by Dayna Quince
One of them had to speak, for they had been standing there staring at each other. It was at that moment that another man entered the kitchen.
“If we have to pull Hilbrook off his ass one more time, I’m going to shoot him.” He growled angrily next to the as-yet-unnamed gentleman, not noticing his friend’s lapse of attention or the woman in the room. He looked at his mud-caked boots disgustedly. “Dobbs will kill me for sure. They must be ruined, Dom. Are you listening?”
The gentleman shook his head and turned to his friend.
Lilly did the same, and much to her horror, recognized the second man. It was Chance Armstrong, a very good family friend that she had spent the past three years relying on, to entertain her at balls and whatnot. He would recognize her in an instant, and she would be doomed. Luckily, he was still chatting away to who she now knew was the Earl of Redwick.
She had never met him before in society, and after the insult she gave him, was not inclined to do so now.
With a clumsy curtsy and a rushed “Good afternoon, my lords,” Lilly made a hasty retreat up the back stairs, never meeting the eyes that locked on her the moment she spoke and followed her out of sight.
Lilly made it to her room without any witnesses to her escape. She collapsed on her bed, covered her face with her hands, and willed herself to calm down. Concentrating on deep, even breaths, she sat up and reviewed the scene that had taken place moments before. Lord Redwick would not recognize her, that was for sure, but Chance would see through her disguise in a heartbeat and possibly give her away. What would happen then? Would she be arrested? Chance wouldn’t want that; he was a good friend and would protect her as much as he could, maybe even help her. The idea had some merit. If she had an ally like Chance searching for information she herself could not reach, then maybe she would be able to get herself out of this mess. Maybe even return to the life she once had, or at least something like it.
She should get back to the kitchen, before her absence was noticed. She waited a few more minutes to ensure Lord Redwick and Chance would be long gone. With one last look around her sad, but functional little room, Lilly went back to work. There was plenty to do before dinner, and if she wanted to keep her position, she had better get to it. The kitchen was empty when Lilly returned, with the exception of Laura, a maid who had instantly befriended Lilly on her first day. She looked up from sweeping the dried mud near the door.
“It doesn’t matter who ye are—if yer a man yer a blooming mess!”
Lilly laughed nervously and returned to the beef flanks. “It wasn’t too big of a mess, I hope. Do you need some help?”
“Nah, I’m just about done.”
Bertha arrived to begin the stew for tonight’s supper. She inspected Lilly’s work and nodded in approval.
“Now, before it gets dark, I need you to go to the market and pick up some fresh strawberries, cloves of garlic, and one pound of flour. The earl is having a small dinner party tomorrow evening and has requested strawberry tarts for dessert.”
“Garlic for strawberry tarts? That does—”
“Not together, Miss Laura. Now, you go with Miss Millie. Safety in numbers, I always say.”
“Yes ma’am,” Laura said, taking Lilly’s hand. Laura hauled her through the kitchen door and out into the private alley of the townhouse.
“Come on, we can take Georgie with us for protection. He’s a terrible flirt.” Laura winked back at Lilly.
“Laura, you know that’s not allowed. You could lose your job.”
“I’m not that kind of girl, Millie,” she scoffed. “He just makes me laugh. What harm is done in that?”
After collecting Georgie, a broad-shouldered groom with sandy hair and a boyish face, the party of three set off for the market. Georgie was great fun, and Lilly was grateful for the extra male protection he added. Life in the working class was vastly different from her old station, but Lilly was beginning to enjoy the newfound freedom of not being under society’s rules. Georgie kept them entertained with his rakish charm and quirky wit. He kept Lilly’s cheeks a healthy pink all the way to the market, but most of the playful banter was directed at Laura, whom Lilly suspected had a slight affection for Georgie.
“All right, Millie—you search for the strawberries, and I’ll search for some garlic and flour. Make sure those berries are nice and juicy.”
“I know how to pick strawberries, Laura.”
“Oh, I forgot. You seem new to this, ’tis all.” She shrugged.
Lilly did not know what to say at first. She did not think she appeared to be any different from other servants. Was Laura onto her? No, she couldn’t be.
“Of course you’re right,” Lilly said. “I’ve only worked in a country household. I am new to this bustling and noisy city.” Lilly smiled sheepishly.
“It’s all right, Millie. Georgie, you stay with her. I would hate for our Millie to get lost in this crowd.”
“As you wish, Laura. We’ll meet you back at this spot in ten minutes.” He winked.
“Agreed.”
Taking Lilly’s elbow, he directed her to a stand of hothouse strawberries up the small street. Using the basket she brought with her, she began to pick the best strawberries for tomorrow’s dessert. It was not long before she began to have the oddest feeling that someone was watching her. She looked to Georgie, who was idly chatting with a fruit seller. She continued to look around the crowd of people, hurrying to buy and sell wares before evening set in. Lilly looked to her right and immediately made eye contact with a man standing not fifteen feet away. His eyes bore into her with an intensity that startled her, causing the basket to slip from her slack fingers.
“I say, Millie, you all right?”
Lilly jumped as she turned back to Georgie, who was picking up the basket and spilled berries.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
She looked back to where the man had been standing, but he was gone. Retrieving the basket, she inspected the food for bruises, but there was no harm done.
“They should be fine. Let’s hurry up and leave, Georgie. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed.” She gave the shopkeeper his necessary funds, then they collected Laura and began to walk home.
Laura and Georgie resumed their normal chatter, but Lilly kept quiet. In her mind, those eyes kept looking back at her, cold and black, almost as if they knew exactly who she was. She absentmindedly said farewell to Georgie and followed Laura into the kitchen, making only the small responses required to keep Laura talking and unaware of Lilly’s churning thoughts for the rest of the evening. All through dinner, she kept envisioning those eyes. She tried to remember the man’s face, but she could not place him. He certainly did not look like anyone she would ever wish to know, and most assuredly was not of nobility. He had been dressed in worn clothing, much like many of the other patrons of the market. If he hadn’t been staring at her with such frightening intent, she would not have noticed him at all. Lilly prayed it was nothing. Prayed it was an odd coincidence and had nothing to do with her stepfather, but she was not sure and fear draped over her like a cloak. She tried her best to push it out of her thoughts and give her attention to the bustle around her, but always it was there.
Chapter 3
After dinner was served and the kitchen cleaned for the night, Lilly prepared to head for her room and some much-needed rest. She had been distracted by her thoughts all afternoon and evening. It was no wonder she did not hear the kitchen door swing open as someone entered the room.
The other servants had long retired for the evening. The only source of light was a single candle Lilly would use to make her way to her room. She gazed into its vibrating flame and moved to get up from her seat at the servants’ table.
“Miss James, I presume?”
Lilly nearly jumped out of her skin. She covered her mouth with her hand to squelch her scream of surprise when she met the eyes of the master of the house.
“My lord, I’m sorry.” She put
her hand to her chest to stop her heart from jumping out of it. “I did not hear you come in.”
“My apologies, Miss James. I did not mean to startle you.”
“The fault is mine, my lord. I should have been more aware of my surroundings.”
“I realize, Miss James, that you have already received a position in my household, but I wanted to conduct my own informal interview if you don’t mind. Please, have a seat.”
Lilly’s pulse began to pound dangerously as she eased back into the chair. She was positive every beat echoed throughout the room as well as in her ears.
“I understand you used to work for the late Duke of Cranston,” Dominic said.
“Yes, my lord, for eleven years.”
“What made you change employers, Miss James?”
Lilly met his eyes briefly and then looked away again. “I had to tend a sick aunt. When I was able to return to work, the duke had passed away and the duchess had remarried that merchant fellow, who was then accused of treason.”
“Did you enjoy your work in the Cranston household?” he asked benignly.
“Yes, my lord. The staff there were very close to me, like a second family. I was heartbroken to go, but circumstances prevented me from staying. I wish things could have been different, but such is life.” She smiled tentatively and glanced at him from under her lashes. Lilly was sure she had never seen or met him before. She would remember meeting a man like him. He was strikingly handsome, but not in the traditional way. His face was classically aristocratic, but the energy around him was untamed. He was a mystery, the complete opposite of the pale gentlemen of leisure Lilly was used to. His hair was an inky black, his skin seemed olive-toned in the dim light of the secluded kitchen, as if he were not truly English born. However, what frightened Lilly the most were his eyes. Even with such little light, she could tell they were blue, like they radiated with some unseen power. They were alluring, drawing her into their depths and holding her captive.
“Is there something you would like to eat, my lord? The stove is still warm, I could prepare you something if you wish,” Lilly said nervously.
“No, don’t trouble yourself. I just wanted to welcome you to the staff. This position of earl is a new experience for me. I won’t keep you from rest any longer. Good night, Miss James. I hope to enjoy your talents tomorrow evening. I have very refined tastes, and I expect nothing but the best.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“You may retire now, Miss James.”
“Thank you, my lord.” She tried to stand as calmly as she could, although her hands had developed the most infuriating shake. She moved to take her candle but then stopped herself when she realized it would leave him standing in the dark.
“No, take it. I wouldn’t want you to trip in the dark.” He turned away and left before she could reply, disappearing into the dense shadows beyond the candle’s glow.
Lilly sighed with relief and nearly ran back to her room. She desperately prayed that was her first and last meeting with the earl. She quickly undressed, put her clothes away, brushed out her hair, and slid under the blankets. She blew the candle out and stared at the dark ceiling above her. There was something different about the earl. It was as if he lived by different rules, a different life, and only masqueraded as a gentleman of nobility. She didn’t know how to handle a man such as him, which made her terribly nervous. And the way he had looked at her. She had felt bare, stripped of her disguise and armor. After three seasons in the ton, she should be able to handle a man like him, but instead she would try to avoid him at all costs. She couldn’t afford to lose her head to a handsome earl when so much was at stake.
She was a servant now, not a lady, and with that came walls and boundaries she could never cross. Perhaps if her life hadn’t fallen apart at the seams, she could have met him on the dance floor and had a chance to know him as herself, but that time was gone. He was dangerous to her in so many ways. She needed to push him from her thoughts, forget about him and those mesmerizing eyes. But when she finally fell asleep, the black eyes that had haunted her all evening were replaced by a quietly assessing, icy blue.
Dominic watched from the shadows as the maid walked away. His eyes quickly adjusted to the full darkness that settled around him. He pondered their interaction with puzzlement. Her speech was impeccable. How odd. The glow of the candle on her luminous skin had been mesmerizing. Each flicker of the flame wavered across her warm skin—dewy with sweat from working all night in a hot kitchen. There was more to this girl than she wanted to let on, Dominic thought. Beauty aside, it was clear she was hiding something in her past. But what? Scandal? A bastard child? Dominic wondered how such a creature had come to be a cook’s assistant. What had befallen such a woman to end up here? He tried to picture her in his mind, to read the subtle cue’s that always said more than words, but her beauty was too distracting.
She had a small, heart-shaped face, soft alabaster skin, and perfect winged brows over her eyes. Her nose was decidedly aristocratic, along with her firm, but feminine chin. Her lips—Dominic decided he could spend hours staring at those lips, so soft and pink, and just begging for a kiss. She was an anomaly in his dreary world, lightness to his darkness. Dominic shook his head. He was thinking like a fool. He navigated the dark halls up to his room and gave up pondering the elusive woman. He should ignore her at all costs, pretend from now on she was a rotten-toothed witch and cast her from his thoughts. It was entirely unacceptable to hunger after your own employees. He did not want to compare himself to the likes of gentlemen who bore bastards with their female staff. Distance was necessary and complete gentlemanly behavior on his part. She was innocent, that much he knew for sure, and he would not be the monster to rob that. From now on, he would view her as under his protection—even from himself.
The night of the earl’s dinner party was crisp and clear. The kitchen buzzed with activity and excitement, for this was the first time Lord Redwick would entertain at home. Lilly was so nervous she felt sick to her stomach, but there was so much food to prepare she was barely able to stand still for two seconds.
“The sauce, Millie, stir the sauce!”
“Yes, Bertha.”
Lilly was flustered beyond repair. This was her first aristocratic party in which she would play the role of a servant, and God help her if a guest wandered into the kitchen.
“Calm down, Millie. Did they not do any entertaining in the country?” Laura asked.
Lilly thought frantically. Of course her parents entertained family, close friends, and other local lords and squires, what could she say to explain her anxiety?
“Um, yes, but I knew everyone…so I never wondered what they thought of my cooking.”
“Never worry, love.” Bertha patted her on the back. “In a few years, you’ll be replacing me.”
“Thank you, Bertha.” Lilly smiled for the first time that day.
Lilly sighed as the others went back to work. She had to concentrate; after all, she did not want Mrs. Fields ringing a peal over her head if the presentation of the food was not up to par—or worse, to give another reason for that blue-eyed devil to come down here.
Meanwhile, in the formal dining room, Dominic sat at the head of the table watching his peers make polite conversation. His dinner guests included his few closest friends, business acquaintances and their wives, his Aunt Edith from his mother’s side, her two spinster daughters, and one very merry widow, who was spending a great deal of effort trying to catch his eye.
Finally, the dessert trays were brought out, and Dominic eagerly accepted a strawberry tart from the footman.
“These tarts are divine, my lord. Where ever did you find strawberries this time of year?”
“I would not know, Lady Burne, I did not pick the berries,” Dominic replied.
Lady Burne began to giggle and then stopped when no one else had found the earl’s words to be humorous.
“Come now, Lady Burne,” Chance consoled her. “An earl never know
s what’s going on under his own roof.”
“Thank you, Chance,” Dominic said dryly. He did not want to invite the unwanted attention of yet another woman. He did not have the patience to play nice.
Hours later, all the guests had made their excuses and gone home. The only person left to witness Dominic’s mood was Chance.
“What’s the matter, Dom? You’ve been a beast all night.”
The two men sat comfortably in the library by the fire, casually sipping their balloons of brandy.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel listless.”
“You don’t entertain much or go out about town. Perhaps you’re bored?”
“And spending every night dancing and gambling would fix that? I doubt it.”
“You’re right of course, but there are still some entertaining people in the world.”
“Like who?”
“Like me,” Chance said incredulously.
“You’re sitting here with me, as you are most nights.”
Chance was silent for a moment. “You’re right, old chap—we are the only two interesting people in the world and more boring than a block of wood.”
“Don’t be so melodramatic, Chance.”
“Maybe we should find some wives. Well, maybe just you.” Chanced smiled charmingly.
“I’d rather be drawn and quartered.” Dominic looked at the mantel clock. “Chance, I want you to do something for me.”
“Depends on what it is,” he said warily.
“Go down to the kitchens and ask for more brandy. 1600, I think.”
“I cannot ring for Fields?”
“I want you to see my new cook’s assistant.”
Chance gave Dominic a level stare. “Dominic.”
“Just do it and tell me what you think.”
Chance sighed heavily and made his way to the kitchens. He did not like the distant look Dominic had, especially if it was to do with some maid. Lord help him, he was beginning to worry about Dominic. He did not know how to bring him out from under the dark cloud overshadowing him. Chance strode through the kitchen door with an air of nonchalance.