Hope of Romance

by Ellie St. Clair

  What a silly little fool she’d been, Tabitha thought to herself with derisive snort as she pushed herself to her feet and through the brocade curtains to greet the newcomer. Lord only knew where Ellora had gone off to with her daughter Frances. Shopping, most likely.

  Upon the untimely death of Sir Elias three years after the marriage, Tabitha had been utterly devastated. Lady Blackmore, however, hadn’t wasted much time in putting Tabitha in her place. No longer the family’s most cherished daughter, Tabitha had been shoved into the workroom and largely ignored. The more she stood up to Ellora, the more her stepmother threatened to throw her out on the street. Knowing it was within Ellora’s nature to follow through on her threat, Tabitha did her best to ignore and avoid her stepmother, focusing instead on her work and her ambitions.

  It was better, Tabitha supposed, than staying in their townhome all day long worrying about social calls that never came or invitations that would never arrive. The family name had suffered greatly under Lady Blackmore and Miss Frances Denner, her daughter from a previous marriage.

  In truth, Tabitha was little more than a servant with no money to speak of, no family to lean on, and no real prospects other than her creations on which to pin her hopes of ever escaping the lot she’d been given after her father died.

  In the showroom, Tabitha scanned the floor in search of the new arrival. It took a moment, but her eyes finally landed on a small, older man in a fine suit. He had a slip of paper in his hand and he approached Tabitha with the air of someone who didn’t waste time.

  “Good afternoon, Miss,” the man began with perfect, practiced speech. “My name is Mr. McEwan. I serve as the steward in the house of Her Grace the Duchess of Stowe. I have a receipt for a series of hats I believe she had ordered and requested that they be delivered tomorrow afternoon.”

  Tabitha felt her stomach sink. If this was the order of which she was thinking, the one currently on her worktable, there was no way under the stars that the three hats would be ready by tomorrow. She was only one flower (out of seven) into the first bonnet and it was a slow process to convince the requested velvet ribbon to behave.

  “I am sorry, sir,” she began, trying to get his eyes off the wilder ostrich-plumed hats next to her and back on her. “That is almost four days before we agreed upon. I’m certain there is no feasible way the work can be done, and done well, by tomorrow.”

  That got the older man’s attention. He huffed, turned a bit pink around the cheeks, and sputtered.

  “There is simply no choice, my dear,” he said abruptly but not unkindly. “His Grace is arriving home from his trip to France early and therefore the parties his mother has planned for him will be adjusted accordingly. And so, her wardrobe must be ready—she said so herself. She is willing to pay handsomely for your ability to expedite the process.”

  Tabitha drew in a breath at that and considered. She was having such a difficult time scrimping a small savings together to buy herself a seat at the Paris School of Millinery that this “bonus” money might perhaps get her there that much quicker. Assuming, of course, that Ellora didn’t catch wind of the extra earnings. She was quick to snatch up all but the barest pennies.

  Tabitha closed her eyes for a moment and drew a steadying breath. If she worked through the night and her needle and thread held true, there was a slight chance that she could finish in time. She said so to Mr. McEwan, who beamed brightly at her.

  “I knew it,” he said with a laugh. “I have faith you Miss—er, I apologize, I did not hear your name?”

  Tabitha sighed.

  “Tabitha Blackmore,” she said, noticing how quickly he’d changed the subject on her. “I did not exactly say that I would be able to—”

  She was cut off again by Mr. McEwan, who gave her a slight bow and provided directions to Duchess of Stowe’s home on the other side of the city.

  “I shall see you tomorrow, then, my dear,” he said with a quick grin. “Be sure to pack a bag to stay at least one evening, maybe two. I am certain Her Grace’s attendants will need proper coaching on how the hats should be worn. You will be paid, of course!”

  With that the short man with wisps of white hair on his head that stood up like smoke was gone, disappearing into the streets of Cheapside.

  Tabitha leaned back against the counter behind her and blew out a breath, a little overwhelmed at the entire encounter.

  On the one hand, she had found a way to increase her savings and take a step closer to the education her father had wanted for her. On the other, getting through the night in one piece was not guaranteed. She would have to return to the shop after dinner and do so without rousing Lady Blackmore’s suspicions, which would not be easy.

  Tabitha kicked at a crushed crepe paper flower that hadn’t been tossed out properly. Another evening down the back drainpipe it was then.

  “Time away from the witch, I suppose,” she muttered as she returned to her worktable, a new fire of inspiration lit beneath her.

  Dinner was more complicated than usual, thanks to the fact that Ellora, Tabitha’s stepmother, was having one of her moods. They could be brought on by anything—the weather (too foul or too pleasant), the noisy street they lived on, memories of her life when she was the daughter of an earl and had endless opportunities for money and titles, or even an egg that had too much salt.

  Today’s mood, however, had more to do with the fact that her daughter Frances had been recently snubbed. Officially, Ellora was considered a member of the ton and her daughter’s first season the previous year had nearly cost them the roof over their heads. However, Frances was an ill-tempered, sharp-tongued girl who did little to ensure repeat invitations to dances and parties.

  “A true-and-true witch,” their housekeeper, Alice, called her. Alice was the only servant left on staff besides Katie, the lady’s maid Ellora and Frances shared, so it was up to both Alice and Tabitha to make sure that meals were made and rooms were kept clean. Being an indentured servant in her own home was trying enough, but much worse was having to tidy the room that once held every memento of her father’s. It was now completely devoid of every memory of him.

  It was as though Baronet Elias Blackmore had never existed. No portraits. No personal belongings. Nothing but the small locket he’d given Tabitha when she was nine years old and still wore around her neck.

  This evening’s dinner was a morose affair and Tabitha sat silently while Ellora ranted and raved about the social snub of her angel Frances.

  Tabitha looked across the table at her stepsister. Frances was very pretty, she’d give her that much. But her mouth was drawn thin and her blue eyes were more steely than pleasant. Frances had brown hair that one could call more dishwater than brunette. However, Ellora spent high sums of money on beauty products and bits and bobs for Katie to fashion Frances’ hair into something resembling high fashion each day.

  Frances was pouting into her soup while her mother railed beside her. When she glanced up and caught Tabitha looking at her, she scowled.

  Tabitha quickly looked away, but Frances jumped on the opportunity to take the attention off her.

  “I saw a servant go into the shop this afternoon when I was returning from tea with Adela,” Frances said to her mother, her flinty eyes on Tabitha, who inwardly groaned.

  So much for secrecy.

  Ellora paused in her ranting and raised an eyebrow at her.

  “Who was it?”

  The words were clipped and her nose was high in the air while she peered down her nose at Tabitha.

  “A servant for the Duchess of Stowe,” Tabitha replied. “He came to inquire about an order the Duchess sent over a week ago.”

  It wasn’t exactly a lie and it helped her corroborate her story because Ellora had already received the money sent over for the original order.

  “And was the order ready?”

  Tabitha swallowed hard. She wasn’t in the clear yet.

  “Almost,” she said and lowered her eyes to take a sip of the soup
as she inwardly seethed.

  “Unacceptable,” her stepmother ground out between her teeth. “You lazy, no-good hanger-on. It is no wonder your father’s ridiculous hat shop is dying off. He had the laziest cow this side of the river working behind the curtains.”

  She banged a fist on the table, making Frances jump.

  “You get up from this table and you finish that order right this instant,” Ellora pointed a long bony finger in the direction of the door, ending Tabitha’s dinner before she had progressed past the soup. Tabitha’s stomach rumbled in protest, and her fists clenched beneath the table as she longed to tell Ellora what she really thought, but Tabitha knew this was a gift. She would nab a roll from Alice later.

  “I am going to stop by in the morning to check your ledger and work progress to make certain you are being completely honest with me,” Ellora announced. “And woe be to you if I find that you have been neglecting your work and you have a backlog of orders.”

  In reality, Tabitha was of legal age and the threats should be harmless. But she was also lacking any real money, any job prospects, and no titles her father could have passed down to her. Running her father’s milliner shop was the closest thing she would have to freedom for the near future and it would be much better for her if she allowed Ellora the illusion of control for the time being, since the dreadful woman had inherited the shop upon her father’s death.

  Ellora’s threat put Tabitha in a bind. She was due at the Duchess’ estate first thing in the morning. As it stood, she’d have to have those pieces done, as well as the other orders on her workbench. She closed her eyes and blew out a heavy breath.

  It was going to be a very long night.

  2

  “You cannot go looking like that.”

  Tabitha rolled her eyes at her best friend’s words. Matilda “Tillie” Andrews was the third child of one of England’s most successful export and import families and the two young women had known each other since Sir Elias began importing millinery supplies with Captain Maximus Andrews. She was currently perched on the edge of Tabitha’s work table.

  Tillie, in her own right, was quite the seamstress and worked anonymously for a few of Cheapside’s finer fashion houses designing party dresses that had been the talk of the season the past two years. She did not need to work, not like Tabitha, but she loved it. Tabitha thought she might love her work more as well if she wasn’t scrimping and saving for each and every single penny she could get her fingers on.

  “I have to go like this,” Tabitha said through a yawn. She had stayed up until sunrise finishing all of the Duchess’s ornamentation. On top of that, she had four other pieces to assemble to beat Ellora’s mid-morning arrival. She was exhausted and had unbecoming dark circles under her eyes, but she had finished with not a moment to spare.

  “I have something I was going to show you,” Tillie said, pulling her bag out and unfurling a gorgeous walking dress in the deepest shade of emerald.

  Tabitha’s mouth dropped open at the craftsmanship.

  “Tillie,” she breathed. “It’s beautiful.”

  Her friend beamed.

  “It’s for Rochester’s,” she said with a shrug. “It’s a sample, of course, but it does not need to be there for three days. So, you can wear it today and we will make sure you do not arrive on their doorstep looking like some sort of creature that crawled from the gutter.”

  Tabitha frowned and looked down on her drab muslin gown. It wasn’t that bad, was it?

  “What are you doing this morning?” Tabitha asked as Tillie pushed her behind the work curtain of the shop and practically forced her to change her dress.

  “Nothing,” Tillie called. “Waiting for you to invite me along.”

  Tabitha stuck her head out between the curtains and smiled.

  “I assumed you would be too busy,” she said. “Would you like to go? It’s a bit of a walk.”

  It was true. The townhouse owned by the Fairchild family was on the far side of town and not an easy walk.

  “I have my father’s chaise,” Tillie replied. “I shall have our groom drive us.”

  “You drove?” Tabitha asked, looking toward the window. “I didn’t see the carriage or the groom.”

  Tillie shook her head.

  “He’s getting himself something to eat a few streets away and watered the horses at Denton’s,” Tillie said. “Neither of us wanted to see your stepmother this morning, so we thought it best.”

  It was a good idea, Tabitha mused, appreciative of how very smart her best friend was. Ellora, while somewhat polite to Tillie’s face, was an opportunist and cornered her friend for information about her eligible older brothers and cousins whenever she was around. Not that Tillie couldn’t handle her, but Tabitha shuddered at one of those poor Andrews boys getting shackled with a crow like Frances.

  “Are you quite ready?” Tillie asked in a huff, never one for patience. “I am absolutely starving and I want to stop for the small cakes at Lodge and Stone. They’re my favorite, you know.”

  Oh, yes. Tabitha knew. Tillie was a connoisseur of delicious food, though you wouldn’t be able to tell from the looks of her. She managed to maintain just the right curves in just the right places and was never shy about enjoying herself.

  As well she should, Tabitha thought with a smile. Life was hard enough as it was, why not take a little joy where you could find it?

  “I believe so,” Tabitha said, suddenly shy at the form-fitting walking dress. It hugged her small body in the right places, more so than any of her ordinary dresses. And the color—it made her violet eyes simply shine in the full-length mirror before her. There were buttons and ribbons accenting the dress perfectly—not too many and not too few. She looked polished. Poised. So far from the normal, bedraggled mess that she was most other days that she pinched her cheeks for a little dash of color and smiled at her reflection.

  “It’s absolutely lovely,” Tabitha breathed as Tillie came to stand behind her. Tabitha studied the hat displays in the shop and moved toward the back to find the perfect bonnet to complete the look, large peacock plume and all. She set it on top of the tawny locks piled on top of her head.

  “Now we are ready.”

  Tabitha and Tillie left the shop and Tabitha locked the door behind her.

  They walked the two long blocks to Denton’s, a stabling station for people who could afford it. When the carriage was ready, Tillie and Tabitha climbed in and enjoyed the long ride toward the grand manse of the former Duke of Stowe, His Grace, Lord Reginald Fairchild. Lord Reginald had died unexpectedly almost two years prior and his wife, Lady Gemma, was slowly coming back out into polite society. As such, she found her wardrobe to be a bit outdated and on a recommendation her lady’s maid had found her way into Tabitha’s shop for the first time two months ago for a simple hat, which had turned into the most recent repeat order.

  Nearly an hour later, they rolled to a stop in front of the Fairchild home and Tabitha sucked a breath through her lips.

  “Wow,” she said as Tillie giggled beside her.

  “You have that right,” her friend replied.

  The home was large, bedecked in white marble, and had four giant marble columns across the front of it. There was a small pond in the middle of the circle drive they took to reach the front door and Tabitha counted an army of gardeners toiling away in preparation for what was likely going to be a few days’ worth of guests and revelry.

  When they were greeted by the doorman, Tabitha gave her name and asked for Mr. McEwan. They waited a few brief moments before the older gentleman appeared and showed them inside.

  To say the inside matched the outside in grandeur was putting it lightly and it was all Tabitha could do not to let her mouth hang agog as they tried to keep pace with the steward.

  “Very kind of you to make this happen, Miss Blackmore,” the man said as he practically sprinted with his short, quick strides down a long hallway toward the back of the house. They stayed with him as he turne
d down this hallway and that, past large, ornate doors, until they came to a corridor at the back of the home, where the doors were much simpler.

  “There now,” he said, as he pushed the first door open to reveal a small office. “They are here, darling. Just like I said they would be.”

  “Darling” turned out to be a smartly dressed woman with an ample bosom, bright cheeks, and kind green eyes. She looked to be somewhere in her 50s and from the warm smile she gave Mr. McEwan, Tabitha guess they were about to meet Mrs. McEwan.

  “Miss Tabitha Blackmore and Miss— my apologies,” Mr. McEwan looked flustered as he glanced at Tillie, who whispered her name good naturedly to him. “Miss Matilda Andrews. This is my wife, Lorna McEwan, the housekeeper here. I leave you with her as we have quite a few preparations we are overseeing. His Grace is due to arrive at any moment.”

  The steward flittered away, leaving Tabitha and Tillie standing in the doorway, feeling awkward. Lorna had a warm smile as she rounded the desk she’d been sitting behind and led them down the hall to what looked like a simple dining room housing a long table and chairs. She took some of the boxes from Tabitha and put them down on the table.

  “I was looking over a few of the accounts for Her Grace,” the woman muttered in a thick brogue. “But now, this is exciting. This is one of her first hosted parties since Lord Reginald passed away and I know she is very nervous about the whole thing.”

  Lorna began pulling the hats and fascinators from the box and tittering and clucking in appreciation.

  “I knew you’d come through for us, Miss Blackmore,” she said, mostly to herself. “You came highly recommended from Baron Wellesley’s daughters and I knew you would provide the best for Her Grace.”

  Tabitha blushed a little and Tillie pinched her lightly in the side at the compliments.

  “Are you her assistant?” Lorna asked Tillie, who simply shook her head.