by Ella Edon
With a smile, Jerome turned away from the door, heading back the way he came. He had work to take care of and he was happy to know that he would not have to worry about Louisa while he did.
Chapter Thirteen
A maid by the name of Hannah was assigned to Louisa as her lady’s maid. She was the sweetest thing, with naturally rosy cheeks and innocent eyes that made her appear quite young. In reality, she was the same age as Louisa and had a quiet strength underlying her words. Louisa instantly liked her.
Louisa had not left her bedchamber since she’d entered. She’d taken a long nap and when she awoke, Hannah had been standing at the end of her bed, ready to introduce herself. They’d talked until dinner time while Hannah helped her get ready and now that she was meant to head down to the dining room, her good mood fled.
“Is something the matter, my Lady?” Hannah asked. Her voice was rather squeaky, albeit soft. She seemed unable to shout even if she wanted to.
“Oh, nothing,” Louisa said instantly, waving her hand. Hannah’s deft fingers had twisted Louisa’s hair into a lovely updo. She studied herself in the mirror before she rose and turned to the maid. Hannah’s slim body was dwarfed next to Louisa, her sparkly brown eyes peering up at her. “Goodness, you are just the cutest thing,” Louisa gushed without hesitation.
Hannah blushed. “You flatter me, Lady Louisa.”
“You say that and yet you do not sound very flattered at all.” Teasing her was a great distraction. Louisa didn’t want to think about why she’d decided to join Jerome for dinner. She didn’t want to wonder about what they could possibly talk about when they were alone. She only gestured with a finger for Hannah to follow her as she left her bedchamber, needing the company.
“I know you say those words kindly,” Hannah said, clasping her tiny fingers before her. “But I am three-and-twenty. Yet I am constantly treated like a child who has barely hit maturity.”
Louisa giggled. “I reckon that is quite frustrating for you.”
“Very much so,” Hannah agreed with a nod. She kept up easily with Louisa, brushing at the tendrils of brown hair that had escaped her chignon. “It is quite disheartening to see others rush to do tasks for me thinking I cannot handle it on my own.”
“Is that so? I would have taken that as a perfect opportunity to sit back and relax.”
“Oh, I couldn’t possibly do that!” Hannah said quickly, her eyes growing so wide, they nearly overtook her face. “I would be fired in an instant. Mrs. Frazer, the housekeeper, was very adamant that I should cater to your every need and make sure that you are well and comfortable at all times.”
“Comfortable?” Louisa echoed.
Hannah nodded. The determination that popped into her eyes would have been very adorable had Louisa not been focusing on her words instead. “That is what she said, my Lady. And since I have only recently been employed, I cannot dare to disappoint her.”
“What an odd choice of words,” Louisa mused aloud. “Did Mr. Cooper issue that command personally?”
“Mr. Cooper? Oh, I do not know, Lady Louisa. But Mrs. Frazer was very adamant, so I assume that is the case, yes.” At Louisa’s silence, Hannah gasped, her hand flying over her pert mouth. “Have I said something I shouldn’t?”
Louisa shook her head, smiling down at the girl. “On the contrary, Hannah, you have been perfect. While I am here, you do not have to worry about your position. I will ensure nothing happens to you.”
Hannah’s mouth fell open at that and, to Louisa’s alarm, her eyes swam with sudden tears. She curtsied hastily, lowering her body far too closely to the ground. Louisa giggled. “Thank you, Miss Louisa. You do not know how much that means to me.”
“Oh, goodness, I have quite the habit of attracting emotional women, do I?” Louisa said with a shake of her head. “Come now, there is no need for that.”
Hannah straightened and wiped at her tears. She smiled at Louisa and it cleared the bad mood that had been beginning to shadow her. It was becoming clear to her that Jerome was the reason Hannah was her lady’s maid. It was impossible not to like a girl like her, impossible not to feel relaxed in her presence. It had Jerome written all over it.
Louisa held her thoughts at bay as she made her way to the dining room under Hannah’s guide. It was not as large a manor as she was used to, but Jerome had done quite well for himself, all things considered. It would not take her long to learn the lay of the land, but Louisa was feeling far too stubborn to do that. She didn’t want to call this place her home and she didn’t want Jerome trying to make it that way.
When they arrived at the dining room, Hannah curtsied again, this time much more appropriately. Louisa watched her go, her tiny little feet moving so quickly that it brought a smile to Louisa’s face. Once she was gone, however, the smile fell, and she braced herself for the man on the other side.
Even now, she had not figured out why her reaction to the kiss had been far less negative than she’d expected. Louisa didn’t know if being near him would make it clearer, or only confuse things further.
Jerome was already seated at the head of the table. When he spotted her, he sat up, something akin to smile on his lips. “I can hardly believe it,” he breathed as she neared. “When I heard you were preparing to attend dinner, I thought there might have been some sort of mistake.”
Louisa sank into the chair next to him. She tried not to look at him. “Is that why you have not begun eating yet?”
“It would be rather rude for me to do so when I knew you were on your way.” As he spoke, servants brought in their first course of white soup. Louisa calmly began to eat, knowing very well that his eyes were on her.
“I would like to ask you something,” Louisa said. “Did you tell your housekeeper to have a likeable maid assigned to me?”
“I take it you like Miss Carter, then?”
Louisa looked sharply at him. “So, I was correct. You chose Hannah to be my maid.”
Jerome didn’t pause in his eating as he raised a brow at her. He did that quite often, she realized. Despite the hardness of his face, he was rather expressive. Louisa looked away, hating how much she was beginning to learn about him.
“Is that so wrong?” Jerome asked. “You are in a new place with a man you do not trust. I thought it would be best if you at least had someone you could confide in. But if you do not appreciate my intentions, then I could always let Mrs. Frazer put another maid in that role.”
“There is no need,” Louisa snapped. “She will do just fine.”
“Wonderful.” Louisa glanced back up at him. Her heated words only bounced off him. “How fared your day? I did not do much, unfortunately. There was quite a backlog of work that I needed to get through and so I spent most of my time in my study. Did you have a chance to tour the manor?”
“I did not leave my bedchamber.”
“Ah, I see. That does not surprise me, though I am sure you must have been bored.”
Louisa nearly told him that she hadn’t been, since she had Hannah as company, but refrained. Why should she say anything to him?
Louisa stubbornly held on to her silence, but that didn’t seem to bother Jerome very much. “It was unfortunate that my father could not attend the wedding,” he said. “But he is looking forward to meeting you. I hope that will be sooner rather than later.”
Again, she opened her mouth to respond, having already learned that the duke was ill. Again, Louisa decided to say nothing. She was already regretting dining with him. Sitting here while he rambled would not help her figure out her odd reaction to his kiss. It only annoyed her to see that she was not as irritated by his presence as she should have been.
“I see you are not in the mood for chatter,” Jerome went on in a casual tone. “Then, allow me to say all that I wish. I think it might be best if you no longer rely on laudanum.”
Louisa looked up in shock, her entire body going rigid. Her spoon nearly slipped out of her hand, her eyes wide as she came to understand Jerome�
�s quiet patience. “What…what do you…”
“I am aware it has become quite habit,” Jerome said gently. He leaned back in his seat, drumming his fingers on the table. “When I saw you on the night of your sister’s ball, I was afraid that that might have been the case. But during the dinner party at Warwick Manor, I realized that it is not something I can ignore.”
Louisa curled her hands into fists. Her mind whirred madly, not knowing what to say or do. Her first instinct was to get angry, even though she knew he had not done anything wrong. But the shock tampered that urge. She couldn’t believe that all this time, he’d known about her habit.
“You do not know what you’re talking about,” she said finally, looking away from him.
“Perhaps I do not,” Jerome agreed, and her fury flared. “There are a great many things I do not know about you, Louisa, and a great many things I never will. But you will no longer continue with such a bad habit while you live under this roof. I forbid it.”
“You forbid it?” Louisa gasped. The man before her seemed to have transformed, becoming the callous businessman Louisa had known in the past.
Jerome leaned closer to her, frowning. “How dependent on it are you?”
“I am not dependent on anything!” Her nostrils flared, that familiar prick of fury overwhelming her. “Yes, perhaps I have taken a few sips here and there, but it is only to calm myself when I have grown too agitated. I do not know what you are thinking, Jerome, but I am not addicted to anything.”
“Then it should be no issue for you to stop using it.”
“I do not recall consenting to your rule,” she hissed.
Jerome only shook his head. “I do not want to force you to do anything you do not want to do, Louisa. Despite whatever it is you might think of me, I am not that terrible a person. But I cannot allow you to continue to exacerbate such a habit. Perhaps you are not addicted now, but you might be later.” After a pause, he said, “I noticed that you had downed an entire vial at the dinner party. And when you returned, you were far less high-strung than you were before. Will you continue to tamper your negative feelings with that vial?”
“You have no right to talk down to me.” Louisa felt as if her head was on fire, but it was more from shame than anything else. She couldn’t believe that all this time, he’d known her secret. He could have easily wielded it over her head, could have easily used it to force her to marry him. Louisa wouldn’t dare bring shame onto her name and possibly affect her sisters and parents as a result. Growing to this age without being married had been more than enough.
“Forgive me,” Jerome said swiftly, making her look up at him. He released a breath of frustration and the callous man disappeared. He didn’t seem to know how to continue for a while before he said, “I do not mean to be insensitive.”
The fact that she instantly believed him only kindled her anger further. Louisa glared at him, gripping her spoon so tightly it bit into her skin. “Then what will you do? Will you ban it from the house?”
“If that is what I need to, then I shall.”
Louisa didn’t know if she should argue it any further. Her shame clouded her mind, and his gentleness only made her want to lash out at him. She didn’t want to understand why he was doing it. The mere fact that he was gave her all the fuel she needed.
But her common sense won out. To sit here and argue about her use of laudanum would only lead him to believe that she truly was dependent on it, when Louisa knew that wasn’t the case. If she wanted him to believe that, then she would have to show him.
Ignoring the voice in her head wondering why she cared, Louisa looked at him and said, “It appears as if you might have gotten a very bad impression of me. Very well, then. I will no longer use it. It should not bother me in the slightest.”
Jerome’s grin was quick and wide. It surprised her. “Wonderful.”
Louisa put her spoon down and pushed her chair away from the table. Jerome watched her every move, his smile falling. “I have lost my appetite, it seems. Please excuse me.”
“Louisa…”
She didn’t look back at him. With her back straight, her steps sure, Louisa made her way to the door and slipped out without another word. When she was safely on the other side, she paused, trying to gather the waves of emotion that were coursing through her.
He thinks I am dependent, does he? He will regret ever letting that thought cross his mind.
Conviction overwhelming all else, Louisa turned and made her way back to her bedchamber.
Chapter Fourteen
Jerome didn’t see Louisa again for three days. He knew she didn’t want to see him and so he spent all his time locked up in his study, working the days away. In the mornings, he sat in the drawing room, hoping she would come down for breakfast. She didn’t. At nights, he waited for her in the drawing room. She failed to show. When he asked Samson about her, the butler only told him that Louisa had hardly left her bedchamber ever since she’d arrived.
Jerome’s worry grew with every second he did not see her, and now, he could hardly contain it. He tossed his fountain pen onto the desk, shooting to his feet. Even though a voice told him it was a bad idea, he had to go see her. He had to make sure that she was alright. With his own eyes. It had been three days since he’d forbidden the use of laudanum, and there was no telling if she was truly as fine as she said she would be. Jerome hoped so, but he didn’t have much hope.
With a business trip to Bath schedule don the morrow, Jerome didn’t want to leave without at least making sure she was alright. He toggled with the thought of telling her, but he doubted she would care at all.
His steps began to slow as he neared her bedchamber. Jerome knew she wouldn’t take kindly to him showing up here. She would either get angry or shut the door in his face. But he didn’t stop. He would cross that bridge when he reached it.
Before he came upon the door, however, it opened. Louisa and her maid walked out. The maid spotted him first and she curtsied deeply, her cheeks turning a dark shade of pink. Jerome approached them, keeping his eyes on the small woman. “There is no need for that,” he said to her.
She straightened, but she didn’t lift her head. He directed his attention to Louisa, who was watching him steadily.
She looked drawn. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her features were wan. She didn’t look back at him with any anger or irritation, but just quiet exhaustion, as if she couldn’t be bothered to get upset.
“You may leave us, Hannah,” Louisa said. Even her voice had little spirit. Jerome’s alarm only grew.
“Yes, my Lady.” Hannah, her head still bowed, hurried away. Her soft footfalls echoed in her retreat, but Jerome didn’t notice it. He still studied Louisa’s face, his consternation palpable.
“You look as if you have not slept in days,” he pointed out. The urge to take her face in his hands and cradle her soft cheeks grew overwhelming. He wanted to whisk her into his arms and bring her back inside her bedchamber just to lay her onto the bed. He would sit by her bedside and force her to sleep if he had to, if that was what it took to get rid of the tiredness behind her eyes.
Unbidden, the image of Louisa lying in bed, her blond hair spread out underneath her, popped into his mind. It caught his breath in his lungs, an unknown urge nipping at his groin. In nothing but her nightdress, the pale moonlight would sift through the thin fabric and reveal the perky—
“It is a wonder you could not find anyone else to marry you with such a crass tongue,” Louisa said as she turned her back to him. Jerome didn’t hesitate to walk by her side.
He flushed furiously. And when he realized that he was, he blushed even more. “It seems I have quite a knack for saying the wrong thing in your presence,” Jerome admitted. “I try to choose my words carefully, but it appears to do me more harm than good.”
“There is no need for that. We are married, you must remember.”
Her casual tone only raised his defenses. Jerome glanced down at her, but
her expression gave nothing away. “Have you not been sleeping much, Louisa?”
“Escort me to the gardens, if you will.”
He frowned lightly at her. That didn’t inspire much confidence in her state at all. It was clear she was deflecting. He battled with the idea of pressing her, but he realized that it would only make her more closed off.
“You have decided to explore the grounds, then?” he asked her. “Allow me to be your guide. It would be far better than staying in your bedchamber for days on end.”
“You have quite the knack for meddling in my business, it seems.”
