“Yes, Mother?” Lord Jeremy stepped forward.
“I want you to go and search the servants’ quarters,” she said. “I know this is a task that is normally beneath you, but I cannot trust any of these servants to tell the truth. The rest of you will wait here.”
No one reacted at all, although once Lord Jeremy was gone, they shifted a little nervously.
Abigail noticed that Lady Charlotte did not look particularly worried, especially given that the jewels were the only thing she had left of her family, who had since passed on. Instead, she simply paced up and down the line, staring at the servants.
Eventually, Lord Jeremy came back down. His face was sullen, and Abigail was worried the second she saw his expression. He had a box in his hand, and she realized that he had found the jewels.
Her heart dropped into her stomach as he handed the box to his mother. Who had them? Who was going to get sacked?
She trusted her colleagues within an inch of her life. None of them would do this, as far as she knew. None of them would ever dare venture into thievery because their other choice was the streets. Being dismissed in service without a reference was damning and required quite a feat.
“Where were they?” Lady Charlotte asked, and Jeremy answered through gritted teeth.
“I’d rather not discuss it right now, Mother,” he said. “You’ve found your jewels. Can’t we discuss it later?”
“No,” Lady Charlotte said, opening the box to reveal a most stunning necklace and bracelet set. “Where were they?”
Jeremy looked like the words physically pained him as he spoke.
“The red room, under the blue pillow,” he said. His eyes were hard, and Abigail noticed that he wouldn’t look at any of them.
“Whose room is that? Whose pillow is that?” Lady Charlotte demanded and suddenly, Abigail’s entire world came crashing down. She hadn’t quite processed the words he said, and now that she had, she was terrified.
“Mine …” she stuttered, in disbelief. “Mine—but I didn’t ... I didn’t put them there. I didn’t …”
Lady Charlotte sneered at her, and Abigail’s eyes darted frantically between Lord Jeremy and Lady Charlotte.
“I didn’t do it,” Abigail’s voice cracked. “Please, mistress, please believe me.”
“I should have known it was you,” Lady Charlotte sniffed. “Who else would do such a thing?”
“Mother,” Lord Jeremy tried to plead with her. “Abigail wouldn’t …”
“Then how do you explain that the jewels were there?” Lady Charlotte asked. “How do you explain having them directly under the pillow, the only place a servant can hide them?”
“I don’t know,” Lord Jeremy said. “But I am sure there is an explanation …”
“The explanation is that she is a thief,” Lady Charlotte said. “Abigail, you will pack your bags and go.”
“No …” Abigail couldn’t help it. Tears spilled over her face, and she stepped forward. “Mistress, I—”
She looked frantically to Jeremy, remembering his promise to protect her. However, in this situation, it seemed completely hopeless. How was he supposed to protect her when the evidence was right in their faces? She had stolen; or at least, it appeared that way. If someone had seen her do it, it might be their word against hers. The fact that the jewels were right there meant she was doomed.
Someone had framed her, of course. Someone had set her up, and there was nothing she could do. If Lord Jeremy didn’t protect her, she couldn’t move forward.
“You will pack your things and go,” Lady Charlotte said. “Unless you want me to bring in the authorities.”
Abigail didn’t know what else to say. She ran from the room, sobbing. She knew she had been framed, but it was worse than that. She felt like a failure; a brokenhearted and broken-down maid who couldn’t even keep her job for two full years. She had let her mother down and now there would be no way to take care of her.
Worse was the fact that she would be away from this house and away from Lord Jeremy. She had gotten used to their moments together—his gentle smile; his whispered secrets.
She knew that nothing good could come of it, but she enjoyed a small moment of happiness, nonetheless.
Now, it was all over.
She didn’t have many things to pack. Her sparse belongings fit into a single case, and she packed quickly. No one came after her to console her, and she didn’t expect them to. She didn’t know who framed her, but she was sure it was someone who wanted her gone. Perhaps, it was someone who thought they deserved her mother’s job, or perhaps, it was Lady Charlotte herself.
Either way, it didn’t matter. She was finished.
Abigail didn’t know where she was going but she knew she couldn’t stay in the house a moment longer. As soon as she was packed, she headed down the back steps and into the back garden. At the back of the garden, there was a gate that let out into the fields, and she knew she could eventually pick up the main roads from there.
She was crying so hard that she hardly heard the footsteps from behind her. She spun around only when they became close and realized that they belonged to Lord Jeremy.
“Don’t talk to me!” she cried as he approached. “I’m a disgrace! Don’t come any closer.”
“Abigail,” Lord Jeremy said, looking immensely hurt at her words. “I will find a way to make this right.”
“You can’t,” she sobbed. “You found the jewels under my pillow. I’m a thief.”
“You’re not,” he said and then his face changed. “I mean ... are you?”
“You see, even you don’t believe me!” she cried, and he tried to correct himself.
“I just ... I wasn’t sure,” he said. “Maybe your mother had gotten sicker and you needed money. But if you needed money, I would have …”
“She hasn’t,” Abigail said. “She’s the same as always, wasting away when she would rather be working. Your mother pays me a decent wage, and I would never do such a thing! But if even you don’t believe me, there’s no chance for me.”
“I—” he stuttered, but she shook her head.
“You should go back inside,” she said. “And you should enjoy your lovely home and your fiancée.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You know how I feel about her,” he said. “You are the only one who knows.”
She shrugged.
“Well, like me, you cannot correct the situation you are in,” she met his eyes. “I never thought that you and I were the same, Lord Jeremy, but it appears we are. The situation that we are in is determined by other people, and there is nothing we can do it about. Fate is written for us, it seems, and whether or not we agree with it doesn’t matter.”
With that, she spun around and marched off towards the main road.
Saying such words to Lord Jeremy made her cry even more, but they were effective in making him not follow her. She had no idea how she was going to get to her mother, but she knew that she had to go there because it was all she had left.
She wished Lord Jeremy nothing but the best. She hoped that he was happy, and she hoped that he found peace with his situation because she knew she never would with hers.
She also hoped that he didn’t feel the same way about her that she felt about him, because if he did, he would be doomed to unhappiness. The best thing she could do for both of them was stay out of his life forever.
Chapter 6
“How are you feeling today, Mother?” Abigail asked one morning during the second month that she was home. She had eventually found her way home, after selling her spare dress and her one embroidered handkerchief. The day that she had come home was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Her mother had been thrilled to see her, but she had been horrified to learn why Abigail had been sent away. Ever since then, they had been scrounging by on some of the savings they had. Abigail had found work cleaning in town, but it was sporadic and not sufficient for what her mother needed. Today, Abigail had been cleaning ea
rly in the morning and had just gotten home in order to get her mother up for the day.
“I’m actually feeling a bit better today,” her mother said, sitting at the small table in the small cottage that they had. The roof had leaked the day before yesterday, and Abigail was grateful that it wasn’t raining today, so that she did not have to stand over a bucket, constantly emptying it and refilling it. “It seems every day that you are home, I feel a little bit better.”
“That warms my heart,” Abigail said, even though her stomach was practically turning over with hunger. She had not eaten all day yesterday, and she’d rationed the food for today, so that they could at least have a few meals. She was planning to go to market later today, since she had been paid, but the few coins that she had would not buy much. “What would you like me to buy at market?”
Her mother was about to answer when there was a knock at the door. Abigail’s face contorted in confusion.
“Are you expecting anyone?” she asked her mother, and her mother shook her head.
“No,” she said. “Are you?”
“No,” Abigail said. “I wonder who that could be?”
She was fearful that it was a debt collector, even though she didn’t think that their debts were that bad. She knew others in the small village who had much worse debt, and they didn’t get bothered by debt collectors.
She pulled open the door, expecting one of the children in the village, or someone who was lost.
She was half right, although the face on the other side of the door shocked her.
It was someone who was lost, but he was in the right place now.
On the other side of the door, looking completely out of place and relieved, was Lord Jeremy.
“W-what?” Abigail asked, staring at him. “What are you doing here?”
She knew she should address a lord with more ceremony than that, but she couldn’t help but stare at him in shock. His finery stood out amongst the dirt and grime of her tiny village, and his exhausted face told her that he had knocked on quite a few doors before finding hers.
“Hello,” Jeremy said with a smile on his face. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Why?” Abigail managed. Her mother shuffled to the door to see who her daughter was talking to. Her reaction was equal to Abigail’s when she saw who was there.
“Lord Jeremy,” she said. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
“Hello.” Lord Jeremy dipped low. “It’s a pleasure to see you doing so well.”
Abigail still couldn’t reconcile in her mind why Jeremy was there and pushed him for an answer.
“I wanted to find you,” he said. “I had to talk to you.”
“Shouldn’t you be with Lady Rose?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you be …”
“I have so much to tell you,” Lord Jeremy said. “But the first thing that I want to tell you is that someone confessed to the jewel robbery.”
“Someone confessed?” she asked, and he sighed.
“Well, not like that,” he said. “Mrs. Perry finally couldn’t take it anymore and told me she saw my mother hide the jewels under your pillow.”
Abigail’s jaw dropped.
“Your mother?” she asked. Lord Jeremy nodded.
“Will you walk and talk with me?” he asked.
“Mother, may I?” Abigail asked, respecting her mother, even though the older woman was too shocked to do anything more than nod. Abigail made sure her mother was all right and then went out the front door and shut it behind her. Lord Jeremy held out his arm, and she took it, even though she felt odd doing so. So many people were staring at them, even if they weren’t aware of who he was.
“Mrs. Perry came to me last week in tears, to tell me what had happened,” Lord Jeremy said. “She said that she didn’t care if she lost her job; she couldn’t stand by knowing that you and your mother were struggling. She confessed and couldn’t stop crying for the entire time. You’d think she was the guilty one.”
“That poor woman,” Abigail said. “Keeping that secret all this time. Bless her.”
“Of course, I believed her right away,” Lord Jeremy said. “I had been searching for the answer these past few months but her confession was the final straw. I confronted my mother.”
Abigail gasped.
“Really?” she said. “And what did Lady Charlotte say?”
“I had her backed into a corner,” Lord Jeremy said. “There was nothing she could say or do.”
“Oh my,” Abigail responded. She didn’t know what to say. In the back of her mind, she was fearful that Lady Charlotte had tossed Jeremy out of the house as well.
“She told me that it was my fault,” Lord Jeremy said with a smirk. “She told me that it was my fault I had paid so much attention to you, and if I had known better, you wouldn’t be gone. And so I told her how I felt about Lady Rose.”
“Oh my goodness,” Abigail turned to him. “And you’re still drawing breath?”
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Jeremy couldn’t help but laugh. She laughed as well and soon, the two of them were doubled over in the middle of the street. It wasn’t that her joke was so funny, so much as the fact that both of them had been through so much and missed each other so much. When they finally straightened up, Jeremy surprised her by taking her hand.
“And then I told her I was going to find you,” he said, looking straight into her eyes.
Abigail felt the familiar shiver go down her spine. She didn’t want to acknowledge the feelings that were bubbling up inside of her, so instead, she said nothing at all.
“I didn’t tell her everything,” Lord Jeremy said. “But I will tell her everything when we get back.”
Abigail couldn’t stay quiet anymore.
“When we get back?” she asked.
“Yes,” Lord Jeremy said. “Because I am hoping that you will come back with me.”
“I …” Abigail felt him squeeze her hands. “You really value my services that much?”
“Abigail,” he said in disbelief. “This isn’t about your services. This is about the fact that I have never met someone so … in tune with my mind. I have never met anyone who understands my very soul and yet, is not ruined by the circumstances of their birth. You are kindhearted and intelligent and beautiful. You are the most unique soul I have ever met. And the most beautiful woman I have ever met.”
Abigail coughed at that.
“Really?” she said. “You think I’m ...”
“I think you are the most beautiful woman to ever cross the doors of my estate,” he said. “And I hope that you will always be the most beautiful woman in my life.”
She didn’t quite understand what he was saying, so she just blushed.
“Thank you,” she said, and he squeezed her hands.
“So will you…?” he asked.
“Will I what?” Abigail asked.
“Will you marry me?”
She felt like she had fallen off the face of the earth. Those words, coming from his mouth, didn’t make any sense. It couldn’t possibly be true that this wonderful lord, and the soul she connected with most in the world, was asking her to marry him.
Men like that didn’t ask girls like her to marry him; at least, not outside of fairy tales.
But Lord Jeremy seemed absolutely serious in his request. She repeated it, just to be clear of his intentions.
“You want me to marry you?” she asked. “Instead of Lady Rose?”
“Yes,” he said, in no uncertain terms.
“What will your mother say?” she blurted out, and he shook his head.
“Frankly, my dear, I don’t really care what she will say. She has done enough wrong, and she will see the error of her ways. My father left the estate to me, and I am lord of it. And I will marry whom I choose, not who she chooses.”
Abigail was still completely speechless, and she opened and closed her mouth like a fish, trying to find the courage to speak the words in her heart.
“I …” she managed. “I would be honored to be your bride. If you will have me. If it’s allowed.”
“Well,” he said, breaking out into a wide grin. “You will make me the happiest man in the world for accepting. I would like to ask your mother, first, though. Perhaps she will not approve.”
“She will be completely baffled,” Abigail told him. “I have not said a word to her about my ... feelings for you.”
“So you do have feelings for me,” he said. “How long have you had feelings for me?”
“Since the garden,” she realized, “When we first began talking. I felt a connection with you that I couldn’t explain. I dismissed it, of course, because it was improper. But every time you sought me out ... every time we spoke ... every moment we had together, I treasured.”
“You should have told me sooner,” he said, gazing into her eyes. “We could have avoided this whole mess.”
“I couldn’t,” she said, looking down at her feet. “You know that I couldn’t.”
“Abigail,” he scolded her gently. “You are the bravest, strongest soul that I know. You could have found the courage. What stopped you?”
“If I had known that you …” she took a deep breath. “If I had known that you felt that way, I perhaps would have said something.”
“So we both wasted time, not sure if the other returned the feelings,” he grinned. “We are normally more in tune with one another than that.”
“I won’t make that mistake again,” she answered, and he leaned in, touching his forehead to hers. She knew that everyone was staring at them, but she didn’t care. “Are we really getting married?”
“We are really getting married,” he said to her. “If your mother approves.”
“If my mother approves?” she asked. “What if your mother approves? Or doesn’t.”
He chuckled at that.
“Let’s start with your mother,” he answered, taking her hand. They headed back to her cottage, and Abigail let them both in.
“Mother?” she called, and found her mother in the kitchen. “Lord Jeremy wants to marry me.”
“Of course he does,” her mother answered, surprising both of them.
The Earl and The Chambermaid Page 4