Why do you not think the betrothal will happen?
Eager for your reply.
Abigail smiled as she reread the letter. She knew that would get her mother’s attention, even if she wasn’t feeling better. But she was also thrilled to see that she was feeling better, and perhaps, would even come for a visit.
“You look happy,” Lord Jeremy said as he came upon her that morning. She jumped and then smiled.
“I am starting to think that you seek me out,” she teased him instinctively, before realizing that she shouldn’t tease the lord of the house. “I mean …”
“I actually was seeking you out,” he said to her. “But what is making you so happy this morning?”
“Oh,” she said, and waved the letter. “I got a letter from my mother, and it’s been quite a while.”
“That is wonderful,” Lord Jeremy said. “Is she well?”
“On the mend,” Abigail said.
“So she will come back to work?” Lord Jeremy asked, and Abigail’s face fell.
“Oh,” she said. “No. She won’t ... ever be herself again.”
“I understand,” Lord Jeremy said. “That must be very difficult for you.”
“It is trying,” Abigail admitted. “But as long as she is happy and able to write back to me, I thank God every day.”
“That does seem reason to celebrate,” Lord Jeremy said. Abigail realized he had said something that should have gotten her attention, and she caught his eye.
“You are seeking me out?” she asked, and he smiled.
“I was,” he said. “I knew this was your half day off, and I came to see if you were going into town.”
“I may,” she replied. “Is there something that you need?”
“The rose garden pleased my mother so much that I wish to pick out a new piece of artwork for her,” Lord Jeremy said. “There is a gallery in town that I would like to go into and see what I can purchase.”
“That sounds like a lovely idea,” Abigail said. “But why do you need me?”
“Well, because you had such a good eye with the flower garden,” he said. “So I thought that you could contribute to my selection.”
Abigail blushed and looked downwards.
“Oh my goodness,” she said. “I couldn’t do that. I am but a simple servant …”
“You may be a servant,” Lord Jeremy said. “But that does not prevent you from having immense talent and choosing a beautiful piece of artwork for my mother. You have an eye for color and detail, and I do not.”
Abigail blushed again, but she knew that she couldn’t refuse. In addition, she didn’t want to refuse. She thought it sounded terribly exciting. However, she tried once more.
“Shouldn’t Lady Rose be going with you?” she asked.
“Lady Rose is not who I asked,” he said, and met her eye. “I asked you.”
“Thank you, my lord,” she said, and dipped down in a little curtsy. “I am flattered.”
“So you’ll come?” he asked.
“We couldn’t be seen together,” she said, and he knew it was true.
“I know,” he answered. “That’s why I will take you there and wait in the carriage.”
Abigail’s eyes almost fell out of her head.
“You want me to enter the gallery alone and pick out something?” she asked. “But …”
“I have already made the appointment,” he said. “You wouldn’t want to disappoint the gallery owner, would you?”
“No,” Abigail said. “Tell me what you are looking for.”
She knew that she couldn’t tell anyone about what she was doing. When the carriage rolled up, she sat on the back of it, and Lord Jeremy got inside. She had traveled this way into town before so it wasn’t suspicious, but she was worried about who would see her when they stopped at the gallery.
To his credit, the gallery owner looked like he was expecting her as she walked inside.
“You are looking for artwork for Lady Charlotte?” he asked when she entered.
“Yes,” Abigail said, overwhelmed by the amount of artwork inside the gallery. She worked on a beautiful estate, but she had never seen such beautiful pieces before.
“What colors does she like?” the gallery owner asked.
“Uh … yellow,” Abigail said. “And natural scenes.”
She had never bought a painting before and almost swooned when the gallery owner mentioned the price. She hadn’t discussed price with Lord Jeremy but the man seemed to know how to bill him. After half an hour, Abigail nervously chose a painting. The gallery owner promised to wrap it up and send it over, and she got back onto the carriage.
Lord Jeremy had been patiently waiting the whole time and stuck his head out when she sat down.
“Did you choose one?” he asked with a grin, excited about their secret mission.
“Yes,” she said, keeping her voice low so it didn’t look like they were talking. “Did you want to go inside and see it?”
“No,” he said with a shrug. “I trust you.”
Abigail wished that he wouldn’t trust her so much because she was concerned she had chosen completely the wrong thing. But he seemed content with whatever it was that she had done and directed the carriage driver to head home.
“I’ve arranged for you to have a second half day off this afternoon,” he called to her as the carriage rolled along.
“What?” Abigail reacted in surprise “Why? I’ve just had my half day off.”
“No,” he said. “You were running an errand for me. That is not relaxing.”
“It was quite exhilarating,” she said. “And I thank you for the experience.”
“Well then,” he said with a grin. “Assume it’s a thank you for doing me such a service. Did you want to stay here in the village or …”
“Oh no,” she said. “I have never had a half day in the afternoon so I should like to take advantage of the afternoon sun in the gardens, and perhaps answer my mother’s letter.”
“That sounds very relaxing,” he said, and they stayed quiet until they returned to the estate. When they were both standing beside the carriage, he picked up the conversation as if they had never stopped.
“Did you tell your mother of your triumphs here?” he asked.
“Oh no,” Abigail said. “It wasn’t really anything, just picking the flowers.”
“Well, I haven’t seen my mother happy in quite a while,” Jeremy said. “Not like that. Not since my father died.”
“That is flattering, thank you,” Abigail said and then met his eyes, taking a risk as she spoke. “Did you … discuss anything with her about Lady Rose?”
“Not yet,” he said. “I was hoping that the right time would present itself.”
“I’m sure it will,” Abigail said and then curtsied to him. “Thank you for the wonderful morning.”
“Of course,” Lord Jeremy said and tipped his hat to her. He turned and went into the estate, and Abigail was about to go into the back quarters of the house. She heard an odd bird squeak and looked up, curious as to what it was.
What she saw, however, was not a bird. What she saw was Lady Charlotte leaning out the window of her chambers, watching her walk.
Abigail paled as she felt disapproval radiating from the top of the house. She didn’t know how long Lady Charlotte had been standing there but she had a feeling she had seen her talk to Lord Jeremy. Abigail knew that if she had, she would hear about it soon enough.
She scurried around the house and up the back stairway, eager to be out of view of the lady of the house.
However, she wasn’t even halfway up the stairs when Mrs. Perry came rushing down to her.
“Abigail, there you are,” she said. “Lady Charlotte has been demanding your presence all morning.”
Abigail knew better than to protest that it was her half day off, just as she knew better than to say that Lord Jeremy had said she could have another half day off. Instead, she just nodded and picked up her skirts, heading
to her mistress’ rooms.
When she found Lady Charlotte, she could see right away that she wasn’t happy. Lady Charlotte held up a skirt that she had worn just the other day and pointed to a large rip in it.
“Abigail,” she said. “How dare you not tell me?”
“I ... I didn’t know, mistress,” Abigail said, confused. “When I put that skirt into the wardrobe, there was no rip in it.”
Lady Charlotte practically turned the same shade of red as the skirt.
“Are you calling me a liar, girl?” she asked.
“No!” Abigail said right away. “No, I am sorry, mistress.”
Lady Charlotte looked her up and down and then shook her head.
“If your mother was here, this would have never happened,” she said. “But then, perhaps I should blame your mother for raising such a terrible daughter. How could she raise someone so unskilled?”
Abigail blushed angrily at that.
“She did not make any mistakes in her parenting,” she said, and Lady Charlotte looked like she wanted to hit her.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Did I just hear you say that something I said was wrong?”
“No, mistress,” Abigail said, even though she wanted to run out of the room.
“You are banished to the kitchens for the next week,” Lady Charlotte said. Abigail’s lip trembled. “And if I so much as here you speak to anyone other than your colleagues, I will finish you.”
Abigail knew for certain that she had seen her talk to Lord Jeremy. She wanted to defend herself and tell Lady Charlotte that they had been running an errand for her benefit. However, she knew that anything she said to her mistress would fall on deaf ears at this point.
“Yes, mistress,” she said, keeping her head hung low.
“Don’t you dare disobey me,” Charlotte said to her, as if Abigail hadn’t just agreed to everything she said. “Because if you do, I will send you away, and you will never work again.”
“I won’t disobey you,” Abigail promised and slunk away.
She was terrified but she hadn’t done anything wrong as far as she was concerned. Lord Jeremy had asked her to help and she had done it, the same as if Lady Charlotte herself had asked. She couldn’t tell Lady Charlotte about that, though, or Lord Jeremy would get angry.
She also couldn’t tell Lady Charlotte how she was starting to feel for Lord Jeremy. He made her feel like she was on his level, a person rather than a servant. And he spoke to her as if she understood things in his world. She felt a shiver go down her spine every time he spoke, which was something she had never experienced before.
“What is the matter?” Mrs. Perry asked, once she got back down to the servants’ quarters.
“Nothing,” Abigail said, but she wiped tears away from her eyes. Mrs. Perry put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her aside.
“Tell me,” Mrs. Perry said, and she tried to smile.
“It’s fine,” Abigail said. “Really, I had a lovely morning.”
“With Lord Jeremy,” Mrs. Perry said, and Abigail couldn’t help but explain the entire situation. Once the entire situation was explained, Mrs. Perry nodded.
“I see,” she said. “Did you consider that this wasn’t a good idea?”
“No,” she answered. “I didn’t do anything improper.”
“It wasn’t that you did anything improper,” she said. “It’s the way Lord Jeremy has been looking at you, and the way he has been talking to you.”
“I don’t understand,” Abigail said, even though she understood exactly what Mrs. Perry meant. “I have behaved properly.”
“Well, don’t do it again,” Mrs. Perry said and went back into the kitchen.
Abigail was about to say something when she heard Lord Jeremy behind her.
Given the fact that she had just been scolded and yelled at, Abigail should have recoiled and told him to leave her alone. But instead, she couldn’t resist the smile that he brought to her face.
“Hello,” she said to him. “How are you?”
“What are you doing?” he asked, confused. “Aren’t you supposed to have a half day off now?”
“Oh,” Abigail shook her head. “It’s no trouble.”
“I saw my mother call you upstairs,” he said. “I was worried, because you looked so upset when you came out.”
“Y-you saw that?” she asked, her lip trembling.
“Yes,” he replied. “Is everything all right?”
“Is that why you came to find me?” she asked, and he smiled. She nearly swooned at how dazzling his smile was. She knew that she should have no reaction at all, and she should be looking at her feet, but she couldn’t help it.
“Sure,” he replied. “I suppose I could tell you I was looking for biscuits, but that simply would not be true.”
“She was just ... a bit upset that she didn’t know where I was.” Abigail felt like she was in a web of lies, but she couldn’t stop now. Keeping the family happy, while acting on her natural instincts, was more difficult than her actual job.
“Don’t worry about my mother,” he said, and she felt of wave of protection from his gaze. She felt like he was telling the truth and no matter what, she would be all right, in that moment. However, the second Lord Jeremy stepped away, she had a feeling she would be a target in the eyes of Lady Charlotte again.
“I won’t,” she promised, because she felt like that was the only way to end the conversation.
“Good,” he said, looking her right in the eye. “Come see me if you have any trouble whatsoever.”
“I will,” she said, and he vanished. She was glad that no one saw them together, but she was sad that he was gone.
***
Abigail realized as the days went by that all she did was wait for the next moment where Lord Jeremy sought her out again. And he did do it, frequently, but it wasn’t frequent enough for her. She kept putting herself in positions where she would run into him and then pretended to be delighted when she found him. If she couldn’t be with her mother, and she couldn’t be a princess, Abigail thought this was the next best thing.
The only negative thought she had was when she saw Lord Jeremy with Lady Rose. He still hadn’t worked up the courage to talk to his mother, and so he continued on with his wedding plans. She told herself that what bothered her was seeing him so unhappy, but she wondered briefly if it was something more.
Would she prefer to see him happy with someone else? Perhaps with her?
She knew that was a forbidden thought. But she couldn’t help but think it in the dark of night, when no one could tell her what to do or where to go.
Chapter 5
“Did you hear the rumors?” Mrs. Perry whispered to Abigail one morning. “Did you hear what Lady Charlotte is raging about?”
“What?” Abigail said, looking confused. She had just gotten up and was pouring herself a cup of tea. “What are you talking about?”
“She is saying that there are jewels missing,” Mrs. Perry said. “Jewels and diamonds.”
“What?” Abigail answered. “How?”
“Someone stole them from her rooms, supposedly,” Mrs. Perry said. “And she is tearing the house apart for them.”
“Oh my,” Abigail said. “Is she sure that someone took them? Maybe she just misplaced them?”
“Abigail,” Mrs. Perry said, and gave her a look. “Don’t you suggest such a thing.”
“I’m sorry,” Abigail said, flushing bright red. “It’s just Lady Charlotte is known for misplacing things, and I just assumed that she would be …”
“She’s on a rampage,” Mrs. Perry said. “Don’t say a word.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Abigail said, and tried to put it out of her mind. All the staff in the house had worked together for a very long time, and she didn’t think that anyone would take the jewels. If anything, she was positive that Lady Charlotte had simply misplaced them and would find them soon enough. As she aged, the lady of the house was starting to lose her memory, and
Abigail had helped her find many misplaced things on other occasions.
It was around lunchtime when the commotion really started up. They were supposed to be serving lunch to Lady Charlotte and Lord Jeremy. Instead, all the servants were called into the dining room.
Abigail thought it was a mistake when she was asked to go. After all, she wasn’t dressed to serve, and she still had soot on her face from relighting a fire that had gone out. She took a minute to look in the mirror and tried to scrub it away, before finding herself the last to enter the dining room.
“Abigail,” Lady Charlotte said. “Kind of you to join us.”
“I apologize,” Abigail said, keeping her head down. She was intensely curious about what this was about. Had the jewel thief been caught? Was Lady Charlotte going to demand a confession?
Abigail was not fearful because she had nothing to hide. She was innocent, and as mean as Lady Charlotte could be, there was no reason to accuse her of anything.
The highlight of the surprise meeting was that Lord Jeremy was there. He caught her eye, even though he shouldn’t, and the two exchanged a brief smile before Lady Charlotte started to walk up and down the line.
“My jewels,” she said. “My family jewels have been stolen. They were given to me by my parents on my wedding day, and they have remained safe in this house for many years. Safe, that is, until one of you decided to put your grubby little hands on them. I won’t stand for this. I won’t stand for thievery or lying. So I’m giving you a chance to confess now. If you do, you’ll be put on suspension, but you will not be dismissed. Come forward now or be dismissed when the jewels are found. And believe me, the jewels will be found.”
No one stepped forward, and everyone’s head remained bowed. Lady Charlotte sniffed and held her nose in the air.
“Right then,” she said. “Jeremy?”
The Earl and The Chambermaid Page 3
