Regency Rumors (The Sinclair Society Series, #1)

by Swafford, Bethany

  “Oh, yes,” Mrs. Burnham exclaimed, her tone surprised. Perhaps she had forgotten about me. She waved a hand towards the wardrobe. “Many rips and tears must be seen to as soon as possible. It’s been so difficult finding a reliable maid, you understand.”

  So she had said. More than once. Bobbing a slight curtsy, I went to the wardrobe and began to sift through the mess. There was no care in the way the dresses had been put away, and therefore the wrinkles, stains and, as Mrs. Burnham said, tears in the fabric were horrific.

  It was going to take days to repair the damage done if it was even possible at all!

  As I got to work assessing which could be salvaged and which garments would have to be given up, I kept my ears open. To my disappointment, Eugenia and her mother only spoke of society happenings; where they were going, who would be there, the latest scandal.

  All of a sudden there was the sound of distant shouting. Mrs. Burnham heaved a sigh. “Eugenia, go see what your sisters are quarreling about this time, for I haven’t the patience to deal with them,” she said, a weariness in her voice that hadn’t been there before. “You may take some of the gowns with you, Nelson, and work on them this evening.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I responded, selecting several I thought had a chance at survival. I could only be grateful she had decided not to refer to me as Julie. No one had called me Julie since...

  No. I wasn't going to think about him.

  Carefully arranging the gowns on my arm, I waited until Eugenia had hurried out of the room. I needed as much information as I could get. “Miss Burnham is in her first season?” I asked.

  There was nothing that would make a mother talk more than asking after her children. If she was a fond mother, that is. “Oh, yes. She’s going to be a diamond of the first water, I am certain of it!” Mrs. Burnham exclaimed. “At least, until my other girls become of age to join society.”

  I had yet to meet the two younger Burnham girls, and I barely remembered them from those times the family had visited. From the shouting, though, I could imagine they were not the well-behaved young ladies they ought to be. “Will there be anything else, ma’am?”

  “Oh, no,” Mrs. Burnham said, complacently. “Your duties do not begin until tomorrow, as we agreed. What a question, Nelson!”

  Then, why in the name of sanity was I in her dressing room with an armful of her...I forced down my annoyance and put on a smile. “Yes, of course. I will bid you good afternoon then.”

  She waved a hand, in what I was sure must be a habit as often as I’d seen her use it. I slipped out of the room and breathed a sigh. There were still raised voices coming from further down the hallway. Carrying what would be my work for the rest of the day, I hurried back the way I had come.

  Nothing seemed to have changed in my room while I had been away. I’d half expected to return to find some bit of mischief done by the others.

  Settling into the stiff-backed chair, I pulled out my sewing kit, hoping my meager skills would be up to the task ahead of me. Before I had even begun, there was a knock on my door. “Yes?” I called, my focus on threading the needle in my hand. “You may enter.”

  There was a slight creak as the door opened. “Juliet Sinclair, just what do you think you are doing?”

  Chapter Three

  I felt a surge of panic at hearing my real name being spoken in such a stern way. But when I lifted my head, my shock faded into surprise. A smile spread across my face as I recognized the woman who stood in the doorway. “Miss Graham!” I exclaimed, feeling a rush of fondness and relief at seeing a familiar, kind face. I surged to my feet. “How lovely it is to see you again! I didn’t know you were employed here!”

  Stepping inside, Miss Graham closed the door. Her hair had grown grayer since the last time I had seen her, but the serious expression on her face...oh, I remembered that look all too well.

  “Juliet Sinclair, you have not answered my question,” she pointed out, ignoring my enthusiasm. And there was that tone I’d heard so many times when I got into mischief as a child. It made me smile when it had caused me to quake in my shoes when I’d been younger. “I thought I must have been mistaken when I saw you earlier.”

  How well I remembered that stern tone of voice! When had she seen me? “At the moment, I am going to try to save this poor gown.” I held a rose pink monstrosity of fabric and lace in my hand. “I’m not entirely certain it is worth the effort, but I must try what I can and hope for the best.”

  “You know very well that is not what I was asking about,” Miss Graham said sharply. She took a seat on the edge of my bed, not waiting for me to invite her to sit. “What are you doing here, in this house, this room? As a lady’s maid? You are above this kind of work!”

  Sighing, I sank back onto my char. Securing the needle into the fabric, I allowed the dress to fall into my lap. “It was unexpected, and I don’t intend for it to be a permanent position. I knew Eugenia needed help to face her first Season, so here I am. As my mother always said, if you can help someone, you should.”

  “I doubt your mother meant you were to forsake your rank and privileges to serve another family. You cannot have fallen so far from society this is necessary for your survival.”

  “But I am not forsaking anything, Miss Graham! It happened quite by chance. All Eugenia needs is a good lady’s maid to help her show herself to the best advantage. How can I not want to lend my aid to her? I was so fond of her when we were children together.”

  “Yes, it’s true a good lady’s maid would do wonders for her,” Miss Graham said reluctantly. “Are you so prideful as to think you are the only one who can help her?”

  “Certainly not!” I was not so egotistical to believe that! “But I have the advantage of having been in society. I know what she needs, and now I know how to give it to her.”

  Reaching over, Miss Graham took my hands into hers and squeezed them. “If someone were to discover what you have done, you would be ruined. What you are attempting is pure folly.”

  “It may be.” I pulled my hands free of her grasp. “But Eugenia deserves every chance to be happy. What sort of person would I be if I did not do all I could to help her?”

  Miss Graham frowned at me. “Are you so miserable, Juliet, you feel you must help someone else to be so because you are not? Why would you run away so foolishly? Have not your family been kind to you these past five years?”

  “I am not running away, and my aunt has been nothing but kindness!” I exclaimed, appalled she would think I had been neglected. “I was not...am not unhappy, Miss Graham. Please believe me when I say that. I wish to help Eugenia as much as I possibly can. And this was the only way I could think to do so.”

  My former governess tilted her head. “But, surely insufficient time has passed for Mrs. Burnham and Eugenia not to recognize Miss Juliet Sinclair.”

  “Actually, there has,” I said with more confidence than I would have had if she had said such a thing an hour earlier. “We first met Eugenia ten years ago. They visited Faircroft for a fortnight, and it was my task to keep Eugenia entertained. They came three years in a row. Seven years has brought about a great deal of change for me. Mrs. Burnham has already failed to recognize me after two face to face meetings.”

  Thinking of the exact changes would only serve to break my heart, so I chose to focus on the memories of the Burnhams’ visits to my family’s estate.

  Those perfect summer days were some of my fondest memories. Eugenia and I had been the only girls in the house. We’d managed to sneak away from our governesses and run to the pond to throw stones. We spent hours that day just running free in the sunshine. But it was when Jonathan and his friends, Oswyn Harper being one of them, joined in on our games that the real fun had begun.

  Just thinking of that day brought a mix of happiness and grief to my heart. I shook my head. “But you needn’t worry. Eugenia was just a child then, and she did not recognize me when I was in front of her no more than an hour ago. I doubt she will reali
ze her mother’s new lady’s maid is the teenage girl who played with her during those few summers.”

  From the way my former governess’ face twisted with horror, I could see my words did not reassure her.

  “What else is there?”

  The question was not one I had been expecting. “What do you mean ‘what else is there’? Miss Graham, I have explained—”

  “You have a kind streak, Juliet. I know. It’s tumbled you into many scrapes as I recall,” Miss Graham said, slowly and deliberately. At that moment, I remembered quite clearly why she’d sometimes terrified me when she’d been in charge of my education. “But this is extreme, even for you. So what else are you not telling me? Why have you changed your name and taken this position?”

  Sighing, I pulled my hands free. “It’s...it’s personal.”

  “I am more than willing to go to Mr. Burnham and tell him you are here,” Miss Graham said. I felt my eyes widen. “He’s a kind man. I am certain he would not allow the scandal to touch you, but you would be sent back to your uncle. Is that what you want me to do?”

  Stunned by the threat, I considered her words. While she was more than likely correct about how Mr. Burnham would react, my uncle’s reaction would not be so positive. He would undoubtedly remove me from Aunt Beth’s care and find some even more remote relation to hide me away with.

  My only hope was to convince Miss Graham my intentions were good. When I met her waiting gaze, I was not encouraged by the expression I saw there. I felt caught in the horns of a dilemma, as the saying goes. “If I tell you, you cannot threaten to reveal me in any way.”

  Miss Graham’s eyes narrowed, and she hesitated. “On the condition I am allowed to reveal you if I think whatever you are doing is dangerous in any possible way,” she said after several moments of consideration. “It is the only way I can agree to your terms.”

  I was reminded of the times we had played chess together, both of us seeking the best advantage. That I had lost to her more often than I had come out the victor was not encouraging. “I can accept that.” I took a deep breath. “You remember my father came to London on business that-that last journey he and Mama took?”

  If anything, my words made the governess’ eyes soften. “I remember.”

  How could either of us have forgotten that time? “I discovered Mr. Burnham was the man my father met with. I know not why they met or what business they discussed. But it was here, in this house, that my father visited that day.”

  “What of it?”

  Her question made me frown. “You honestly haven’t heard?” I had thought by now all would know the terrible rumors that had been circulating London. “They are saying my father and Jonathan were traitors; that they were working for the French and passed on sensitive documents they acquired and thus prolonged the war.”

  Gasping, Miss Graham stared at me. “No! You must be mistaken! The Sinclair name has always been a respected one. No one could believe such an obvious fabrication!”

  Swallowing hard, I shook my head. “I first learned of it when I read such a comment in The Times. You must understand I cannot allow my family to be slandered so. I’m hoping, somehow, to convince Mr. Burnham to speak up in defense of my father.”

  “Could you not have made the request as yourself? Why the need for this complicated masquerade?”

  Ah, now we reached the point of my tale she was very much not going to like. “I tried,” I said, my tone more defensive than I liked. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. When I continued, my voice was calmer. “I sent him a letter, requesting a meeting, but I heard nothing in reply. You know I do not go out in society, so I would never meet him face to face.”

  Frustration showed on my old governess’ face. I continued with my explanation. “I then attempted to visit Mrs. Burnham. Only I was mistaken for an applicant for this position, and I could not explain myself. I never imagined I would actually be offered it! But when I was...I thought maybe this was the way I could stop the rumors. I-I could think of nothing else!”

  “Why did you not ask for your uncle’s help? Surely, he would care about the family reputation.”

  I shook my head, feeling bitterness rising. “My uncle is off on his archeological expedition,” I explained, fighting to keep my tone even. “And even if he wasn’t, he detested my father. He would not have a care for how the Sinclair name is viewed. No doubt he would even believe it himself.”

  “He should care,” Miss Graham said, her eyes flashing with anger. “You will have no chance at making a match with this silly rumor being spoken of in society! Has he no intention of seeing your future settled?”

  As though I had any prospects now, being an almost penniless orphan! My father’s estate had been entailed, and thus had gone to a distant cousin I had never met. I had a small inheritance from my grandmother, but as it was a mere three hundred pounds, it wasn’t going to attract any suitors. That, coupled with an uncle who had no inclination to assist in finding me a husband, made it clear wedded bliss was not in my future.

  “Miss Graham, you must let me see this through.” I pushed away the thoughts of self-pity I had wallowed in all too often. “I have considered every other course of action. You must see that.”

  “But what can you do as a lady’s maid? Why not, instead, act as a companion? It is an acceptable position for someone of your breeding. As a friend of the family, it would be natural for you to do so.”

  Well, she wasn’t threatening to expose me anymore, so it was progress. “There is a level of confidence between a lady’s maid and her employer that is unlike any other,” I explained. There was doubt in Miss Graham’s eyes. “And a lady’s maid was needed here. Not a companion. I can speak to Mrs. Burnham, and she will repeat it to her husband. It’s improbable, I know, but...it is what it is.”

  Sitting back, Miss Graham was quiet for what seemed like an eternity. Nervously, I fingered the thread I’d been preparing to work with. I wanted to say something but knew to do so would be counterproductive. “I hate seeing you like this, Juliet,” she finally said in the quietest tone I’d ever heard her use. “This is not the kind of life you were ever supposed to know.”

  She wasn’t entirely wrong about that. I nodded to show my understanding. “I know,” was all I could think to say.

  “You had such good prospects!” she said. I felt a knot of dread form in my throat. “I remember young Mr. Bladen showing you a great deal of attention. I was so certain he would offer for you. You would have had a good life with him; the kind of life you were raised to have.”

  I closed my eyes at the name. Henry. “I would rather not talk about him, Miss Graham.” I had already dredged up far too many bad memories, and I felt as though my heart would break. “It is all in the past and done with.”

  “He didn’t even write to you? After...everything?”

  “No, he did not,” I said a great deal too sharply. I regretted my tone the moment the words left my lips. It was not her fault the man I thought had loved me had abandoned me the moment he learned I had nothing. She and I hadn’t been close enough for any correspondence after my uncle dismissed her.

  How could I have loved a strict woman, who believed affection was reserved for children? Miss Graham had exacted excellence in everything, and failure to live up to her standards meant scolding after scolding. Nothing I did was ever good enough; she always said I should have done better.

  In any event, she wouldn’t have known what had happened after my parents’ death. And the name Henry Bladen was not one I wished to hear.

  “Forgive me, Miss Graham. I must return to my mending. If you are going to expose me, then please do so and save me the trouble of beginning.”

  She sighed and got to her feet. “I suppose I should make sure Daphne and Calliope aren’t attempting to kill each other again,” she decided in an offhand manner. She reached out and put her hand on my shoulder. “I will do everything I can to help you, Juliet, if only to get you back to where you belong.�
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  “I appreciate that,” I said, a relieved smile coming to my lips. It was the best I could have hoped for. “I am as anxious as you are that I return to my life as soon as possible.”

  Miss Graham raised an eyebrow, and she slowly shook her head. “I know how easily you can become bored. I don’t think you are in any hurry to return to the normalcy of living with your great aunt and the dullness of an unchanging routine.”

  I opened my mouth to deny it, but I could not force out a lie neither of us would believe. “Watch yourself, Juliet,” she said, putting her hand on the doorknob. “You have put yourself in a difficult position, one that calls for humility. That was never one of your strong points. And pray no one who is personally acquainted with you comes to visit.”

  “I know,” was all I could say. While I felt the compulsion to tell her I had already seen someone I knew, I had the feeling she would change her mind about keeping my secret, and I would be finished.

  With a nod of her head, Miss Graham turned and walked out of the room. I heaved a sigh of relief. I hadn’t expected to be faced with my former governess, and her presence changed everything I had planned. Though I loved Miss Graham dearly from when she’d taught me, she was entirely too strict about keeping to one’s specific place in society. From now on, I knew she would keep an eye on me and what I did. Most definitely not a good thing.

  In all honesty, though, she’d taken the news better than I could have expected. But, she also didn’t ask the question I thought would come once she knew my main reason for being there; the question I thought was the most important one to ask.

  Why, after five years, were people suddenly saying my father and brother had been traitors?