An Afternoon of Wonder
Later that afternoon
Early afternoon sunlight streamed into Alice’s quarters, a rare occurrence considering the recent weather. Having just seen to dressing Lady Torrington for her sleigh ride with the earl, she hurried to the window in the hopes of watching some of the ride. She studied the landscape, amazed at how far she could see from the second story now that the fog had cleared and the sun had made an appearance.
Beyond the stables below, where the tracks of the horse-drawn sleigh led from the carriage house to the stables, a row of trees marched across the white expanse. She wondered if they acted as the earldom’s property line, or if they were merely meant to provide protection from the wind. The shape of the rolling hills beyond the trees was made less evident by the layer of snow that covered them, but she could imagine how green they might appear when spring finally replaced winter.
If spring ever came to England.
The country could not afford another year of no summer. Word had come from the United States that parts of their lands had been hit just as hard by the cold and snow. Those seeking a better life in Europe—respite from the cold and rain—found similar circumstances in the northern countries. The thought of widespread famine had her worrying what might happen next year. Lord Torrington was a wise man, though. She had to hope he had a solution for his earldom, perhaps like the one the Earl of Gisborn had employed by building more greenhouses on his lands in Oxfordshire.
There is certainly enough land here in Northumberland for greenhouses, she thought as she turned her attention back to the stables. Haversham had hitched up a huge draft horse to the sleigh and was driving it around to the front doors of the lodge. Lord and Lady Torrington were going for a ride, and it would be a couple of hours or more before her services would be required again.
Alonyius Banks was in the same position with respect to his master. He knocked on the lady’s maid’s door in the hopes of spending a few stolen moments in her company.
“You came,” she said after she opened the thick wooden door. She found him glancing to his left and right.
“May I come in?” he asked in a whisper.
Grinning, Alice stepped aside and said, “Of course.”
“I figure we have at least two hours,” he said as he hurried into the room, turned and gathered her into his arms. “Do you have any duties you need to complete before they return?”
She shook her head, rather intrigued by his behavior. “I finished the repairs on her ladyship’s gowns this morning. Before the hanging of the greens,” Alice murmured as she allowed him to hold her in a comforting embrace. “And her laundry just after we arrived yesterday,” she added.
“I may have to prevail upon you to do his lordship’s, as I have no idea how to do laundry,” Alonyius whispered.
Alice lifted her head and gave him a quelling glance. “I’m sure Mrs. Miller can see to it,” she replied, grinning when his hold on her tightened. She thrilled at how his hands smoothed up and down her back as he held her, their warmth seeping into her spine.
Alonyius suddenly stilled his movements. “I apologize. I have thought of nothing but you since last night, and although I truly wish to tumble you every which way but...” He actually considering mentioning something about ‘Thursday’ but thought better of it. “Every which way possible, I wonder if I might simply... hold you... for a time.” His expression gave away his torment. The events of the day before had left them both a bit raw. A bit exhausted. A bit tentative with one another.
Alice blinked, only slightly surprised by his request. “I’d like that,” she agreed with a nod, glancing about in an effort to determine just where they might sit. Besides the bed, the room’s only other pieces of furniture were a dresser, a chair, and a small table. She glanced back at the bed. “Take off your coat and shoes, and... lie down,” she suggested as she leaned over to remove her slippers.
“Allow me,” Alonyius said as he knelt before her.
Alice inhaled sharply as he lifted one of her ankles with a firm hand and removed the black leather slipper with the other. She held up the skirts of her livery as he did the same with her other foot, gasping again when his hand lingered a bit too long and a finger trailed along the line of her ankle. He lowered his face to her foot and kissed the top of it. “Have any others done this?” he asked as he dared a glance up at Alice.
Alice blinked. Was he joking? “No,” she said as she gave her head a shake. “If you’re not careful, I shall require it of you whenever you are in my company, though,” she warned with a teasing grin.
Standing up, Alonyius smiled. “And I shall be happy to do your bidding,” he whispered as he doffed his top coat.
Her breath caught, and Alice swallowed. What a life they might have should the two of them continue this affaire! Before she could respond, his lips were on hers, suckling and supping and leaving her weak in the knees. When he finally pulled away, he bent and lifted her into his arms. Turning slightly, he lowered her onto the bed and then climbed onto it, pulling her body next to his. As she had done when they shared a bed at The Black Swan, Alice nestled her head into the small of his shoulder and moved a leg to settle betwixt his. “Are you comfortable?” he asked in a quiet voice.
“Hmm,” Alice replied, sliding a hand over his chest. “I could fall asleep like this,” she whispered, remembering the night at The Black Swan, when first exhaustion and then intimacy had her falling asleep in his arms. The thought of what he had done at the coaching inn had her lifting her head to regard him. “If Lord Torrington didn’t compel you to... to tumble me, then what made you…?” She allowed the question to trail off in frustration before she finally tried a different approach. “Why did you suggest we share a room at The Black Swan?” she struggled to get out. His insistence that they take a room together—despite the fact that he could have shared a room with the driver and groom—had her nearly scandalized until he finally explained himself that first night. Assured her he only had her safety in mind. Safety and comfort.
Warmth.
Now, she wondered if his motivation was something entirely different.
Alonyius gave a huff and turned his head slightly. “Besides necessity? There were only two rooms available, and I could not abide sharing a room with two men who only had sexual intercourse on their minds.”
“Yes. Besides necessity,” she pressed.
Alonyius sighed. “Something you did in the coach earlier that day,” he murmured. “And every day since we left Worthington Park.”
“What?” Alice asked, giving a start that had his arm moving to hold her down.
“You smiled.”
Blinking a few times, Alice again lifted her head from his shoulder and regarded him for a moment. “Whatever do you mean?”
“We were talking about... I don’t even remember,” he said with a slight shake of his head. “But you looked out the window and this smile—this beautiful, radiant smile—appeared on your face, and I realized I had never seen you before.”
Alice frowned. “But—”
“I hadn’t, actually. Not like you were in the coach. I’ve only ever seen you at the servants’ table during supper, or walking in the halls at Worthington House. You were always so... dour. So serious. As if you thought your duties disagreeable.”
“They are not,” she said with a shake of her head.
“I know that now,” he countered, giving her a peck on her forehead. He regarded her for a moment. “You’re rather gorgeous when you smile,” he murmured. “Which is just one of the reasons I changed my poor opinion of you.”
Alice swallowed, some of his words hurting far more than if he had simply ignored her in the coach. “Just my smile?” she responded in a quiet voice.
Alonyius tightened his hold on her and allowed a chuckle. “The farther we got from London, the lighter your countenance. As if you had escaped some evil monster under whose shadow you had been forced to live.”
Considerin
g his words, Alice had never thought of her employment at Worthington House as some kind of evil monster. Perhaps the circumstances could be thought of in that regard, though. She had paid witness to an untenable situation and had taken on a responsibility that left her feeling wrung out. Unappreciated. All because she didn’t want the scullery maid to suffer as she had back when she held the position in a different household.
“It’s true. I have not been happy of late at Worthington House,” she admitted. “I used to be quite happy, though. But then Lady Worthington remarried, and some of the staff changed, and...” She stopped when Alonyius suddenly lifted himself onto an elbow, forcing Alice to roll onto her back. He stared down at her.
“Were you unhappy your mistress found a new husband?” he asked as he stared down at her.
Alice’s eyes widened, realizing how her words must have sounded to the earl’s valet. He was one of the new staff members who had invaded Worthington House, after all.
“Not at all,” she said with a shake of her head. The white pillow covering beneath gave her the appearance of an angel with a puffy halo about her head. “But other things changed.”
“Such as...?” he prompted.
His gaze was intense, and Alice knew she had to tell the truth. He would know otherwise. She sighed. “Lord Torrington is not nearly as strict as Mr. Worthington was with Bernard, so some of the footmen aren’t as keen about finishing their duties in a timely manner. The household maids spend far too much time cleaning rooms and don’t always see to the coal for the fireplaces. Although Mr. Bernard wouldn’t normally allow such laxity, I believe he has joined their ranks. Because he knows there won’t be any reprimand from Lord Torrington. It’s almost as if the earl thinks his countess should be in charge of the butler.” This last was said as if it were a scandal, but the butler was supposed to report to the man of the house—not the lady.
Frowning, Alonyius considered her words and finally allowed a nod. “I understand your frustration,” he stated as he settled back onto the bed. “But you must remember that Bernard had to report to Lady Torrington for over a year before she remarried. There wasn’t a man of the house to which he could direct his queries.” At her nod of understanding, he gave a sigh. “Having said that, I must ask that you adjust your expectations of the household.”
Alice frowned. “Adjust?” she repeated in confusion.
“You must, or you shall forever be disappointed by the lessened decorum of the household.” His arm moved beneath her shoulders, and he pulled her back atop him. “By now, you have probably noticed that Lord Torrington is not a man who lives by most of Society’s rules. He doesn’t even abide being addressed by his proper title. That’s why everyone calls him ‘Grandby’ instead of ‘Torrington’,” he explained gently.
“I always wondered about that,” Alice admitted. “Almost as if he doesn’t want to be the earl.”
“He doesn’t, although he’s perfectly suited to the job. Why, I don’t recall him missing more than two or three sessions of Parliament since he inherited. You see, he thinks his cousin, Gregory, would make a better earl, and Mr. Grandby already has a half-dozen heirs,” Alonyius added, almost as if he agreed with the earl.
Alice furrowed her brows. “Doesn’t he expect Lady Torrington to provide an heir?” Her ladyship wasn’t so very old, and given how many times Alice had discovered the earl in the mistress suite, she figured they must enjoy the marriage bed.
Alonyius blinked and gave the question some thought. “I cannot say for certain, but I will admit the man gave me his stash of French letters upon the event of his wedding,” he said with an arched brow. Not that they had done him much good. Although he had used three or four while he bedded a neighboring maid a few months ago, he hadn’t had an occasion since then that required their use. He realized just then he probably should have packed a few for this trip. He had just never imagined he would be bedding Alice Simpkins—or anyone else, for that matter—and so he had left them behind at Worthington House. “I would expect he intends to get a child on your mistress.” What better time than now? Away from London, the earl and countess were free to spend as much time in each other’s company—in each other’s bed—as they wanted.
“She will make a wonderful mother,” Alice murmured. “More attentive than most, I should think.”
“Lord Torrington will be the attentive one,” Alonyius countered. “And he’ll spoil his children rotten, I tell you,” he added with a grin. “Especially a daughter.” He sobered when he caught Alice gazing at him. “Wot?”
“You adore the man,” she accused gently.
Furrowing his brows, the valet finally gave a nod. “Despite my early opinion of the man—and what transpired over the course of our trip here—he is the best master I could hope for,” he said in a hoarse whisper. “My plan is to continue in my position until the day he either dies, or I do.”
Alice blinked. My plan. So perhaps that meant he had no intention of moving back to Darlington to run his family’s textile mill. But then, plans had a way of changing.
“So you won’t move back to Darlington?”
Alonyius stilled himself, realizing he hadn’t told her about the time he had shared with his brother whilst his mother kept her entertained with stories.
About what he and Thelonius had discussed.
“I have made an arrangement with my brother, and he should have already explained it to our mother,” he whispered. “Thel is committed to finding a wife and to getting a child on her in the next year. Despite his off-the-cuff comment about not having time to court, he does have a lady in mind,” he added with an arched brow. “He has been secretly courting her, only because he feared our mother might smother her before she’d had a chance to learn of Mum’s... idiosyncrasies.”
“Your mother will be so pleased,” Alice murmured.
“As am I.”
“And I rather enjoy those... idiosyncrasies,” she added with a grin.
Alonyius kissed on the top of her head, glad to know she didn’t think of his mother as a candidate for Bedlam. “His heir will be raised to learn the business and to run it when Thel can longer do so. In the meantime, I am to remain in my position and will only return to Darlington to run the business if something should happen to Thel before his heir is ready to assume control of the business.”
Such a simple plan, and yet his words had Alice wincing. She realized she didn’t have a plan in place for herself. She merely lived each day, not considering the past or the future. “I rather imagine you shall outlive his lordship and enjoy a rather generous pension,” she murmured.
Alonyius chuckled, pulling her closer and giving her a kiss on the lips. When he pulled away, he sighed. “I will admit to another reason for having changed my poor opinion of you,” he murmured, his arm relaxing behind her shoulders so that her head once again settled into the small of his shoulder. He felt her body tense beneath his hold, though, knowing she was bracing herself for whatever was to come.
“Another?” she repeated, her eyes widening in wonder.
The valet nodded and took one of her hands in his. “I know what you’ve been doing at Worthington House. In the mornings, before anyone else is up and about and in the kitchens.”
Alice inhaled sharply. How had Alonyius discovered her morning ritual? She was sure her clandestine trips to the kitchens had gone unnoticed by anyone in the household.
In an effort to help the helpless scullery maid, she would finish whatever Libby hadn’t completed the night before as well as prepare the kitchen exactly as the cook expected it when she arrived to make the servants’ breakfast at half-past six. “How do you know?” she whispered, her eyes widening in alarm.
Alonyius leaned over and bussed her on the side of the head. “I’m usually awake at five, so I hear the latch on your door when you sneak out. One morning, out of curiosity, I followed you, thinking perhaps you were either there to purloin something from the pantry—”
“Never!” she in
terrupted in dismay.
“—Or you were having a clandestine meeting with a servant from another household—”
“I suppose that could be a possibility,” she hedged, although she followed the comment with a teasing grin.
“—But imagine my surprise as I watched you don an apron and do the work of our hapless scullery maid,” he said before giving her a gentle kiss on her temple.
Alice inhaled sharply, rather shocked someone had discovered her secret. And Alonyius of all people. “Do you think others in the household realize Libby may never learn the duties of her job?”
“I do,” he replied with a nod. “If they don’t already know.”
Alice allowed a look of disappointment. “You won’t tell anyone?” she half-asked, inwardly wincing when she remembered she had already divulged her secret to Lady Torrington.
“I admit I have already made Lord Torrington aware of the situation. Just last night, in fact,” he murmured. Alice nodded her understanding when he promised, “But I shall tell no one else.” He paused to kiss her forehead, as if he was sealing his promise with the simple gesture. “You see, my younger sister started her service as a scullery maid,” he explained in a quiet voice. At Alice’s expression of surprise—at no point had Mrs. Banks mentioned having a daughter—he added, “She traveled with me to London when I was hired by the late earl, and then she refused to return home. She liked the city too much to go back.”
“Did she marry someone?”
Alonyius gave a snort. “I rather wish some poor sod had taken a shine to her and married her.”
“Why ever do you say it like that?” Alice wondered.
Alonyius gave a slight shrug. “She made for a very poor scullery maid, which you and I both know is a rather sad state of affairs.” The scullery maid held the entry-level position within most households. If a servant couldn’t make it as a scullery maid, it was doubtful they would be elevated to a better position or be hired in a different household.
“Did she lose her position?” Alice asked in alarm. Despite the hours they had spent in conversation, she didn’t even know Alonyius had a sister. “Which house?”
The Christmas of a Countess (The Holidays of the Aristocracy Book 1) Page 28