The Lady's Maid

by Dilly Court

Kate was smiling but Josie sensed an underlying seriousness in her words and an inescapable truth. She turned her head away. ‘I am not that cruel, Kate. And we are not likely to meet again, so your holy man is safe from my evil clutches.’

  ‘It was just a pity that you chose to overturn the trap outside the vicarage. Now if you’d been really clever, you would have had the accident in the grounds of Copperstone Castle. We could have spent a week in Mr Challenor’s magnificent home.’

  ‘That would have been my idea of heaven.’ Josie wrapped her mantle a little more tightly about her as a spiteful wind brought showers of dead leaves down around them and ominous clouds rolled across the sky.

  It was late afternoon by the time they reached the home farm. Sam was crossing the farmyard, heading towards the milking parlour, but he stopped and his face split in a grin of delight when he saw them. He helped Kate down to the ground, hugging her and planting a smacking kiss on her cheek. ‘Well I’m blowed. This is a turn-up for the books. We wasn’t expecting you until next week at the earliest. Welcome home, Kate.’ He lifted her small case from beneath the seat. ‘I’m glad to see you’re fully recovered, Miss Josie.’

  Josie eyed him warily. She felt the air charged about them as though a thunderstorm were about to break. His words were bland enough but there was a fire in his eyes that sent her pulses racing. She curved her lips in what she hoped was a casual smile. ‘I’ve brought Kate home to you, safe and sound. Although I hear you blamed me entirely for the accident.’ Try as she might to remain aloof, she could not resist goading him. She had always enjoyed provoking Sam until his eyes flashed with anger. She would keep on and on until he forgot his subservient position and fought with her on equal terms.

  Sam’s smile was replaced by a frown. ‘You could both have been killed.’

  ‘And you would have been proved right,’ Josie shot back at him. ‘That would have made you very happy, wouldn’t it?’

  ‘You’ve no idea of the fuss and bother you caused, have you?’

  ‘I’ll thank you to remember your place, Sam Loveday.’

  Kate threw up her hands. ‘Stop it, the pair of you. We’re home now, and that’s all that matters. I must find Pa and make my peace with him. Where is he, Sam?’

  His expression softened. ‘I think you’ll find he’s visiting the Grange, Kate. But I’m not in his confidence, so I can’t say for certain.’

  ‘You mean he’s calling on Miss Stamp?’

  Josie seized the horse whip and flicked it at Sam. ‘Hold your tongue, you stupid fellow. If you don’t know for sure, then keep silent. Farmer Coggins could have gone to see the squire.’

  Sam reached out and snatched it from her. ‘Don’t never do that again, Josie Damerell, or I’ll forget that you’re supposed to be a lady and put you over my knee.’

  ‘Touch me and I’ll show you what a good whipping feels like, you country bumpkin.’

  Kate moved between them, grabbing Sam by the hand. ‘You’re acting like a pair of spoilt children.’

  His angry expression melted into a smile. ‘Don’t take no notice of me, Kate. Go indoors out of the cold.’

  ‘I will, but only if you promise to stop fighting with Josie and see her safely home.’

  ‘Don’t be silly,’ Josie said, slithering across the seat to take the reins. ‘I can drive myself. Let Loveday get back to his cows.’

  ‘No, I won’t hear of it.’ Kate stood her ground. ‘I want to be certain that you’ve arrived home in one piece, and he doesn’t mind a bit, do you, Sam?’

  He pushed his cap to the back of his head. ‘But the milking, Kate. It has to be done.’

  ‘And I’ll be glad to get back to work. I’ve missed my dear old cows, and I expect they’ve missed me too.’ She gave him a gentle shove towards the chaise. ‘Go on, Sam. I’ll be fine, really I will.’

  Reluctantly, Josie moved over and allowed him to take the reins. Her heart was pounding inside her breast and her pulses raced. She stifled the urge to claw her fingers and attack Sam like a tigress, if only to feel his strong arms holding her to him so that their bodies fused into one. She struggled to push such dark thoughts from her mind as Sam urged Button from a steady trot to a canter. ‘Steady, Sam. Thoroughbreds only need the lightest hand on the reins.’

  He shot her a sideways glance. ‘Are you talking about yourself or the horse, Josie?’

  Responding to the mischievous gleam in his eyes, she moved a little closer. ‘You are an impertinent rogue, and you forget your place.’

  ‘I’m very well aware of my lowly position, but I recall a time when we played together as equals.’

  ‘That was long ago.’ She reached up and touched the blue jay’s feather stuck in his hatband. ‘Do you remember when we found the poor dead bird?’

  ‘And you cried as though your heart would break.’

  ‘I did not.’

  ‘You did too.’

  ‘We buried it by the lake, all but one feather; I gave it to you as a token of our everlasting friendship.’

  ‘And I’ve worn it ever since. It will go to the grave with me.’

  She laid her head on his shoulder. ‘Do you remember how we used to climb the great oaks in the park, daring each other to reach the highest branch?’

  ‘I do, for I always won.’

  A gurgle of laughter escaped from her lips. ‘Kate always said you were half monkey.’

  ‘I might have been half monkey but you were no mermaid. I remember pulling you from the lake, very nearly drowned and wearing nothing but a cotton shift.’

  ‘I was ten years old and you’d dared me to swim the length of the lake in the dark.’ She shivered as she remembered the cold water closing over her head and the finger-like fronds of the pond weed clutching at her bare legs. ‘We were just children then.’

  ‘Aye, I know. Now we’re grown up and you’re the fine lady and I’m the farm labourer. I do know my place, Josie, but I sometimes wonder if you know yours.’

  She glanced up at his strong profile and the determined set of his jaw. Sam was right, of course, they were no longer carefree children, and he was her social inferior, but something remained of their old unquestioning devotion to each other, even though it had recently undergone a subtle change. She had seen the way he looked at her when she and her friends had joined in the dancing at the harvest supper. She had pretended to ignore him, for he was just a clumsy yokel, especially when compared to the elegant Harry Challenor, but she had been only too aware of Sam’s strong physique and handsome, suntanned face. Her society friends were pale and insignificant in comparison. She felt his muscles tauten as she huddled closer to him, and she was even more conscious of the strange stirring inside her that had nothing to do with courtly love or genteel flirtation. She had been kissed by ardent young gentlemen who had somehow managed to extricate her from the clutches of her chaperones, but their embraces had been exciting only in the fact that they were illicit. Her heart had never been touched by any man, not even Harry Challenor. It was slightly alarming, but being this close to Sam she found herself longing to feel his mouth on hers and to taste his lips. She nestled closer. ‘I’m sorry, Sam. I didn’t mean all those things I said before.’

  He laid his work-roughened hand over hers as it rested on his sleeve. ‘I know, maidy. You and I are one and the same. It were always so.’

  They continued on in silence until they reached the avenue of trees leading up to the manor house. It was almost dark now and the windows were illuminated by the soft glow of candlelight. Above their heads, the naked branches of the copper beech trees were interlaced and Sam drew the horse to a halt in their shadow. Josie held her breath; she knew what was going to happen even before he took her in his arms. Closing her eyes she inhaled the intoxicating male scent of him as she clasped her hands behind his head, drawing him closer until their lips were almost touching. His kiss was everything that she had imagined it might be and more. It was tender and yet savage in its intensity, sending fireworks exploding
in her breast and eliciting her passionate response. She ran her fingers through his thick dark hair, parting her lips and tasting the sweetness of his tongue as it explored her mouth. She nipped his top lip with her teeth and he cupped her breasts with his hands, causing her nipples to form hard peaks of desire. She moved beneath him, pressing her body against his, half fainting with the need for him to take her here, in the open air like the beasts of the field, but he drew away from her suddenly, leaving her shivering with frustration. ‘How dare you,’ she hissed, but it was disappointment rather than outrage that fuelled her anger. She should never have allowed this to happen, and her cheeks burned with shame.

  He said nothing. Taking the reins, he urged the horse into movement. He did not look at her and she slapped at him with the flat of her hands. ‘You are an uncouth brute, Loveday. You shan’t take liberties with me and then just drive on as if nothing has happened.’

  He turned his head to meet her furious look, but his eyes were in shadow. ‘I am everything you say I am, and it won’t happen again.’

  ‘Set me down now. I won’t travel another inch with you.’

  ‘I’ll take you to the door and see you safe inside.’

  ‘You’ve insulted me. I could have you horsewhipped for that.’

  ‘It weren’t no insult, and you know it. You kissed me back, Josie, and you can’t deny it. You wanted me as much as I wanted you.’

  ‘If you don’t stop, I shall jump out.’

  ‘And break your neck in the process. We’re nearly there, so sit tight.’

  Her heart was hammering so hard against her ribs that she was sure he must be able to hear it. The blood was pounding in her ears and she could still feel the heat of his mouth on hers; the taste of him and the scent of him filled her senses until she felt her head would explode. She moved as far away from him as she could without falling off the seat and clenched her hands in her lap, staring straight ahead until he drew the horse to a halt. Before she had a chance to alight, Sam had leapt from the seat and he was at her side holding up his arms. She would have refused his help but for her sprained ankle, which still ached miserably, and reluctantly she allowed him to lift her down from the chaise. The clouds had parted and a shaft of moonlight turned the gravel carriage sweep from grey to silver. Sam held her for a long moment, looking deeply into her eyes with an unfathomable gaze that sent a frisson of excitement travelling down her spine. For a moment she thought he was going to kiss her again, and worse still, she wanted his embrace with a ferocity that both thrilled and frightened her. But at that moment, the doors were flung open and a footman hurried down the stone steps towards them. In the gold spillage of light from the entrance hall, she saw the silhouette of her mother standing in the doorway.

  ‘Josie, my darling.’ Lady Damerell opened her arms. ‘My dear girl, you’re home. Your father and I have been out of our minds with worry about you. Mason, you may carry Miss Josie into the house.’

  Josie could walk very well by now, but she allowed the footman to pick her up as it was easier than arguing. Even so she could not resist the temptation to take a last look at Sam. He was standing by the trap staring after her and their eyes met and locked in a fierce tussle of wills. It must stop here, she thought, choking back tears. We must pretend that none of it has happened. But it had, and she knew her feelings for Sam Loveday had undergone a sea change. He had awakened passions and emotions that she had not known she possessed, and he was right, they were two sides of the same coin. She knew she must fight this terrible obsession that had the power to destroy them both.

  ‘Hurry up, Mason,’ Lady Damerell cried, fluttering about them like a white moth in her long floating dinner gown. ‘Take Miss Josie to the drawing room.’

  ‘Yes, my lady.’

  Mason bounded up the steps two at a time, even though Josie knew she was no lightweight. He carried her to the drawing room where they found Sir Hector seated by a roaring log fire with a blanket wrapped around his knees. He looked up and his face crumpled, halfway between tears and laughter. ‘Josie, my dear girl.’ He held out his arms.

  ‘Set me down,’ Josie commanded. ‘You may leave us, Mason.’

  He bowed and left the room.

  She limped to her father’s side, taking off her bonnet and tossing it onto one of the brocade sofas. She threw herself down on her knees beside him. ‘Papa, I’m so sorry I caused you so much distress.’

  He dropped a kiss on top of her dark head. ‘You’re home now and that’s all that matters, my dear.’

  She took his hand and raised it to her cheek. She was shocked to see how pale and drawn he looked. It might only be a week since she had seen him but his physical condition seemed to have deteriorated enormously in that short space of time. ‘How are you, Papa? Are you in pain?’

  He squeezed her fingers. ‘The gunshot wounds are healing, I believe, but I cannot feel anything below the waist. I suppose I should be thankful for small mercies.’

  ‘Oh, Papa, it is so unfair. And I caused you so much worry, too. I am a bad daughter.’

  ‘You are my little Josephine, and you are the best daughter a man could have. Now, don’t look so tragic. I want to hear about your stay in Puddlecombe with the Reverend John Hardy. I knew his father well. Sir Esmond was a fine man, and it was a tragedy that he lost his only daughter to consumption. But how did you find his son? I haven’t seen him for years.’

  Lady Damerell swept into the room. ‘You mustn’t tire yourself, Hector. And there will be plenty of time for questions later, when Josie has had time to settle in.’ She glanced at her daughter’s travel-stained clothes with a pained expression on her face. ‘You’d better go and change for dinner, Josie. I’ll ring for Hickson to help you dress.’

  Chapter Ten

  THE NEXT FEW weeks were difficult for Josie. She had been shocked to see the deterioration in her father’s condition, and, despite his brave words, his health did not seem to be improving. Dr Smith was noncommittal, insisting that it would take time for Sir Hector to adjust to his disability. Some of the wounds had become infected, but that was only to be expected, and they would eventually heal. Lady Damerell hovered in between states of wild optimism and deep depression, during which Josie was unable to comfort her. She missed Kate, and her time at the vicarage seemed almost like a holiday compared to the dullness of the daily routine at home. She tried to spend as much time as she could with her father, reading to him, or playing chess or backgammon, but he tired easily, and in spite of her eagerness to please him, Josie found herself growing more and more restive.

  She went out riding every day, but she avoided the home farm. She longed to see Kate, but she did not feel equal to facing Sam. Her feelings and emotions were in total turmoil whenever his darkly handsome face trespassed on her thoughts, which was almost every waking moment. He invaded her dreams, causing her to awaken in the early hours of the morning, sick with longing for an impossible love that rendered going back to sleep impossible. She would get up then and pace her room, coming to a halt at the window and staring at the sweep of lawn that led down to the lake.

  In her mind’s eye she could see them as children, chasing each other, laughing and rolling down the grassy slope to the water’s edge. They had been a happy trio, during those long hot summers spent in the country, but inevitably it had come to an end after the incident in the lake. Sam had carried her back to the house and been caught by Hickson as he tried to get her back to her room unnoticed. He had been banned from the house and beaten soundly. In the ensuing years she had tried to ignore her deepening feelings for Sam, concentrating on her ambition to marry money, but when he kissed her she had known that her life would never be the same again. She struggled daily with her desire to see him just once more; to feel his arms around her and his lips caressing hers. She knew it was never to be, but that did not take away the longing or her desperate need for her wild boy.

  After being kept indoors by the November rain and gales, she could stand it no longer and on
e morning she donned her riding habit and boots, having sent to the stables to have her horse saddled. She had volunteered to go into Dorchester to collect her father’s medicine from the chemist’s shop, despite her mother’s protests that a servant ought to go in her stead. It was market day, and Josie knew that she ran the risk of bumping into Sam, but she was past caring. In fact she was desperate to see him, if only to prove to herself that she was strong enough to resist temptation. Prompted by her mother she had written to Harry, explaining that her father would enjoy a visit from him and inviting him to call when he was next in the vicinity. She kept telling herself that Sam was attractive simply because he was forbidden fruit. Nothing could ever come of what was a purely physical attraction.

  With a list of small items that her mother required from town, Josie was about to leave the house when Hickson came hurrying towards her.

  ‘You should not go alone into town, Miss Josie. It isn’t proper. If you’ll wait until I get my cloak and bonnet, I’ll come with you.’

  ‘Thank you, Hickson, but there’s no need. I am perfectly capable of performing a few errands on my own.’

  ‘Young ladies should not go out unaccompanied, Miss Josie. You know that.’

  ‘Come now, Hickson. What could possibly befall me on the road to Dorchester, or in the town itself where everybody knows me?’

  ‘That’s just it, they all know you, and they expect Miss Damerell of Damerell Manor to be more circumspect in her behaviour.’

  ‘My behaviour is my business, Hickson.’

  ‘I saw you,’ Hickson said in a low voice. ‘I saw you and him on the evening when you arrived home from Puddlecombe. It won’t do, it just won’t do, and you know it.’

  Josie tossed her head. ‘I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  ‘Don’t act the innocent with me. I’ve known you all your life and you can’t fool me with your innocent face.’

  ‘You’re talking in riddles, Hickson. I’m going into town.’

  ‘Bad blood will out,’ Hickson muttered.