“Because everyone else knows us well, and they know that it could never be true.”
“Is that what you think?”
“Of course.”
“Well, Lord William has known us our entire lives, and he thought that there was a chance that you and I might be together.”
“He what?”
Charlotte was incredulous. By this revelation, as well as the plan itself.
“I just…” She took a breath. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”
His smile faltered. “Why not?”
The truth was, she couldn’t pinpoint exactly why she thought so. It just didn’t sit well with her. She thought of her friends, of the other servants, of the Devon family. How could she and Philip deceive them all so?
“It’s just not right,” she said, her words failing to correctly explain her opinion but, nevertheless, having to be enough.
“Charlotte,” he said, stepping toward her, and she began shaking her head, refusing to allow him to talk her into something she didn’t want to do. “Has there ever been something you have wanted more than anything else? That you know is within your grasp if you just work hard enough for it? Like a new position. You would have done anything for it, wouldn’t you?”
“Not anything,” she capitulated, but he persisted.
“I saw the look on your face during Abigail’s wedding. You want that same love. I know you do.”
She eyed him warily. “So…”
“So this is your chance. Our chance. I also noticed how you looked at Wright, the new footman.”
“I didn’t realize you saw anything but the woman beside you,” she said, an uneasy feeling filling her stomach at the memory.
“Of course I did,” he said, seemingly indignant, but Charlotte didn’t overly care.
“Sure, I thought him attractive,” she said with a slight shrug, “but I do not believe he thinks anything of me.”
“Oh, come now, Charlotte, you’re quite pretty,” he said, which should be a compliment, but judging by the way he had gazed upon Lily Draper, Charlotte felt quite drab in comparison.
“Not pretty enough,” she murmured, and he tilted her head.
“What’s that?”
“Nothing,” she said.
Just then footsteps at the door drew their attention, and a figure stopped in the doorway.
“Hello, there.” Stuart Wright.
“Hello,” Charlotte and Philip said in unison before the new footman continued on.
Philip looked at her pointedly. “A good-looking chap, no?”
Charlotte didn’t know what changed at those words. Perhaps it was the fact that this Lily Draper seemed to have bested her in every aspect – her job, her looks, and attention from her best friend. Or perhaps it was the fact that Philip was encouraging her to go after another. Or, it could be simply the knowledge that he would never give up until he got what he wanted. Which, in this case, was her help in securing Lily Draper for himself.
“Fine,” she said, turning around, not able to look at him as she gave in. “I’ll help you.”
“You will?” His voice filled with joy. “Jolly good, Charlotte, thank you very much. I promise I will make it up to you.”
She nodded, her throat suddenly tight, though why, she had no idea.
“We’ll make our courtship known tonight.”
“Tonight?” she squeaked, turning to look at him, and he nodded.
“No time like this moment, is there?” he asked cheekily before walking over to her. “You’re the best, Lottie.”
And with that, he kissed her on the top of the head as though she was a little child before striding jauntily out the door, whistling as he went.
All Charlotte could do was grit her teeth and hope that she hadn’t just made one of the biggest mistakes of her life.
Chapter 4
Charlotte approached the dining table in the ground floor banqueting room with great trepidation. The room was actually quite pleasant. The walls and furniture were cast-offs from the family’s quarters, but the wall hangings were primarily landscapes of the area and the dining table and chairs solid mahogany.
Philip winked at her as she entered before pulling out a chair next to him. No one seemed to notice, until they sat down and he casually slung his arm over the back of her chair. Charlotte’s face burned with embarrassment. It was not a proper gesture for a couple amongst other company, let alone between two unattached people.
Adrian noticed first. One of the footmen, he was a bit broody for Charlotte’s liking, but she got on with him fine, as she did all of the other servants. He could be a bit of a flirt, but he had never been overly attentive to any one maid in particular.
He looked from Charlotte to Philip, then back to Charlotte with so much confusion that Charlotte nearly began to laugh. Nearly. Perhaps she would have if her stomach wasn’t rolling with far too much uncertainty.
She saw him elbow John who was sitting next to him, and the coachman looked up with bemusement. Adrian nodded across the table, and John followed his gaze, stopping his fork on its way to his mouth.
This was a stupid idea. Why had she ever agreed to this? She began to shrug Philip’s arm off of the back of her chair, just as Stuart sat down on the other side of her.
“Hello,” he said with a smile, and she nodded back at him.
“Hello.”
“I apologize for not stopping to converse with you – and with Philip – earlier today,” he said. “I was on a bit of a self-tour, and I didn’t know if I was interrupting anything.”
“Oh no,” she said, shaking her head. “Nothing at all.”
“Tell me, Charlotte,” he said, his voice smooth and silky, sending flutters through her, “How long have you been with this household?”
“Nearly all my life,” she said. “My parents worked here, so I grew up here.”
“Did you?” he said, his eyebrows raising over his brilliant green eyes. “Have you traveled much before?”
She shook her head. “I hope to someday travel with the family, if I ever receive a position that allows me to do so.”
It was one of the longings of her heart. She hadn’t shared with anyone that one of the reasons she so greatly wished to become a lady’s maid was so that she would have the opportunity to travel with them to London. She loved this little corner of the world here in Yorkshire, but how she wished to see more of the country, even just for a short time.
“You would like to become a lady’s maid, then,” he said knowingly, his eyes assessing her, and she nodded shyly.
“I hope to, yes.”
“It is too bad that Lily took that position, then, isn’t it? You must hold some ill will.”
Charlotte shook her head hurriedly, somewhat shocked at his forthright question and worried that he would think so poorly of her.
“Of course not,” she exclaimed. “It is not Lily’s fault at all.”
“Yes, but—”
“She answered your question, Wright.” Philip’s voice suddenly cut into their conversation, and Charlotte hadn’t even realized how tightly she’d been holding up her shoulders until they relaxed down in some gratefulness that she no longer needed to answer Stuart’s questions. He was handsome and seemed charming, but she had no idea why he was so persistent about her feelings regarding Lily and the position of lady’s maid.
“Leave it,” Philip warned.
Stuart lifted his hands in front of him in supplication. “I meant nothing by it,” he said. “My apologies.”
“It’s fine,” Charlotte said, not wanting to cause any trouble, and she sent Philip a look to let it go.
“Good evening.” Lily Draper entered the room, her lateness and arrival seemingly as contrived as a lady of society being the last to enter a ballroom. “I apologize. I became turned around.”
Likely story, thought Charlotte, though she said nothing aloud, now, more than ever after Stuart’s comments, not wanting to seem affected.
“Not a problem,” Philip said, his attention turning to the new maid once more. “Allow me.” He pulled out her chair and when he resumed his seat, Charlotte poked him. He wasn’t exactly doing the best job playing the part of devoted admirer.
“Ah, Lily, have you had the opportunity to meet Charlotte?”
Lily lifted her head to regard Charlotte as though she had never seen her before.
“No, I don’t believe so,” she murmured.
“Charlotte, Lily. Lily, Charlotte,” Philip said, though his expression had turned somewhat uncomfortable. “Charlotte is my…”
Now he had the full attention of all at the table. Charlotte wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole.
“My betrothed.”
His what? They had certainly never agreed to that. It took everything within Charlotte to keep her mouth closed and not show just how shocked she was by his revelation. Not that she needed to – for everyone else seemed to be so surprised that they wouldn’t even notice her own reaction.
“Oh, my heavens!”
Charlotte winced. Mrs. Webster. She looked over at Philip, who seemed equally pained. They hadn’t even thought about his mother and what this little charade would do to her.
She bustled into the room, coming behind Philip and Charlotte and smacking a kiss on the cheek of each of them. “How… extraordinarily delightful,” she said, “and surprising.” She looked from one of them to the other, and her gaze was not what Charlotte was expecting. Instead of the expression of a thrilled mother, it was one of… admonishment. As though she knew what the two of them were up to.
But Charlotte forgot that for a moment as suddenly the entire table was abuzz.
“How lovely!” Raine said softly from beside Charlotte before the rest of them began to question them.
“When did this happen?” Ellen asked just as Delilah wondered when the wedding was to take place and why they had been so surreptitious regarding their courtship.
That was one way to put it.
The men around the table looked equal parts shocked and confused, though Adrian finally leaned over and shook Philip’s hand enthusiastically.
Charlotte was so overwhelmed that it took a long moment before another figure caught her attention. Beyond Philip, who had now become caught up in the gaiety of it all, the woman sat with a smirk on her face as she gazed up at Philip. Her expression was… interested. And calculating. She must have sensed Charlotte’s stare, for she looked down from Philip and boldly met Charlotte’s eyes.
And then her lips curled in a knowing, challenging smile, and a chill raced down Charlotte’s spine. Most would likely say that she was being petty – jealous even. But it was more than that. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was something decidedly wrong about this woman. Something very wrong indeed.
* * *
Philip was quite pleased with himself following the revelation of his engagement to Charlotte. He knew he likely should have consulted with her first, but it had just slipped off his tongue. What bothered him slightly was just how right it had seemed, even though it was Charlotte, his best friend.
Afterward, as he left the table, Lily had stopped him before he quit the room.
“I would like to offer you my most sincere congratulations,” she said, as her hand lingered on his arm. His eyes flicked down to it briefly, but she made no move to pull it back. “I apologize. I had no idea when I accused you of… untoward motives in your discussion with me yesterday.”
“I was just being friendly, is all,” he said, inclining his head toward her. She looked up at him from underneath thick black lashes, and he was taken aback at just how blue her eyes were. “No hidden motives.”
“Well, I could use a friend,” she said, and Philip wondered whether that was actually suggestion underlying her voice, or if he was just hearing what he wanted to. No matter. He was quite pleased that his ploy was working already.
He lifted one corner of his lips in a half-smile before leaning into her, about to suggest that they find some time to get to know one another better later that evening after their tasks were complete, but suddenly a finger hooked around his collar and pulled him backward.
“Excuse me, Lily, but my son and I must have a quick chat.”
Dammit. If there was one woman he did not feeling like speaking with right now, it was his mother. She saw through all of his ruses – always had.
He tried to shake off her arm as she dragged him toward the kitchen.
“Mother,” he muttered, “if you could refrain from treating me like a misbehaving child, I would greatly appreciate it.”
“I will treat you as I see fitting,” she returned, and he swallowed hard at the reprimand, hurrying along with her to prevent too many of the other servants from witnessing this debacle.
Unfortunately, it was too late, for he saw the coachman chuckling as he left the dining hall to return to his duties.
“Mother,” Philip said in a measured tone once they finally reached the kitchen and she released him. He straightened his jacket. “That was humiliating.”
“More so than that charade at the dinner table?” she asked, her hands on her hips as she stared up at him.
“What are you talking about?” he asked as nonchalantly as possible.
“The show with Charlotte!” she exclaimed, waving her hands in the air, and he belatedly saw that she held a wooden spoon in one of them now, causing him to flinch backward away from her. “The two of you may be the best of friends, and I will admit that I have always had hopes that you would find your way toward one another, but I am sure that you did not suddenly become engaged after witnessing a little romance in this house. The poor girl looked like she was about to crawl under the table, so I know very well that this little ruse is all your idea. Now tell me, what have you gotten her into?”
“Nothing!” he exclaimed, attempting to back out of the room, but she only advanced on him.
“I promised her parents when they retired to their cottage that I would look after her like my own. It’s unfortunate that I must protect her from my very own son! Now, have you nothing to say for yourself?”
Philip sighed, seeing that there was no way out of this but the truth.
“Very well,” he said. “But Mother, this must stay between us, do you understand?”
“I will be the one to decide that.”
“Mother—”
“Philip.”
He placed his hands behind his back and began to stroll around the room as he spoke.
“Well, as you know, we have new servants.”
“I am aware.” She stood with her arms crossed, facing him, waiting for him to continue.
He outlined his plan to her, watching the look of disapproval on her face grow, and he swallowed hard as he finished and looked at her hopefully.
“You see? It benefits me, and Charlotte as well.”
“That is the foolhardiest plan I’ve ever heard.”
“Mother!”
“I do not see how it benefits Charlotte in any way. In fact, I think this will do nothing but hurt her. No good will come of this, Philip.”
“Oh, Mother, you worry too much,” he said, walking over and slinging an arm around her shoulders. “It will be fine.”
“Someone is going to get hurt.”
“Charlotte and I know one another far too well for that to happen,” he said. “This will all go to plan, never fear.”
What he didn’t tell her was that his stomach began to roll into similar turmoil when he saw the disbelieving look on her face.
Chapter 5
The next two weeks were interesting, to say the least.
It wasn’t as though much had changed between Charlotte and Philip. They remained as good of friends as they’d always been, but there was now an unspoken, underlying current between them that Charlotte wasn’t entirely sure how to explain. A tension that neither of them seemed inclined to address.
Meanwhile, she had seen that Phili
p and Lily were growing closer. Little conversations in the hall, frequent touches upon the sleeves of his jacket in a way that made Charlotte want to reach over and rip her hand away.
Which wasn’t like her – she was far from a violent person, that was for certain. But she couldn’t help herself. She and Philip might not actually be together, but Lily didn’t know that. As far as the lady’s maid was aware, she and Philip were set to be married, and she had no right to flirt with him like that.
She knew in reality she should be just as upset with Philip, or at herself for even agreeing to this disaster of a plan, but it was far more convenient to take her frustrations out on Lily.
Now, the floor of the long gallery upstairs was bearing the brunt of her exertions. It was a thankless job. The marble floor was nearly spotless already, for hardly anyone ventured up here, save the children now and then for some physical exertions. But Charlotte had craved time alone with no one but portraits of Devon ancestors staring down at her. She looked up at them in supplication, shaking her cloth as she despaired of just what she was supposed to do.
“Charlotte?”
She jumped, scrambling to her feet at the voice in the doorway.
“Philip,” she said, a hand coming to her breast in shock at his interruption. “You scared me.”
“My apologies,” he said, as he strode into the room and she couldn’t help but notice how the sun shining through the room’s long windows brought out the gold in his light-brown hair, how dashing he looked in his dark-blue tailcoat with gold buttons and matching golden knee breeches. “And just how is my beloved today?”
She flicked her cloth at him, which he attempted to dodge, though she smiled in satisfaction when she saw that she had left a stain of wetness on his dark blue sleeve.
“No one is here, Philip,” she said, rolling her eyes. “There is no need to keep up your little game.”
“I do love you, though, Lottie,” he said, winking at her. “You know that.”
He loved her like a sister. She was all too aware.
For the past two weeks had taught her something. She had feelings for Philip that went far beyond the brotherly affection he thought she held. And that was a problem. A big problem. She was a fool.
A Touch of Temptation: House of Devon Book 2 Page 3