by Dalia Wright
“Oh Mavis!” Bella gushed rapturously, “It was so wonderful, I never wanted it to stop. I felt hot and restless but in a way good way. And his hands…oh his hands!”
“I have to get away from here. I don’t care if it causes a scandal or if my reputation goes down the drain, I can’t go through with this marriage, not in the state I’m in. I’m being cowardly by fleeing but....”
“A few weeks away might do you some good.” Mavis interrupted, understanding instinctively her friend was going through a desperate time. “I’ll write to Edith right away and we’ll see about setting you up down in the country for a few weeks.”
Bella thought back to the gardener, it seemed as though since their meeting her mind never strayed very far from him.
“I’ll masquerade as a maid.” She announced decisively.
Mavis snorted and almost choked on her tea as an image of her friend trying to do housework presented itself before her.
“Bella be serious. You can’t possibly be a maid; you don’t know the first thing about cleaning.”
“Mavis, it’s the perfect disguise, nobody ever pays any attention to the maids. And how hard can it be to do a few chores?”
An arched blond eyebrow lifted up in a question mark.
“Bella, have you ever even made your own bed? Do you know how to dust? Or polish?”
“I haven’t no,” Bella admitted with some reluctance, “but I’ve seen it done a dozen times. Trust me, I know what to do.”
Mavis had her doubts about this insane plan but she decided it would be wise to keep them to herself for the moment. So she took another sip of her tea, shrugged her slender shoulders and said briskly,
“I’m sure you do know. Now let’s write that letter to Edith shall we?”
The letter to Edith was dispatched promptly and an answer received within the week. She sounded immensely intrigued by Bella’s desire to hide out on her estate for a few weeks disguised as a maid but always up for a good laugh she readily agreed. She finished the letter by saying,
“I’ll let Mrs. Pumps, the housekeeper know to expect you. We should be arriving in a day or two ourselves so I’ll be there to greet you. I can’t wait to hear the story behind this latest escapade of yours Bella!”
With everything in place, the only thing left to do was pack and leave which under normal circumstances was an enormous undertaking but as a maid she wouldn’t need to pack anything at all except her undergarments and a few other personal effects. Bella decided to strike before she could lose her nerve, change or mind, or worse have her fiancée show up on her doorstep!
Twenty-four hours later she was on her way. She left a brief letter for her mother saying she needed some time alone, that she was safe and nobody was to worry about her or come looking for her.
Bella knew the letter would anger both her parents but she hoped this way they wouldn’t worry as much about her disappearance and she was doubly hopeful after learning about the letter and her disappearance the Duke would no longer want to marry her.
Instead of taking her personal carriage and driver, she hired one under a fake name and armed with one small, shabby valise which Mavis had procured from her own maid Bella was off to begin her sojourn as a maid at the Clarence household.
CHAPTER NINE:
She discovered soon after arriving at the country estate that Edith and her family had been delayed and would only be arriving in two weeks’ time instead of being there already. Mrs. Pumps, a plump, jolly looking woman with a stern face greeted her at the door. She had been told to expect her didn’t ask Bella too many questions, except to confirm her name was Bertha and that she was indeed the new maid. Bella confirmed both questions by nodding and was soon shown into a small, dimly lit room with four beds in each corner of the room.
“Ye’ll be sleeping here. There be three other maids here, mind you get along with them. Ye do your job well and don’t get into any trouble and nobody will trouble you. Your uniform is on the bed. Ye can take a few minutes to settle in and change, I’ll come get you to go over your list of chores for today and the rest of the week.”
Bella’s eyes widened at Mrs. Pump’s words, chores already? She had just spent endless hours being jostled around in a carriage, she was exhausted and wanted to rest. But she could tell by the grim set of Mrs. Pump’s lips that such a request would not be met kindly. So she nodded humbly telling herself she had chosen to do this and so couldn’t complain.
To her immense relief, when Mrs. Pumps returned she was carrying a tray of food, a bowl of soup, warm, thickly sliced bread with butter and a glass of milk. Bella devoured the food gratefully while Mrs. Pumps gave her a rundown of the estate and listed out her tasks. Bella too absorbed in satisfying her hunger barely paid any attention. Once she was done eating, Mrs. Pumps handed her the tray.
“Now take that on to the kitchen and cook will get you sorted for your evening tasks.”
Bella spent the evening washing pots and pans and helping Cook clean the kitchen with some of the other help. By the time she was done, she was too weary to eat dinner and fell on her bed fully dressed.
The next two days were worse than the first and Bella realized quite quickly it was one thing ordering maids to do this but something else entirely doing it yourself. It was also clear she knew nothing about housework. No sooner did she finish one task but another one was given to her and often she had to redo something two or three times until it was done just right. Which happened often since she didn’t know how to dust, wash dishes, mop the floors, make beds, chop vegetables or the worse one to date, pluck chickens.
The other three girls in her room were unfriendly and took a dislike to her from the get go. By the time she went to bed on her third night Bella was ready to give up and go back home. There didn’t seem any hope of Edith arriving any time soon and in the meantime she was so tired and ragged she was surprised she was still standing.
CHAPTER TEN:
Early one morning a few days after she arrived, Bella was tasked with getting eggs from the chicken coop. Mrs. Pumps had taken pity on her and assigned what she believed was an easy task and Bella had gladly jumped at the opportunity to at least be out of the house and enjoy some fresh air.
Bella had envisioned plucking eggs from empty nests and placing them in her basket. What she hadn’t counted on was having to bodily remove angry, clucking chickens from their nest. She was a stranger to them and as such they were deeply wary of her and refused to cooperate in any way. Bella had to chase them out of the way and deal with their pecking and clucking and ruffling feathers while she collected her goods, she had even been pecked on the fingers a few times. By the time she had gathered two dozen eggs she felt like she had fought in a battle and it was not even seven in the morning!
She went over the list of things she still had to do before the evening meal and she couldn’t imagine getting through even half of them, she would drop dead from exhaustion before! Sighing heavily, she shifted the basket at a more comfortable angle on her arm and left the coop. As she stepped out into the warm sun she bumped nose first into solid flesh.
“Oh!” she stepped back with a cry, “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you…” her voice trailed off as she realized the man she had bumped into was a very familiar one.
“You!” she cried, “What are you doing here?”
A slow grin spread across the man’s face as he looked at Bella,
“Well, well, well….fancy running into you again…” he took in the strands of hay stuck to her hair, the dust coating her dress and the feather stuck on her cheek and laughed, “although I didn’t quite expect you to see looking so….have you been wrestling with the chickens?” he asked as he plucked the feather off her cheek.
Bella took a step back out of his reach, acutely aware of her disheveled state and feeling embarrassed by it. She also felt offended by the familiarity he was showing towards her but could hardly put up a fuss when she had willingly allowed him liberties at their last meeting.
She ignored his question and asked one of her own,
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m Luke the new groom, just started this week.” He tipped his head at her in a nod of introduction.
“I thought you were a gardener?”
“And I thought you were a lady?” He quipped back lazily, his dark eyes roamed her body freely.
“Well I lied.” Bella snapped and made a move to turn around but the man stepped closer closing the distance between them and traced the outline of her lips with his finger.
“Too bad, that kiss was really special, I’ve never kissed a lady before. Who knew they could be so….passionate.” Bella could tell by the twinkle in his eyes and the wry smile on his lips that he was reliving the moment in the garden. Her face flushed with hot embarrassment as she remembered how easily she had given in to him, how eagerly she had clung to his body. Passionate was putting it kindly; she had behaved completely like a wanton woman. She clung gratefully to her maid persona and pulled it around her like a cloak, shielding her reputation.
“Well I’m not a lady. I’m Bertha, just a maid.”
“You’re very well spoken for a maid.”
“My mistress believed in education no matter their social class.” She replied loftily.
“Your mistress must have believed in maids putting on haughty airs too.” He said with a grin. Bella had a horrible feeling he wasn’t falling for her maid act at all. Normally she would have made short work of him but she was at a loss of how to handle herself in this particular situation with someone like him. He was so far beneath her he wasn’t even worth wasting her breath on, she pulled herself together and decided the best thing to do would be to simply walk away with what remained of her dignity.
Without another word she whipped around and stalked off clutching the basket of fresh eggs Cook had told her to fetch from the chicken coop.
CHAPTER ELEVEN:
Two days later Bella was given a day off and she luxuriated in being able to sleep past seven in the morning. Sleeping in was something she had always taken for granted and it was only now she was realizing how precious it was. With the whole day stretching ahead of her she considered her options and decided what she would love to do would be to go riding, something she missed badly. Feeling apprehensive she went and asked Mrs. Pumps if she could go riding on one of the horses.
“Not the fancy ones.” She added hastily remembering at the last minute she was overstepping her bounds as a maid.
Mrs. Pumps who had a golden heart hidden behind the grimness told her she could go riding as long as the groom agreed.
At the mention of the word groom, Bella’s heart sank, she had spent the last two days since the encounter with Luke trying to forget about him and now she would be forced to speak to him! She almost decided against the ride but looking out at the endless stretches of lush greenery, she couldn’t fight the temptation and went off to the stables determined to be aloof and maintain her dignity.
She saw him before he noticed her; his back was to her and he was shirtless and hard at work, rubbing down one of the horses. Sweat glistened on his back in tantalizing droplets and Bella had an insane urge to lick him. The thought was so shocking she gasped out loud making him aware of her presence. The slow, familiar smile spread across his face and set her heart racing.
“Back for another kiss? I knew you couldn’t stay away for long.” He teased.
She forgot to be aloof and dignified and snapped at him angrily,
“I came here because I need a horse.”
“What do you need a horse for?”
“I want to go riding.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her, his eyes brimming with amusement.
“Since when do maids go riding? Something else your old mistress taught you?”
“If you must know, then yes. We used to go riding quite a lot and I’ve come to enjoy it. Since it’s my day off Mrs. Pumps has given me permission to go riding. So I need a horse.”
Bella had a horrible feeling he didn’t believe her at all and she worried he was going to press her for more details but to her relief he went about the task of saddling up one of the horses.
“Her name is Star and I think she’ll suit you.”
When he was done with one, he placed a saddle on another one.
“I only need one horse.” She said wryly.
“This one is for me.” He replied calmly.
“What do you mean it’s for you? Surely you’re not going riding now too!”
“I am actually, with you.”
“No, absolutely not!” The words came out in a panicked screech; the last thing Bella wanted was to be alone with this man! This man who made her feel unnatural things.
“I may only be a groom but I have manners Bertha, my mother taught me to never let a woman ride alone. So I’m coming with you.”
“Well then I won’t go riding.” She said stubbornly.
Luke shrugged his broad shoulders carelessly,
“Suit yourself, it’s a beautiful day for a ride though.”
The horse meant for her whinnied and tapped a hoof impatiently on the ground. Bella groaned to herself, could she really deny herself the only pleasure to be had after her grueling week because of this…this man?
“You’ll stay far away from me,” she said crossly, “I’m going to pretend you’re not there.”
Luke grinned again and held out a hand to her to help her on the horse. She ignored his invitation and hoisted herself on the saddle with ease. Without waiting for him she nudged the horse along and soon was off. Within moments she heard Luke’s horse running to catch up to her, grinning wickedly she urged the horse into a faster run, silently challenging him. Soon they were racing on the open fields and Bella couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so free and so liberated. The rest of the ride passed without incident and in silence. True to her word Bella pretended Luke wasn’t around and enjoyed herself whole heartedly and Luke surprisingly left her alone.
When they came back to the stable after their ride Bella asked if she could rub down the horse herself. If Luke was surprised by her request he didn’t show it. Bella spent the next hour blissfully engrossed in taking care of the horse speaking to her in soothing tones while Luke went about his regular duties. Once she was done she thanked him.
“If you want I can have the horse ready for you tomorrow morning before you start your day…”
“You would do that?”
“I don’t mind. I’ll have her saddled for you by 5:30AM.”
“Thank you.” Bella said softly.
CHAPTER TWELVE:
The next morning as promised Star was saddled and ready for her, she saw Luke’s horse also saddled and felt an odd thrill at going riding with him again, although she squashed the thrill and sniffed at him in displeasure.
“You’re coming too?”
“Of course.”
She sighed heavily in exasperation and he ignored her completely. They rode silently again that morning, speaking only at the end of their ride when he said he would be waiting for her the next morning.
By the fourth ride they were exchanging some words here and there and having short conversations. By the end of the week Bella found herself avidly looking forward to the one hour she got to spend with Luke riding. Over the next few weeks they talked about almost everything under the sun except their lives. Because she was so wary of being probed about her past she never asked him any questions about his. She discovered he was self-taught and loved books, he was intelligent and had ambitions for a better life than that of a groom. Her respect and admiration for him increased every day. If Bella had stopped to think about her life, she would have been surprised to discover how much she was enjoying it, even the housework she was getting better with!
When her next day off rolled around he was ready for her. Star was saddled as usual but his horse also had a bulging parcel strapped on its back.
“What is that?”
she asked him.
“A surprise. Today I’ll lead the way.”
Curious to know what the surprise was she didn’t argue with him and followed him willingly as he led her across the fields and towards the woods. They trotted carefully through the woods for an hour until they suddenly came upon a clearing with a lake.
Bella clapped her hands with delight as she took in the sparkling blue water.
Luke got down for his horse and unstrapped the parcel.
“I thought we could have a picnic today.” He explained as he lay out a blanket and took out bread, cheese and cold chicken.
Bella was so taken aback by the gesture she didn’t know what to say. Instead she joined him on the blanket. They ate in silence. A comfortable, companionable silence and Bella realized she had never felt so comfortable with someone in her life. Her hair which she had tied in a loose braid had come undone on the ride and it hung in loose waves down her back. She caught Luke watching her and she blushed, she knew instinctively he was going to kiss her and she also knew she wanted it to happen.
When his lips came down on hers it was even better than what she remembered from the night in the garden. As he kissed her he lowered her onto the blanket and lay next to her, his hands roamed her body, his touch burning through the layers of clothing she wore. When he started to undo the lacings on her bodice she sat bolt upright remembering Thomas again.
“I can’t do this.” She said echoing her own words from the night in the garden. “I’m betrothed.” She blurted out the words in a rush, surprising herself.
“Oh?”
Having blurted out a partial truth, Bella knew she had to divulge the full truth to him.
“I’m not a maid Luke.”
She could tell from the expression on his face he had known that all along.
“I came here pretending to be a maid to escape a marriage I don’t want.”
“Why don’t you want it?”
