, Mr. Thomas Harrison. Can you tell us where you came from?”
Emily looked down, playing nervously with her fingers. Mrs. Harrison sighed, straightening up, and studying her critically. “You must be cold, I’ll get you a shawl, shall I?”
Emily nodded gratefully.
Chapter 6
The Harrisons gave her a palette to sleep on, in the children’s room. The gentle snoring from the two small boys allowed her to relax and rest. She still had to figure out how to get back home, but in the meantime, she was somewhere safe and nobody wanted to molest her here. She could hear the vicar and his wife whispering in the other room but could not make out what they were saying.
She had not been able to share with them her entire story but she had told them enough for them to understand what she was running away from. Mrs. Harrison in particular had been sympathetic, giving her other clothes to wear and a shawl to wrap herself in.
If she was being honest, she was quite surprised at how well the vicar’s wife had taken the news that she had ran off from a burning brothel. She closed her eyes and hummed herself to sleep.
She was woken in the morning by high-pitched voices close to her ear.
“Who do you think she is?”
“Is she a fairy?”
A light touch against her skin had her almost twitching. “Her hair is so soft,” someone tugged gently at her curls.
“Is she dead? Why does she not awake?”
“Maybe she’s ill.”
“Should we get Mama then?”
“I suppose.” The voice was so close that she could feel its warm breath on her cheek. Opening her eyes, she found herself looking into the honey-soft eyes of a young boy. He squeaked, jumping away.
Emily made an effort to smile. “Good morning.”
Both boys shouted in surprise and ran to the door, calling for their mother. Emily almost laughed, feeling much better already. She sat up, pushing her blanket away from her.
She wondered if she should go after the boys but before she could make up her mind, Mrs. Harrison poked her head in the door. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
Emily’s smile widened. “Yes I did, thank you very much. I’m sorry if I scared the boys.”
Mrs. Harrison laughed. “Oh, they were merely startled. Come and meet them properly, won’t you?”
Emily got to her feet and grabbed her shawl. She was clad only in her shift but it was long enough and covered her ankles. The addition of the shawl had her decent enough for the parlor. She followed Mrs. Harrison, a tentative smile on her face to meet the wide eyes of the two boys.
They stared at her in wonder as if she were some exotic creature.
“Who is she, Mama?” the taller one whispered.
“This is my friend, Emily. She will be staying here with us for a while.”
Emily turned to stare at Mrs. Harrison, not having been aware that the vicar’s wife was willing to house her for more than one night. Her heart swelled with gratitude and she turned to greet the two boys feeling lighter and more carefree. She had a respite. She did not have to find a solution to her situation right away.
Squatting on her haunches she held her hands out. “My name is Emily. What are your names?” she asked the boys.
Immediately, they ran into her arms. “I’m Cameron and this is my brother Jackson. He’s four years old and I am six. Next year I shall be able to start serving as an altar boy for my father.”
“That is indeed wonderful news.” Emily rubbed his back, “Are you looking forward to it then?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Good boy.” She patted him and then turned to his brother, “And what of you young Jackson?”
“Me?” he fisted a tiny hand and rubbed at his eyes yawning before layin
g his head on Emily’s chest. “I am too small to be altar boy.”
“Yes, you are. Do you need some more sleep?”
Jackson nodded sleepily, his eyes fluttering closed as he snuggled into Emily’s lap. She almost fell onto her bottom as his weight unbalanced her but Mrs. Harrison’s surprisingly strong hands stabilized her before helping her to her feet. She moved to the chair, the boy asleep in her arms while his brother kept close.
“Jackson is always so sleepy,” Cameron complained.
“Yes, I suppose he is. I expect he must be quite exhausted trying to keep up with his big brother.”
Cameron snorted. “Yes, he’s always chasing after me,” he complained.
Emily smiled at his small indignant face. “He looks up to you. Of course he wants to follow you and be like you.”
Cameron’s chest puffed up and he grinned. Emily laughed with him and Mrs. Harrison watched them both with soft eyes. “Are you all ready for breakfast now? Emily, let me take Cameron from your arms so you can eat.”
“Thank you. So very kind of you.”
“Not at all.” The vicar’s wife said, placing a bowl of porridge in front of Emily. She sat down opposite Emily and watched her eat.
“What do you plan to do now?” Mrs. Harrison asked as they washed the dishes afterward.
“I don’t know. I wanted to obtain some employment, save up some money, and go home.”
“Did you not…er…save any money at the er…” Mrs. Harrison avoided her eyes as she spoke.
Emily flushed as she realized what the woman was asking. “Oh, no, no! I didn’t…I hadn’t…I…it was my first day. I…” she swallowed unable to find the words.
“You hadn’t yet started work?” Mrs. Harrison very delicately finished for her.
“Yes. That’s what I meant.”
“What kind of work do you want to do?”
Emily shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m quite good at looking after children and I can cook and sew and knit. Perhaps there is a dressmaker searching for a seamstress or–”
“Or,” Mrs. Harrison interrupted, “you could be a governess. One of our flock has an agency where they find governesses for the gentry. I feel sure that she would take you.”
Emily sighed. “Without any references?”
Mrs. Harrison wiped the water from her hand before placing it on Emily’s shoulder. “Don’t be silly. The vicar and I will be your references. That will be good enough for Mrs. Willoughby.”
“You have been so kind to me already, Mrs. Harrison. I don’t wish to take advantage.”
“You aren’t.” Mrs. Harrison pinched her cheek affectionately, “Besides, I can see that you’re a dab hand with the children. I feel sure you will not let us down.”
Emily looked earnestly into her eyes, “I promise you, I will not.”
Mrs. Harrison’s eyes softened. “I know, dear.”
Duncan had asked for a new governess, even as he restrained himself from apologizing profusely for his family’s tendency to go through governesses like kindling for the stove. It would do none of them any good and it would simply embarrass Mrs. Willoughby.
“Unfortunately, My Lord, my regular stable of governesses has heard tell of the…difficulties involved in tending to your children and many feel that it would be futile to seek employment with you.” She told him, sounding suitably embarrassed on both their behalves.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Mrs. Willoughby took a deep breath. “However…we do have a new lady who has joined us today. She comes with good references.”
“As do all your governesses.”
“We could send her to your residence tomorrow for a week’s trial.”
“That would be in order.” Duncan heaved a sigh of relief. It was getting so that he might have no choice but to send the twins away to school if this governess didn’t work out. “Thank you Mrs. Willoughby.”
“Thank you, My Lord.”
Duncan got to his feet with a nod and then walked out of the room. He really hoped, for all their sakes, that this woman would succeed in winning over his children, where all her predecessors had failed.
He went home to prepare, and let his children know that they could expect a new governess in the morning. He went to his study and summoned his children to him.
“Nancy, Harry and Anne, I have visited the agency and they have a new governess for us. She will be arriving in the morning. I will require you to be on your best behavior and welcome her as you would a valued guest. Do you think you can do that for me?”
Anne and Harry nodded eagerly while Nancy turned away.
“Why can’t you just send the children away to school?” Nancy whined. Duncan bit his lip so as not to smile at her description of her siblings as children. Despite barely being out of the schoolroom, Nancy acted as if she was a world-weary adult.
“Nancy, I would especially like to appeal to you to help our new governess to settle in and enable her to carry out her duties successfully. Can you do that for me, please?”
Nancy just huffed and turned away.
Emily was surprised at how fast the lady at the agency connected her with a family. She had expected to have to wait a while, perhaps go for an interview, but no. She was given an address and asked to arrive there by noon the next day.
With a sigh of relief and gratitude, she bid Mrs. Harrison and the boys goodbye before setting out to find the Mayfair address. Mrs. Harrison insisted on calling a hackney carriage for her since she had no idea where she was going.
“How can I ever repay you?” Emily had tears in her eyes as she squeezed Mrs. Harrison’s hand.
“By doing your best.” Mrs. Harrison squeezed back, her own eyes soft and wet.
Emily nodded jerkily, sniffing, “I will. I promise you.”
“I know. You’re a good girl and you will be all right. I know it and I shall pray for you every day.”
Emily squeezed her hands again. “I shall pray for you and your family too, Mrs. Harrison.”
She turned and picked up the small package of clothes that the vicar’s wife had put together for her. Then she walked out to the hackney and let it drive her away.
As they drove, she made a special note of the route they used, just in case she found herself in need of having to leave her new position suddenly. She thought that it might be a long time before she felt secure enough to relax in any place.
At least you escaped from Blackmore. At least he did not manage to sell you to his patrons…
…a voice said in her mind. It sounded eerily like the little she could remember of her mother’s voice. In any case, it helped her to breathe easier and be able to smile when she arrived at the house and knocked on the door. A man dressed in a butler’s uniform let her in, eyeing her dubiously the entire time.
“His lordship is in the study which is right this way. I believe he is expecting you. In the future you will use the servant’s entrance which is off to the side. Do you understand?”
Emily nodded timidly, feeling absolutely intimidated by his stiff-lipped manner. Again, she wondered how she could possibly have obtained this position so quickly.
As the butler knocked on the study door, she pushed down the feelings of inadequacy and pasted a smile back on her face.
“My Lord, Miss Fletcher is here,” the butler said with a bow. Emily took that as her cue to step in the room.
The brown-haired man behind the desk got to his feet as Emily watched. Her heart stopped as she met his pale blue eyes. They seemed to see right through the façade of competence she was trying to project and right down to her terror.
He smiled at her, kindly, and it shook her more than a frown would have. Having the butler speak down to her was one thing, but if one more person was kind to her, she just might burst into tears.
“Good day to you, Miss Fletcher,” he quirked an eyebrow at her and she hastened to answer him.
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, My Lord.”
&nbs
p; The Earl walked around the desk and came to a stop, facing her. His eyes had not left her own and with every moment that it went on, Emily could feel the very foundations shift beneath her feet. She tried to tear her own eyes away but found that she could not.
“The pleasure is all mine, I do assure you,” he said before taking her hand and kissing her knuckles. “I am Duncan Kinsley, the Earl of Sulby and I welcome you to my home. I hope that your stay will be pleasant and prolonged.” He gave her a wry smile that she did not quite understand. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but to smile back.
A Wicked Earl she can't Resist: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 5
