The Maid of Fairbourne Hall
Page 41
“You remembered?”
He turned to her, expression earnest. “I remember everything about you, Miss Macy. Every moment between us—the good and the bad.” He chuckled dryly. “Though I prefer to linger on more recent pleasant moments.”
She tilted her head to look at him. “When I was in your employ, you mean?”
He nodded. “I found I quite enjoyed having you under the same roof. Being able to see you, hear your voice many times a day. I miss that.” His eyes locked on hers. “I miss you.”
Margaret’s heart pounded. Can this really be happening?
———
A hint of a smile, tentative and hopeful, lifted Margaret’s lips, and it was all Nathaniel could do not to kiss her then and there in front of every busybody in Mayfair.
Instead, he fished a box from his pocket. “You left something at Fairbourne Hall that belongs to you.”
“Oh?”
My heart, he thought, but didn’t say it, only handed her the flat rectangular box.
Her eyes flashed up at him, then back down at the box. She opened it eagerly.
Inside lay the cameo necklace he had seen the new housemaid pawn at a shop in Weavering Street.
“You bought it back for me,” she breathed, eyes shining. “You have no idea what this means—it was a gift from my father.”
He nodded. “There is more.”
She looked inside the box again. Under the cameo lay a piece of thick paper. She extracted it and handed him the box to hold. She turned the paper over, revealing the small watercolor of Lime Tree Lodge. Her brow puckered. “Thank you, but you might have kept it. I wouldn’t have minded.”
He tucked his chin as though offended, and insisted, “I spent a great deal of money on it.”
“On this?” She raised her fair brows, incredulous.
“Not on the painting. On Lime Tree Lodge itself.”
She stared at him, stunned. “You didn’t . . .”
“I did.”
“But . . . my solicitor told me some vicar was very keen on buying it.”
“He was. But I was keener.”
“How did you . . . Forgive me, but I know you needed every shilling for Fairbourne Hall and to repair your ship.”
“True.”
“Then, how?”
“I sold my ship. The damage did not lower its value as much as I had feared, and it brought a good price. Besides, I have no need of it any longer.”
“I thought you needed it to transport sugar from Barbados?”
He shook his head. “My father has decided to sell the plantation at last. To my great relief. If all goes well, he shall be returning to England next year, his new bride with him.”
She shook her head in surprise. “A new mistress at Fairbourne Hall? What will Helen do?”
“Oh, she and Hudson have plans of their own.”
One corner of her mouth quirked. “Have they indeed?”
“Yes. And once my father returns, I will no longer be needed at Fairbourne Hall. I plan to invest in a new venture Hudson has in mind. We are still hammering out the details, but I look forward to it. I can think of no more capable business partner.”
“Congratulations,” she murmured.
He expelled a pent-up breath. “Margaret . . .” He reached over and took her hands in his. He studied and stroked her bare fingers. She had run outside without gloves. “How rough your hands still are.”
Embarrassed, she made to pull them away, but he held them fast. “Yet never have I longed to kiss any woman’s hands as I long to kiss these.”
Looking into her eyes, he brought first one hand to his mouth, then the other.
“I love you, Margaret Macy. And there is something I need to ask you. Something I’ve asked twice before and am nearly afraid to ask again. The Scriptures say let our yes be yes and our no be no, but I pray, in your case, your no may have changed . . . ?”
Margaret leaned forward and kissed him firmly, warmly, on the lips. Then she smiled at him, her eyes brimming with tears. “Yes, it most definitely has.”
Author’s Note
I would like to thank Susan Rabson, whom I met at the Pennsylvania bookstore where she works, helpfully recommending books to wandering readers—or in my case, a wandering parent looking for books to bring home for her sons. I was instantly drawn to her friendly smile and beautiful accent. Turns out Sue is not only passionate about books but is also a native of Maidstone, Kent, where I had already planned to set this book. She generously offered to pick up information for me on her next visit home, which she did, sending me several books and pamphlets about Maidstone and its history. Thanks so much, Sue!
I would also like to thank author Anne Elisabeth Stengl and her husband, Rohan de Silva, for their gracious help with the fencing scenes. (Any errors about either Maidstone or fencing are mine alone.)
I enjoyed the research for this book and learning about servant life. I attended a class through the Beau Monde chapter of Romance Writers of America, read many books on the subject (the sources of many of the epigraphs in the novel), and toured the belowstairs world and attic servants’ quarters of several country houses and town houses in England. (For example, Lanhydrock in Cornwall, Number One Royal Crescent in Bath, The Georgian House in Bristol, and Tredegar House in Newport, Wales.)
As interesting as the research was, I found writing about servant life somewhat daunting. A great deal of information is available, but some of it conflicts. Different houses had different rules, schedules, and ways of doing things. For my purposes, I have simplified the servant routines and duties. And really, how much do you want to read about polishing brass and emptying chamber pots? Also, the staff of Fairbourne Hall is fairly skeletal compared to the number of servants a large country house would have actually needed to operate smoothly in the early 1800s. But I didn’t want to give you too many characters to keep track of! I hope those more expert than I will forgive the liberties taken for fiction’s sake.
On another historical note, the Barbados slave revolt mentioned was an actual event which began on Good Friday (April 14) 1816.
Also, the plaque quoted in chapter 7 was an actual plaque in the servants’ hall of the manor in Lower Slaughter, one of my husband’s favorite Cotswold villages.
As always, I would like to thank my husband and sons for their love and support. My first reader, Cari Weber, for her honest and helpful feedback. My diligent editor Karen Schurrer, as well as the entire family at Bethany House Publishers, for whom my love and gratitude know no bounds.
Discussion Questions
How would you like to have a servant (or servants) living in your basement, attic, or guest room? Would the help be worth the loss of privacy to you?
If you lived a few hundred years ago, do you think it more likely you’d employ servants or be a servant? Why? If a servant, what type of work would you do best?
Did anything surprise you about the life of servants in the early 1800s? How well do you think you would cope if you found yourself in service in Regency England tomorrow?
Why do you think the author chose the opening quotation “Judge not according to the appearance”? How might that relate to the story?
Does Margaret change during the course of the novel, and if so, how?
Other than that of Nathaniel and Margaret, what relationship in the story intrigued you the most? How so?
If you could choose one character from the book to have over for dinner, which would you choose? What did you like about him or her?
Which characters, if any, would you like to know more about? What would you like to see occur in their lives after the story’s end?
If this book were ever made into a movie, which actors could you see in the leading roles?
If you had to choose one, would you prefer to live in a large country manor like Fairbourne Hall, a charming cottage like Lime Tree Lodge, or a posh London town house?
JULIE KLASSEN loves all things Jane—Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. A
graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. Two of her books, The Silent Governess (2010) and The Girl in the Gatehouse (2011), won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. The Girl in the Gatehouse also won the Midwest Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota.
For more information, visit www.julieklassen.com.
Books by Julie Klassen
* * *
From Bethany House Publishers
Lady of Milkweed Manor
The Apothecary’s Daughter
The Silent Governess
The Girl in the Gatehouse
The Maid of Fairbourne Hall
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House