Then again, I’m sure she is wondering the same thing about me.
Meredith slipped into the chair across from him. He munched on a crumpet, not looking up at her.
“I…I didn’t expect you to have breakfast with me,” she said, her voice soft.
“I am having breakfast in my own drawing room. It is not with you.”
“Oh…” Heath glanced up to see her nibbling on her bottom lip. He could almost hear her self-deprecating thoughts. He ignored the tingle of remorse he felt.
“I appreciate you having me here,” she went on. She reached for her own crumpet, nibbling so softly on the end that he wondered if she was only trying to make her hands busy. She wouldn’t even look up from the table. “I know you have your own reasons but…you are saving me from something I do not wish to be around.”
“What’s that?”
She looked up, eyes filling with surprise. “Pardon?”
Heath leaned back in his chair, finishing off the rest of the crumpet. “What are you running away from? It’s rather odd that you jumped to live in the same manor as a gentleman you hardly know.”
“I thought I knew you. Now I know it do not anymore,” she said softly.
“Oh, are you just realizing that now?”
Her lips tightened. She truly grew into herself. When she was younger, she was all gangly arms and sloppy grins. Filled with energy, she would have taken on the world had she been given the chance.
Now, Heath couldn’t stop his gaze from wandering down to the hint of cleavage peeking over her dress. She didn’t notice, didn’t see how he shifted when she moved and he noticed how the dress clung to her curves. He didn’t think that seeing her fill out this simple dress would make his groin tense so. He made a mental note to have better dresses made for her.
“I understand why you have me here,” she said finally. It seemed she had been searching for her words, while he drank her in. “And I understand that you will be watching me while I am here. But that doesn’t mean I cannot extend my appreciation for taking me out of such a situation. However, I do not intend to tell you anything more.”
“Very well, then.”
Meredith blinked. That was one thing that hadn’t changed about her. She wore every emotion plainly on her face, never holding anything back. Her surprise was palpable and even a little overwhelming. “You will not pry?”
“I do not care to.”
“I thought that was why you came here.”
I do not know why I came here. But he didn’t intend to say those words to her. “You are a guest in my home,” he said by way of explanation.
But that only made her frown. “I did not think you would be so welcoming as a host.”
To that, Heath grunted. “Do not flatter yourself, Meredith. If I do not keep an eye on you, there is no telling what you might attempt to do.”
“I will not try to kill you,” she whispered in horror, her eyes growing wide.
Heath paused and looked at her. For a few moments, he was simply dumbfounded. She looked so utterly serious that…that he couldn’t stop himself from chuckling.
“You cannot be serious,” he said, tilting his head at her.
She shook her head vigorously, leaning up in her chair. Sincerity spread across her face. If she had the strength to, she might have even taken his hand as she said, “Please, do not worry. I do not hate you and I do not think I could even bring myself to do such a thing.”
Heath crossed his arms, regarding her evenly. “Fear not. That is the last thing on my mind.”
She sighed. “Good. I…I do not want to leave yet.”
Meredith’s eyes drifted out the window, her hand raising to the small red gem hanging around her neck. He had noticed it last night when she’d been caught in the hideout, and he was sure the others had noticed it as well. One look at the shining ruby and he could tell that it would feed a small family for a while. He should have taken it when he had the chance.
Why hadn’t he? He was a thief, a man against the law. Taking things from the rich was now as much a part of his life as being a Duke was. Yet, the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind.
The smile that still lingered on his face fell. He quickly downed the rest of his tea, gritting his teeth when it scalded his tongue.
“Change your dress,” he ordered. “It’s unsightly.”
She looked down at herself. Right on time, her cheeks pinkened. “I am a Lady and yet I cannot seem to conduct myself as one.”
On the contrary, Meredith had grown into more of a lady than he’d expected her to. Ever since he was younger, he’d always thought she was too much of a wild spirit to be tethered by the customs of the nobility.
“Then, I suppose it is a good thing that you do not have to while you are here.” He rose. He’d overstayed his time here already. “Stay out of the way, stay quiet, and you and I will have no problems. Step out of line, and you will soon see that I can be far less kind than I am being right now.”
She nodded slowly, swallowing. She said nothing as he turned away, but he could feel her gaze as he left the room. When the door closed behind him, Heath paused for a second. Her words about not killing him whispered through his mind and, without thinking, he laughed under his breath.
That was another thing that had remained the same about her. She seemed to have kept her sense of humor.
Chapter 7
Meredith didn’t let go of the breath she’d been holding until Heath was completely out of the room. With her heavy sigh a weight came off her shoulders that had been growing increasingly worse the longer she sat across from him. It was odd, this feeling. How she instinctively felt comfortable enough to speak to him, something she’d never felt before unless it had been with her father or Jenny. And then that ease would falter in light of his coldness, and those intense eyes that made her want to run from the room.
She looked down at herself. And he was right. She did need to change her dress.
This morning, a maid by the name of Annalise Harding came to take care of her. She had been the one to draw her bath the evening before, but Meredith hadn’t seen much of her face—mostly because she’d been looking away from it. Annalise had been the one to tell her that there were dresses in place for her to wear, even though they were incredibly old-fashioned.
Meredith wondered if she would have to find Annalise again, or take care of changing herself. She’d hardly been able to sit comfortably while Annalise had tried to coax her hair into a decent style, and so the maid had settled on a simple chignon.
Meredith touched the wet part of her dress, nibbling on her barely eaten crumpet. She was hungry, but she couldn’t muster up an appetite when she was sitting before Heath. She could barely muster up the strength to answer him whenever he blatantly showed that he was the same person she’d once known.
I might live to regret this decision. But it is too late to step away from it. And I truly do not want to return home to face those rumors again. I only hope Father is not too worried for me.
She sighed. Now, she felt conflicted.
There came a knock on the door, which had her back straightening. Meredith looked out the window just as the door opened. She could tell, based on what she could see in the side of her vision, that it wasn’t Heath. It was a woman.
“My Lady?” It was Annalise. Meredith didn’t relax. She heard Annalise grow closer and she only tensed even more. “His Grace has told me that you needed me? That there was something wrong with your dress?”
Meredith said nothing for a few moments, grappling with what she could say. Then, she merely nodded and shifted as she pointed to the large wet stain.
“Oh, dear!” Annalise gasped. “That must have hurt. We must see if your skin is burnt underneath.”
“I…think I am fine,” Meredith said under her breath, praying Annalise had heard her. She ignored the slight lingering pain of the burn.
“Heavens, I surely think so.” Annalise grew closer. “But that dress must be c
hanged right away. If you do not, the draft may have you coming down with a cold. Let us return to your bedchamber.”
Annalise reached out to her and Meredith flinched away. Annalise held her hands up before her slowly, giving Meredith a slight, comforting smile. She didn’t come any closer, but hovered by Meredith’s chair as she waited for her to rise.
Meredith, seeing no way out of it, did so after a while. She slipped away from Annalise and was happy the other girl kept the distance between them.
Having learned the route from the drawing room to her bedchamber, Meredith led the way, ever aware of Annalise’s presence behind her. She was tense, unused to having anyone elsefuss over her the way Jenny would. The similarity between the two girls was unnerving, but Annalise seemed a little more motherly, while Jenny had been more like a younger sister.
Annalise remained silent all the way to the bedchamber, much to Meredith’s slight relief and acute unease. She stayed by the door as Meredith went to sit on the bed, and then she crossed over to the wardrobe.
“Would you like a darker color?” she asked Meredith. “Just in case this happens again?”
Meredith didn’t answer. She watched Annalise instead. She had expected to be treated like as if she were odd, a peculiar lady who could not be touched and did not wish to speak. But she didn’t treat her that way. In fact, she was still yammering on about the different colors she thought Meredith would look lovely in.
“Violet!” she said suddenly, emerging with another morning gown that was much like the one Meredith currently wore. Annalise was smiling from ear to ear, the eyes that seemed brown from the distance sparkling with excitement. Dark hair curled around the fringe of her mob cap. “I think this would be perfect.”
Meredith still kept her silence, even though confusion bled throughout her. She couldn’t understand why Annalise was being so excitable. She rose when the other woman approached and noted there were a few lines around her eyes. She appeared to be a tad bit older than Meredith, perhaps in her thirties.
“Ah, yes, this would certainly bring out your eyes. His Grace would love you in this.”
“P-Pardon?” Meredith blurted out without thought.
Annalise looked up, blinking. “I am unsure as to what color His Grace prefers but…”
Meredith’s cheeks grew red. So many words came rushing to her head, but she didn’t know how to say any of it. Annalise’s eyes grew wide with realization and she took a step back.
“Oh, heavens,” she murmured. “I’ve gone and said something wrong, haven’t I? Was it supposed to be a secret? Was I not supposed to say anything?”
“I…I…”
“Oh, dear, please do not tell Francis about what I’ve said. He would have my hide.”
Meredith shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. It hadn’t even occurred to her that the servants would think such a thing. “That is not why I am here,” she said quickly.
“Oh, it isn’t?” Annalise looked as if she had just been struck by lightning. “Oh, goodness, I will be relieved of my duties by the coming morning.”
Meredith watched as she walked away, pacing the room. Her shock overrode her crippling anxiety for a few moments and she couldn’t help but ask, “How long have you been a maid?”
“Only a few months,” she said. “My previous employer fell into debt and had a lot of us sent away. I came here after searching for work for so long and…oh, heavens.”
“It’s all right.”
“Is it?” Hope sprang into Annalise’s eyes. Meredith could hardly believe that she had been a maid before. The maids in Pebblebrook Manor had always conducted themselves in a manner that was befitting their station—mostly staying away unless they were needed.
But Annalise looked distraught and didn’t seem to care that she was acting like this in front of a lady. Perhaps she might have been better when she was before the butler, or the housekeeper, or even the Duke. But Meredith honestly doubted it.
“I am not here to please His Grace,” Meredith told her. “But I do not think you will find yourself in trouble.”
“You are a saint, My Lady.” Annalise’s despair evolved into relief in a matter of seconds. She took Meredith by the hand, not noticing how Meredith cringed, and led her toward the bed. As she continued speaking, she began to undress Meredith. “His Grace has never brought a lady to the manor before. He never has visitors, actually, save for a few odd characters. And so, when we saw you arrive, we thought that you two were courting. We even thought there might be a wedding in the near future.”
This, Meredith was no stranger to gossip. From the moment she saw the maids peeking out at her when she’d arrived, she knew she would be the topic of discussion amongst them for a while. But she didn’t think this would be the result of it.
Annalise went on, her deft fingers easily helping Meredith into the next dress. “Of course, we did wonder why you were so dirty when you first arrived. But that we supposed that something must have happened that we won’t be privy to. As we should not,” she added quickly.
Meredith was still reeling from what she’d heard to even respond.
“You are quite beautiful, My Lady,” Annalise said. “We hoped His Grace would finally be settling down. You two would have beautiful children.”
“We are not courting,” Meredith quickly said, her face growing warm. “I am only here because…of a situation.”
“A situation?” Lifting a brow, curiosity spread throughout Annalise’ eyes. “I will not pry. It is the between you and His Grace.”
Meredith wondered if that was true. The gossip about her was already rampant throughout the manor. Discomfort crawled over her skin and, suddenly, she wished she was alone.
“Am I speaking too much?” Annalise asked suddenly. “Francis warns me about that sometimes. Joan says the same. She’s the head housekeeper, by the by, if you have not met her yet. She always tells me that I am a good maid, but I should keep my tongue, especially if I will be tending to the new lady of the manor.”
“If you do not mind me asking,” Meredith said, unable to keep the question to herself. “How old are you?”
Annalise, however, looked happy to answer. “I am five-and-twenty,” she said. “I look much older than I am, don’t I? I hear that all the time. I suppose it is because I am such an old soul, my body is slowly catching up.”
She laughed at her joke and, for a moment, Meredith relaxed. Perhaps it was because she now knew that they were the same age. Without realizing it, Annalise had brought her toward the door and as they slipped out, she closed it behind her.
“Will you be walking around the gardens, My Lady?” she asked. “It is truly a beautiful sight and I think you would enjoy it. If you require company then I—”
“There’s no need,” Meredith said quickly. Then she winced, wishing she could take back the words.
But Annalise didn’t seem bothered by it. “Very well, then,” she said with a bright smile. “If you require assistance with anything, you need only call and I will rush to your side.”
Meredith nodded. For some reason, she didn’t doubt that for a second. “Thank you,” she said softly before turning away.
She walked a couple steps before she looked over her shoulder, curious to see if Annalise was still standing there. The other woman had already walked off, humming lightly.
Meredith looked in front, not knowing what to do with herself now. Annalise’s presence had been much bolder than it had been last night and now that she was gone, Meredith felt a bit odd.
I should go for a walk to clear my head.
That had always helped her calm down when she was in her home. Whenever her dreams grew too vivid, and had her waking in a cold sweat, wandering around the manor in the dark would bring her back to herself. Whenever memories of the past rose to the surface, things that she could not think of without being brought to tears, she would go for a stroll through the gardens, hoping a brisk wind would refresh her mind.
Mere
dith was feeling far too many things at once to know what might be best for her. So, she continued down the hallway, hoping that she would not happen upon anyone during her walk.
Meredith passed under a large painting of a heavily bearded man. She came to a stop, noticing how familiar the man seemed. He was the late Duke of Castlemore, she realized, Heath’s father. She hadn’t paid much attention to him when she was younger, always eager to see the boy who would come along with him. But she could not forget those small eyes that appeared to be swallowed up by his high cheekbones and his furry beard.
He looked a lot like Heath, she realized with a jolt. She couldn’t place where the similarities lay, but when she looked at the painting, she could only see Heath. Even down to the set of their shoulders. She drifted away from the painting, hoping to see a picture of Heath’s mother.
Captive to the Kiss of a Wicked Duke: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 5
