Philip was keenly disappointed and grew haughty as a result. "Very well, Emily, I shan't keep you. Do continue. And don't forget the sideboard," he commanded imperiously before he stalked from the room.
Emily regretted the need for distance with the earl. She truly enjoyed the conversation they occasionally enjoyed but realized it could go nowhere. Lord Philip was an earl, and she was his maidservant. Nothing aboveboard could come of it, she concluded with a sigh once he was gone.
As Philip realized how important these little interludes with Emily were becoming to him, he was appalled. He began studiously avoiding her. It would certainly not do to develop a tendre for the maid, no matter how attractive she might be.
Emily sensed his confusion and was saddened by his withdrawal. She was the happiest she had been in ever so long and owed it in large measure to the earl. But she knew it was for the best to keep a distance between them; she dared not trust anyone to help her solve her problems.
The manor was all aflutter. "Her ladyship arrives today!" The excitement was on everyone's lips. Emily was intrigued by the sense of devotion everyone obviously felt for the countess, the earl's widowed mother. She had found herself caught up in the excitement as the entire household was dusted, aired, polished, and shined until the large house practically glowed. The entire staff was feeling quite proud of themselves as they assembled in the grand entry dressed in their best pressed uniforms, waiting to welcome the mistress to her old home. Emily had been catching snippets about the grand lady in the week of preparation. She had learned about the deep love the earl's parents had felt for each other and the great kindness the countess showed to everyone she came across.
Everyone had a theory on why the countess had chosen to make her home on one of the lesser estates after the death of her dear husband. "Too many memories," some claimed sagely, while others were firmly convinced she was making the way clear for the current earl to bring home his own countess. "Doesn't want to sit around and be the dowager in her own home. Best to start fresh elsewhere in her own time," was the understanding Mrs. Simms had of the matter. Emily figured the housekeeper would probably know best, but she waited with an air of anxious anticipation along with the rest of the household as the time of the arrival drew near.
Nearly everyone in the household had a story to share with Emily as an example of the countess' kindness. Meg told of the time she had been sent to visit her family for a week when her mother had taken ill, while Ann described the time the countess herself had visited her bedside when she had caught some illness. Mrs. Simms had many such stories of things the countess had done for various tenants, from financial assistance to visiting after a new birth. Emily found it difficult to believe that anyone was such a paragon of sweetness and light. But once again she resolved to wait and see as she joined the rest of the Yorkleigh staff in the foyer of the grand manor, waiting for the countess to arrive.
The earl could barely repress a chuckle as he realized that nearly his entire staff was assembled in the front rooms of his home, all dressed in their best, chattering excitedly, admiring their own work, and wondering aloud when milady would arrive. Even scruffy old Henri was combed and polished and trying to look busy in the hedges surrounding the front drive. Philip caught himself looking for Emily to see if she would enjoy the joke, since their sense of humor usually so closely coincided. But how could she? he asked himself impatiently. She was one of them. He saw her standing in a corner, gnawing nervously on her lip. He felt a deep longing to go to her and soothe away whatever anxieties were bothering her, as well as a baser desire to run his thumb over the tender lip she had been absentmindedly chewing. Philip was shaken with irritation at his own missishness. He was turning into a green lad over a chambermaid!
Emily was taken aback as she glanced toward Philip and caught him scowling fiercely in her direction before he strode abruptly into his library, slamming the door behind him. The occupants of the hall jumped and flushed somewhat guiltily, and there was a moment of stunned silence before the excited chatter resumed, slightly more subdued than before the earl's interruption. Finally everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the stable lad who had been sent to watch the lane came dashing in the side door. "The coach is coming!" he exclaimed breathlessly. Everyone scrambled into proper position as the shiny black coach with the earl's family coat of arms swirled to a wellsprung stop in front of the low front steps. The groom solemnly opened the door and let down the stairs with a flourish, bowing low before assisting the countess from the coach.
"Thank you, Jimmy," acknowledged Lady Clara as the young groom flushed with pleasure that his lady had remembered his name. The elegantly aging countess made slow, graceful progress into the house, greeting the more senior staff while the rest bustled about, getting her bags and leading the cooling team of horses away, along with the coach, to be rubbed down and rested from the journey.
Emily had never witnessed such a scene; the mistress of the house was obviously adored by the staff. She hung back with the other newcomers to the household, unsure what her role was when others were so obviously eager to be of service and receive acknowledgment from the Lady Clara. Philip emerged from his library and strode into the melee, and a path opened for him among the milling crowd. There was open affection between the countess and her son as the earl greeted his mother warmly, then drew her forward to be introduced to her newest maids when she informed him that her personal maid had been detained due to illness.
"Mother, we have added to the household since you were last here. These three young ladies will be happy to assist you in any way, I'm sure. This is Susie, Megan, and Emily. Emily has some experience as a lady's maid, so she will attend you while you await the arrival of Smitty. How fortunate that she is with us, since your own personal maid was detained," he pronounced coolly while barely glancing at the maid in question.
Lady Clara greeted the girls and then followed Mrs. Simms up to her rooms, having no clue about the trepidation inside her new "lady's maid"
Emily was appalled. She never should have said she was a lady's maid. She had made it up, figuring she would never be caught in the lie, since this was essentially a bachelor's establishment. Because of her great trepidation that day she had first arrived, she could not even remember exactly what she had told Lord Yorkleigh about what she knew how to do.
She had been so pleased to be assigned to the library and gardens, along with doing various chores for Mrs. Simms. Dusting was easy to master. She had simply asked the maid who had shown her to the room she was supposed to start in that first day if they had a special technique she was supposed to follow in this household. Molly had looked at her strangely and said, "No, you just do it the normal way, like this," demonstrating how to use the damp cloth followed by the dry one. Emily nodded knowingly and said, "Of course"
But now there was no one to ask. She was sure Lady Clara would expect her to know what to do, and she hadn't a clue. She had barely paid attention when others had worked around her in the past. Why hadn't she taken notice of these types of things? she berated herself silently as she followed in the wake of Lady Clara and Mrs. Simms, noting glumly the warmth between the two women as Mrs. Simms updated the countess on news of the household.
Neither woman noticed the turmoil the young maid was in as they progressed towards the countess' rooms. Emily was frantically wracking her brain, trying to come up with a sequence of logical duties a lady's maid would accomplish. First, I guess we would need to unpack. Maybe other maids will help with that, and I shall need to oversee and ensure that everything is in order and nothing needs pressing or mending. I'm not too sure how to press the clothes, though. Maybe they can be sent to the laundry! That could work out well. All right, what else? Helping milady to dress and prepare for the day and for meals and so on. Oh, no! Her hair! I shall have to dress her hair!
Emily nearly shrieked as she realized how far out of her depth she was. This will teach me never to take anyone for granted again, won't it? Think!
The worst that can happen is that she will expose me to Lord Yorkleigh as a fraud, and I will be sent away. I can deal with that. I have survived worse. I can survive this. Besides, since I have survived worse, I should be able to work out how to be a fine lady's maid. I am reasonably bright-it shouldn't be that hard. And on that heartening thought, they arrived at the countess' chamber, where Emily's new role was to begin. Emily took a deep, fortifying breath and entered the suite.
Emily had never known such tiredness existed, not even that first day working with Henri. The amount of work that goes into the toilette of one highborn lady boggles the mind, she thought groggily as she sank wearily into her comforting bed. Lady Clara had wanted to catch up with her son, and they had sat up together rather late. Emily was certain it was her obligation to wait for her new mistress in order to help her prepare for bed and put away milady's dress and things. She had been right. Lady Clara had not been at all surprised to see her and had politely informed her which nightgown she wanted. By then Emily was familiar with the countess' wardrobe and where everything was, so she hadn't yet disgraced herself. But there's always tomorrow, she thought with a wry smile as she drifted off to the comfort of her dreams.
Her duties arrived much too soon the next morning as one of the other maids shook her urgently awake. "Hurry, you'll be late. You have to get your dusting done afore you take the countess her morning chocolate. She likes it to be prompt and hot when you wake her up at nine o'clock," urged Tess, one of the more experienced maids. She was Mrs. Simms' niece, so Emily trusted her judgment but lamented her timing, as it seemed she had just laid her head down two minutes ago, and now it was time to rise again.
Emily was shocked to see that the sun was already up and she was the last of the female staff to get up. She hurried through her own morning routine, then ran down to the kitchen to swallow a bite to eat before rushing through her dusting duties and dashing back to the kitchen to grab the mistress' chocolate.
She was feeling rather breathless as she stood outside the countess' chamber just before the clock struck the ninth hour. She took a second to collect her breath before she knocked. There was no response, so she let herself in softly. She wasn't too sure of the correct method for waking the grand lady. She rather doubted Tess' method would be the acceptable way, as she wryly remembered the vigorous shaking she had received a few hours previous. She found herself thinking longingly of the services her dear Mary used to perform but caught her self-pity midstride. That was a different life, she reminded herself sternly. It was best to get on with the job at hand. With that she took her courage in both hands and approached the big bed.
"My lady," she whispered, "it is time to get up" There was no response. Emily hesitated before drawing closer and reaching out tentatively. She let out a squeak just before her hand reached the sleeping figure. Lady Clara was blinking at her as her hand wobbled, and she caught the tray with the chocolate before it could spill.
"I am so sorry, my lady," Emily gasped. "I thought you were still asleep"
"I didn't mean to startle you, Emily. Your whisper and the smell of my chocolate were enough to wake me," Lady Clara answered kindly as she began to rise. "No one can make my chocolate quite as well as the cook here at Yorkleigh. It is one of the things I miss most about living here," she continued almost wistfully. "But I am here now for a while, so I will enjoy it wholeheartedly for the present," she went on briskly as she propped herself up against the headboard with an abundance of pillows and then accepted the steaming cup from Emily's now steady hand. "So, my dear, what shall I wear today, do you suppose? Which of my frocks were you able to get the wrinkles out of so far?"
Emily turned surprise-widened eyes on the countess. "I thought I was supposed to prepare all of them, my lady. I had the assistance of some of the other girls, and we fixed up everything. There were a couple of pieces that we had to send to Sue in the laundry, but you can pretty much take your pick."
Lady Clara was impressed. "Well, aren't you an industrious one? My regular maid must be showing her age" Clara laughed kindly. "Excellent! Well, I will be visiting the house with Mrs. Simms, checking on supplies, so get me something serviceable and not too fussy. If I need to change later in the day, I shall ring for you"
As Emily helped her mistress dress and prepare for her morning with the housekeeper, she was gratefully reminded of all the times she and the other girls had done one another's hair while she was at school. Not that she could give the countess a schoolgirl's hairstyle, but at least she didn't disgrace herself. She kept it simple, and things seemed to work out. She heaved a sigh of relief as the countess left the room after reminding her what time she would need her services to prepare for supper. Emily quickly tidied up the chamber before rushing off to the library to fulfill her obligations to the lord's secretary.
The earl was slightly taken aback to see her. He thought he had solved the irksome problem of always running into this attractive little maid when he had assigned her to his mother. He was disappointed that his plan was not as effective as he had thought it would be and disgusted with himself that it was even necessary. He abruptly demanded to know what she was doing in his library and why she wasn't with the countess.
"My lord, she will not need me until late this afternoon to prepare for supper. I can accomplish much here in the library in the meantime. My other duties for Mrs. Simms are finished as well," she replied with quiet dignity and a sense of pride. "I shall try diligently not to disturb you, my lord. The shelves I am currently working on are way at the far end of this chamber-you shan't even know I am here" She curtsied politely as she turned to commence her work.
Philip shook his head in frustration. None of his other servants would consider talking back to him, nor would they ever give thought to asking for extra work. But he could not help noticing the obvious pleasure the young maid took in her efforts in the library. You shan't even know I am here, he quoted derisively to himself as he watched her start upon her task. She obviously had a studious bent, as she seemed familiar with most of the books she came across.
Annoyed with himself, he turned to his desk and decided that maybe today would be a good day to ride out and visit his tenants. Maybe his mother would like to accompany him. Emily barely noticed him leaving as she pored over another musty old volume, lost deep in thought in the realm of literature, blissfully unaware of the turmoil she was continuously causing for the usually levelheaded earl.
'You are awfully quiet, my son. Do you wish to share what is on your mind?" questioned Lady Clara gently as they whisked along briskly in the buggy on their rounds of the tenant farmers.
"Just minding the team, Mother. These horses haven't been out for a while," he prevaricated.
Lady Clara merely raised her eyebrows. "Wherever did you find that young maid, Emily? Her diction is so refined. She certainly does not sound as if she is from around here"
The countess was surprised as he answered her question, telling the story of Emily's arrival on the estate. She listened carefully, amazed not only at the scant details of the young woman's story, but also at the tone her son was using. He seemed strangely invested in the telling, as well as highly conflicted, and she wondered why. She was vastly curious about the young woman, wondering why the maid was so secretive about her past. Maybe she was uncomfortable confiding in her son. Philip, she knew, could sometimes be cold and haughty if he thought someone was trying to take advantage of him. She would try to get the young woman to confide in her. It sounded as if she was in some kind of trouble. Clara loved to be needed; she would help this Emily if she could.
"The fact that they had foreknowledge does not mean they caused it to happen!" Emily declared vehemently.
Philip was taken aback to hear Emily's raised voice. He had just opened the door to his library and was surprised to see his secretary deep in debate with the young maid. The earl marveled at her heightened beauty, her face flushed and her eyes sparkling in defiance. He listened for a few minutes to the intelligen
t debate being waged. So engrossed were the two in their subject, they hadn't noticed him enter the room. They were debating the Greek playwright, Sophocles, again. He felt his admiration grow for the young woman as she regained control of her strong emotions and continued the debate in her refined, dignified speech.
As he felt his heart growing warm toward her, he abruptly cleared his throat to make his presence known. Mr. Dale started in surprise, and they both flushed guiltily as they turned to Lord Yorkleigh with widened eyes and bated breath.
"Sophocles will have to wait, Mr. Dale. I need you to draft some copies for me. Emily, I believe the countess will be requiring your services shortly. You are excused," he dismissed her gruffly as he turned his back on them and poured himself a stiff drink.
"So, Emily, how long have you been with us here at Yorkleigh?" The countess was watching Emily in the mirror as the girl concentrated studiously on the design she was trying to create with her mistress' hair.
"Almost six weeks, my lady," Emily replied steadily.
"Mrs. Simms speaks highly of you"
Emily blushed with obvious pleasure. "Thank you for saying so, my lady. Mrs. Simms is one of the best women I have ever known. I think his lordship is quite fortunate to have her in his employ," Emily replied loyally.
"Yes, Yorkleigh is fortunate to have her. She has been here most of her life. She is familiar with all the goingson of this household-and of the surrounding countryside," the countess mentioned pointedly. She continued questioningly, watching the play of emotions that crossed Emily's face, "You never mentioned where you came from before arriving at Yorkleigh"
"No, my lady, I suppose not," replied Emily flatly, hurrying to complete the hairstyle-so she could put an end to the intimacy of the moment and thus the questioning? Lady Clara wondered. Just a couple more pins and she would be done. The countess was wondering if she should press for answers. So far she had not asked much of anything, yet she could tell that Emily was already getting the fidgets. She decided on another tactic.
Tempting the Earl Page 4