They were nearly the same height so they could stare into each other’s eyes without any of them straining.
What is it with your obsession with the ledger?
Thomas did not take his eyes off her.
Neither did Rebecca but she still wore a fake smile on her face.
“That reminds me,” Thomas announced still looking at her but now also smiling.
“You promised to tell me about your family business just as I have done mine.”
Hearing this, Rebecca took her eyes off him, backing away to face the painting of the family tree.
“Did I?” she asked skeptically.
“Of course, and now seems like a perfect time to hear it,” he paused as he walked up to her side, “since we are getting to know each other’s family better.”
It was either the question or the way Thomas had asked, but Rebecca looked distressed. She frowned but did not say a word. Thomas wanted to laugh out loud seeing her befuddled expression. Even if he did not want to admit it, it felt good to use Rebecca’s cunning attitude against her.
In truth, she had never specifically promised to share with him the history of their family business. And not until her constant deflection and her frequent inquiry into his family business, did he start to care.
“Are you feeling well?” Thomas asked feigning care as he moved closer to her.
“Yes,” she responded sharply, her expression now confident, “I just think I need some rest, if you don’t mind.”
Thomas frowned at this. He knew she was lying but decided to play along.
“Why? What seems to be the matter?” he pressed. “Was it the food?”
Or the question?
“I can’t say, I’m afraid,” she told him as she placed the back of her hand on her forehead.
She groaned as if in pain but neither her legs not body looked shaken.
Thomas also placed his hand on her forehead and it further proved his assumption – there was nothing wrong with her. He looked around, and saw a sofa close by. He helped Rebecca to it. She made quite a fuss while trying to sit but after much groaning and complaining, she was seated and her head was resting on a cushion.
“James,” Thomas called his butler who hadn’t move an inch toward them. “Hurry and fetch the physician.”
James bowed and rushed out of the gallery.
“You will soon be attended to, Your Grace,” he told her as he watched her reactions keenly.
“I hope so,” she muttered in a sickening manner.
“I also hope so. It would be sad if we would have to postpone our wedding.”
Rebecca stopped moaning in pain for a second as she raised her head from the cushion.
“What?” she exclaimed in a clear piercing voice that sounded healthy and perfectly fine to Thomas.
“Well I would love that you get well soon. You seem very interested in knowing about my family and the business, as am I. I would want us to tell each other more about everything before the wedding. I will inform others of the postponement if you wish,” Thomas told her.
He tried his best not to laugh but he secretly enjoyed the confused and distraught look on her face.
“You do not have to, Thomas,” she countered gently, “we will continue with the preparation and everything can come later.”
As much as this sounded pleasing to Thomas, he knew better than to believe her. If she promised to tell him all he wanted after their wedding, then all would be already lost.
“Do not say that, Your Grace,” he urged patting her back, “the illness must have affected you greatly. Let us wait for the physician.”
Shortly after he had said this, James walked in with an older man who had a crooked walking stick that made tapping sounds as he walked.
“I will take it from here, Your Grace,” he uttered in a shaky voice.
Thomas gave a sigh of relief, as he stood up. He smiled gently as he passed the physician. If given the chance, he would have left immediately. Even though he wanted to do that, he stayed for a couple of seconds. As he looked out the window, he was surprised to see how much time he had really spent with Rebecca.
He gestured at James to wait behind while he exited the gallery, happy that he was able to leave. As he entered into his chamber, he couldn’t help but wonder what big secret was that the Lady was hiding. As it began to take its toll on him, he shoved it deep into his mind while allowing the thought of Mary Ann to come to forward.
Chapter 25
Mary Ann awoke to the chirping sounds of the insects of the night. Her room was dark, but she knew her way around. She lit up the candle beside her before sitting up on the bed. The first rooster was yet to crow which gave her enough time to think of her plan. She got up from the bed and stared at herself in the mirror. She smiled as she thought of Thomas, the way he lurked in the darkness of the store room just to see her.
“You mean the world to me.”
She smiled as she assessed her body. Even though she would have loved to dote over herself, she didn’t have the time. She had another reason in mind for waking up that early. She moved away as she began to prepare for the day’s work and her mission. She changed her clothes into a cleaner dress similar to those worn by other servants.
When she was done, she looked around to be sure she was fully dressed before donning her cap. She didn’t bother to look in the mirror before leaving her room. As she left her room, she heard the first crow of the rooster.
It’s already getting late already. She had to make haste.
She entered from the entrance closer to the kitchen but didn’t go inside. She was a bit hungry but knew it would only take up much of her time; time she didn’t have. As she got to where her work materials were, she remembered the time Thomas pulled her inside. She stared at the dark space but didn’t move. Although she wished Thomas was lurking in the dark dusty space, she knew it was not possible. This didn’t stop her from fantasizing about being wrapped up his arms. She thought of the numerous times she had felt his hard member pressed against her body and how much she wanted to hold it in her hand.
Mary Ann shook her head, having realized she had been gawking at the entrance for longer than usual. She packed her equipment and started working hurriedly. She didn’t hum a tune this time. Her mind was racing fast, thinking and reviewing the things she had planned the previous night before sleeping.
Few hours passed and she could still feel the surge of blood pumping making her feel invincible. This was helpful. It was all she needed to get through with what she had planned. She was in the west wing of the manor, where she usually wasn’t supposed to clean but she was there anyway.
She had heard Rebecca’s voice downstairs chaffing whoever was close to her so that made her feel safer.
This will be fine. Nothing bad will happen, she kept telling herself. All I have to do is enter, check around quickly and leave.
She turned the knob to the door, slipping inside before she could be seen by anyone. The room smelt like fresh fruit.
She dropped the abrasive to the ground just close to the door so it would move whenever anyone attempted opening it. While Mary Ann didn’t know a lot of women in high-class society, looking at Lady Rebecca’s room, she was sure she was one of the vainest women in the city. Her clothes were hung around the wall, displaying their beauty in full length. Necklaces of different designs, pendants and styles were placed underneath it. Even with the number of dresses there, the room looked tidy and well arranged. She set to work; starting with the shelves. She made sure to take mental notes of everything she was touching so she could place them back to their initial positions.
There was nothing on the shelves, at least nothing worth caring about, except for the numerous letters from her family business and admirers. She was curious to know more about what was going on in her life but she did not have the time. When she was done checking the shelves, she moved on to the large wardrobes but saw nothing interesting. She was beginning to get frustrated w
ith the search and with few things to look through, hope of finding anything worthwhile was bleak. She looked behind the shelves and wardrobes but still, nothing. Then, she took a break from the search to think.
If I wanted to hide something, where would I keep it? she asked herself.
She knew she would hide it in plain sight. A place no one would expect anything suspicious to be hidden, so that was where she would direct all her energy. She started from underneath her bed but didn’t find anything. As she moved to rise to her feet, her eyes caught something. She crawled closer to it and it confirmed her suspicion. When looking around, she had seen small wooden boxes which she had thought were for the necklaces, but there was a different one that she hadn’t noticed until now. It had the same width as others but this one was longer. She opened it and saw different papers folded neatly inside. She picked out some and began to skim through. She was about to get to the last part when she saw an interesting document. It was just two leaves and it was all she needed to see. The document was a part of another that she couldn’t find in the box.
The sight of it shocked her. A part of her hadn’t believed she would find it, that they would carry such important documents here. She could only wonder if the situation had dictated it. Perhaps the Duke of Ruxbell had thought it would be safer in Rebecca’s care, a dainty lady who no one would bother to question.
The document showed how Phillip Egertone; Rebecca’s father was able to amass wealth from selling a property. However, the document didn’t state where or who owned the property. She was about to search further when she heard footsteps. She moved quickly to drop the documents back into the box but was not very fast when it came to putting the box back to where she found it.
“There are few things I have to attend to in town this morning. Get the horses ready for me,” she heard Rebecca ordered.
The bucket on the floor had been pushed by the open door but Rebecca was yet to enter giving Mary Ann the opportunity to get by the door. She picked up the bucket and acted as if she was just done cleaning. With her head bent, she waited for Rebecca to enter.
“What are you doing here?” Rebecca asked outraged seeing a servant in her room.
“I just finished tidying up your room, My Lady,” Mary Ann explained.
Rebecca looked more confused than angry.
“I thought the place had been cleaned,” she told Mary Ann.
“Yes, but I was sent by His Grace to make sure it was all to perfection,” Mary Ann fibbed praying inwardly that she would believe the lie.
On hearing that the Duke sent her, her angry face softened but there was still a smug and condescending look on her face.
“That is so thoughtful of His Grace,” she commended, looking as if to see something suspicious. When she did not find anything, she told Mary Ann to leave the room. She curtsied and told her she was done. She held her breath until she was outside of the room and the door shut behind her.
That went well!
She did not waste any time going down the stairs, and her heart was beating fast. She had just confirmed something fishy about Rebecca’s family business. Even without knowing what exactly, she knew she had to tell Thomas as quickly as possible.
“Where have you been?” a voice startled her from behind.
She turned to face Emily who was holding a loaf of bread in her hand.
“I have been doing my chores,” she fibbed pulling her to the corner as she spoke.
She took the bread from Emily,
“Is this yours?” she asked but without waiting for an answer, she took a bite from it.
“Go right ahead,” she laughed.
She watched Mary Ann chew a large chunk of the bread. After all she had gone through, all she had left was pang of hunger that needed to be satisfied.
“Are you going to tell me what is going on?” Emily asked.
“I wanted to finish work early so I skipped breakfast. Turns out it was a bad idea,” she lied again.
She wondered how many lies she had to tell before the end of the day. After a short while, she asked if she could arrange a meeting with James.
“Is it James you want or—”
“You know who,” Mary Ann cut in.
She promised to get back to her before departing, refusing to give the rest of the bread to Emily as she walked away.
Thomas is going to be happy to hear what I have learned. I can’t wait to see the look on his face.
As she walked out of the manor, she was surprised that it was raining. Just as she contemplated leaving, she felt a touch on her shoulder.
Chapter 26
“Where do you think you are going?” A familiar voice said, sending chills down her spine.
She turned slowly, her heart beating rapidly and almost audible.
“Not so fast,” Rebecca’s voice spoke again, as they came face to face.
“My Lady,” Mary Ann muttered not knowing exactly what the matter was.
“What exactly were you doing in my room?” Rebecca asked suspiciously, her hard gaze digging a hole into Mary Ann’s flesh.
Mary Ann was tongue tied. She could remember telling her the reason she was in her room and her asking again meant she had discovered something. She decided to not answer the question directly.
“I already told you earlier, My Lady,” she stuttered.
“Yes, you told me,” Rebecca agreed in a scornful tone, “And I believed that for a couple of minutes until I noticed how dry the ground was.”
Simple!
“The floor was dusty and I helped pick up some dresses off the floor,” she fibbed hoping that was enough to convince her.
Rebecca didn’t say a word for a short while but it felt like hours to Mary Ann.
Has she found out I went through her stuff? How come? I was so careful. If she has, has she found out what I know?
With a smirk in Rebecca’s face, she spoke. “Do your chores include going through my things, thief?” she declared angrily.
“No, I… I—” she began to stutter, her lips quivering with nothing to say.
“Choose your next words carefully, girl, or you might regret what comes after,” she fumed grabbing her hand and pulling her back further into the manor.
The shock made her knees weak. She was about to fall on the ground, when a voice stopped them.
“What is going on here?” it asked.
Thomas came out from a corner, slowly. He took a short look at Rebecca before gazing down at Mary Ann, who was trying her best to stay in control.
“My Lady?” he inquired again.
Even though he sounded calm, Mary Ann could see that he was boiling underneath. He finished every sentence gritting his teeth which revealed veins on the side of his head. Also, his hands were clenched together. Even in her situation, she couldn’t help but notice the sensuality in his composure and stance.
“This crippled thief came into my room and took something while cleaning,” she told Thomas, walking close to him. She stood right in front of him with the intention of blocking his view from Mary Ann. “She must be punished for this. I hate crooks, don’t you?” she asked.
Thomas didn’t utter a word to what she said and it made Mary Ann anxious. Rebecca was shaking in anger. Hearing Rebecca refer to her as a cripple defeated her and angered her beyond words, but she decided not to show it. Though as time went by, holding her feelings together became impossible.
“I will look into this. You can leave it to me,” Thomas finally replied gently, moving past Rebecca. “Are you all right, Mary Ann?”
“Insolence! She has to be punished,” Rebecca protested.
Her last words caught the attention of the servants in the room. Even though no one dared to come close, Mary Ann could feel movement from every corner. That was until the Dowager Duchess walked in with her usual elegance.
“What is going on here?” Elisa asked looking confused.
“She was in my room,” Rebecca screeched, “and I discovered that my thing
s were touched. I believe she stole from me.”
“What did she steal?” Thomas cut in before she could get another word out.
“Pardon?”
He turned to Mary Ann and as if on cue, she spread her arms to show that she was not hiding anything. Elisa was even more confused about the situation, but Thomas was not.
He was furious. He clenched his fist, with veins pulsing by the side of his head.
“She must have kept it somewhere else,” Rebecca tried to explain almost in tears.
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