An Affair of Honor (Rebel Hearts Book 2) (29 page)

Matilda nodded, removed sufficient coin from her pocket, and handed enough to him for the round trip. “A wise precaution. Hurry back. There are still a great many changes to make today.”

Belowstairs, the sound of Mrs. Young’s complaining could be clearly heard. She shrieked and the younger servants ran to the rail and glanced down while Dawson and Matilda listened from a safe distance. He smiled suddenly as Mrs. Young’s protests about her dismissal became clearer.

He nodded to Matilda approvingly. “Looking forward to it actually.”

“I thought you might.” She grinned. “We are going to need a new housekeeper.”

“Do you have someone in mind?”

“Indeed I do, and that can be discussed later. But first let’s get Nora and Paul away on their holiday.” She put her hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I will see you both next Tuesday, and by then I hope to have everything improved belowstairs.”

The girl, who had always been more reserved than her brother, dipped a curtsy and led her brother away. Matilda held Dawson back. “Make sure no one interferes with them on the way out of the servants’ hall. I have no proof of this, but I want to be sure their wages reach their mother without subtractions.”

“Agreed.” Dawson rushed after the children, speaking in low tones as he ushered them into the servants’ staircase.

So far, all was proceeding as Matilda had hoped. Next was dismissing Jenny and Jane herself if Mrs. Young refused. She didn’t anticipate too much trouble from that pair of imbeciles. She’d pay them enough final wages to send them off smiling with their passable letter of reference. After that, she had enough time to place a notice in the paper for new staff and to draft a new outline of duties. The days where a young or harder-working servant bore the brunt of chores was over. She would personally oversee the staff until a suitable replacement was employed as housekeeper and judged sufficient for her needs.

She was hard at work on a revised and far simpler menu for Cook when William strolled in.

“That was not pleasant,” William remarked as he tossed a book onto a chair and stopped inches away. “You might have warned me you planned to upset the applecart today.”

Matilda stood and faced him. “You told me action was overdue.”

Her heart skipped a beat. They’d made love last night. She’d finally given herself completely to their marriage and had no regrets. The loss of her virtue had been her decision. William had seemed surprised and he’d been so considerate afterward.

“Indeed it was.” He kissed her cheek and then glanced over her writing table while she blushed. His mouth had been between her legs. A part of him had been inside her body, and she’d enjoyed every moment. “I had no idea Mrs. Young thought so meanly of you. I dismissed her too, by the way, without a letter of reference, simply for her unfounded spite. She’s planning an appeal to my grandfather, but I doubt he’ll see her.”

Matilda shrugged and placed her hand on William’s arm and squeezed. “She has always resented that I was capable and could work without her instruction.”

William’s arm crept around her back, and he held her a moment. “That she thought to warn me to keep an eye on the silver because of you was beyond insulting.”

Matilda winced and drew back. “She must resent my heritage.”

“Heritage?”

“Hmm, I suppose you deserve to know the truth about my family. You asked about my mother.” Matilda clasped her hands at her waist. “Not many women have a gypsy for a mother.” Although she whispered it, the confession seemed to boom through the room.

“Gypsy?” William tilted his head to the side as he studied her. “Oh.”

“Thankfully, aside from her coloring, I inherited nothing of her nature.”

“When you would not talk of her, I assumed your mother was French or Italian or such. That you were ashamed of the connection because we had been at war with her people.”

Matilda shook her head quickly. “My mother’s family is English.” She studied William’s face, watching for signs of disapproval. Her heart might break if he turned away because of her mother. “I do get restless at times but not, as my father often remarked, as much as she once did.”

William captured her face in his palm, turning her into the light. “I have always been fascinated by your features.”

She grew uncomfortable as he continued to study her. “Unconventional.”

“Unique. So calm and yet so subtly wild beneath the surface. Like the way you dance in the woods and watch the sunset from this room every day. You are drawn to nature as much as I’m drawn to you. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I have tried to capture your attention and never once managed the feat to my satisfaction. There is something so elusive about your face and eyes. You bewitched me, and at last I know why.”

Matilda glanced away at his remarks, unsettled by them. “My father said as much of my mother. Marrying a gypsy did not turn out so well for him in the end.”

“He lost her too soon.” William brushed his thumb across her lips. “I can understand the wish to keep you safe from harm at all costs. I am only surprised you allow me so much latitude.”

“It feels right between us, William.” She blushed though. She had not the strength to fight her own nature. She liked being disciplined. “My mother didn’t die, William. She went home to live with her people because she could not abide society or my father’s rules and restrictions.”

His eyes widened in shock. “Your mother is alive?”

“I imagine so.” Matilda shrugged. “They fought before she left. My mother wanted to take me with her, but my father refused to part with me. He would not deny his daughter a place in the world, he said. He promised to educate me, something my mother wished for but could not provide if she resumed her life with her people. She gave me up. She never came back.”

William caught her wrist and held her firmly. “Do you want to search for her? I will help you find out what has become of her.”

“That is very kind of you, but it is not necessary. My father and I lived in the same house until his death. In all that time, she never sought us out again.” Matilda shrugged, unable to recall much about the woman who’d given birth to her or stir up the longing to seek her out. “If she had wanted to see me, to be my mother again, she would have come long before now.”

“Her loss. She should have been proud of the woman you’ve become. Here now, lift your chin.” He raised her face with his knuckle, his brow creasing severely. “You have nothing to be ashamed of, Matilda Ford.”

Matilda studied his earnest expression, astonished by his remark. “I married for money, William. For that I have every right to be disappointed in myself.”

“How can you think that? If not for you, I would have died. You had no idea how lost I was until you came.”

Matilda traced the scar on his cheek. “Our lives prepared us for each other, but it is up to us how we live those lives.”

“Indeed it is.” He grinned and studied her notes. “You’ll need to advertise for a full complement of servants for the new house. I completed the purchase this morning. We can move next week.”

Matilda bit her lip. “We have the perfect butler already. He simply needs a promotion and a kind word from you.”

“Dawson?”

Matilda nodded. “He will be perfect in the position and can help Miss Marta if she accepts my offer to come back and work for us as housekeeper.”

William raised a brow. “Are you offering the woman the position so you may play matchmaker?”

“I am offering her the housekeeper position because I feel she and I will get along. If Dawson and Marta rekindle their romance, then two needs are served at once.” She shuffled her papers. “I assume you have no objection to fraternization between people who intend marriage.”

“No.” He chuckled softly and caught her up into his arms. “What did I do before you came along?”

“I don’t know, but I prefer not to speculate.”

His hand smacked against her bottom. “Dearest Matilda, my wife, my darling, my savior. You are the only woman who has ever spoken to me with so much honesty. I don’t know how I survived without you, and I couldn’t live without you now.”

She blushed at his promises. Accepting his rules and punishments was easy. Keeping her place in his world took all her strength, but she was willing to be instructed. She wrapped her arms about his neck, smiling up into his face. “I can be all you need, Billy.”

He kissed her hard. “Darling, say that again.”

“Billy,” she whispered into his ear.

William hoisted her off the floor and moved toward their dressing room.

“I want you over my knee right now, Matilda,” William said before drawing up her skirts. A cold draft tickled her bottom, and his fingers teased the back of her thighs in a distracting dance. She loved him when he was bossy.

But there was one thing more she needed to say before he would continue. Something vitally important. She whispered his name. “Billy.”

Twenty-Four

W
illiam let himself inside their new home and smiled at the change Matilda had already brought to the place after just a few short days. Mirrors were hung, hall tables placed exactly where he’d expected them to be and topped with flowers gathered from their own garden. He pushed the door closed on the outside world and placed the heavy wicker basket on the floor gently.

He’d been away, attending to the final packing of their possessions, which should arrive in the next day to conclude their move from London to the country.

The move had gone smoothly and was completed so quickly that he was impressed. Matilda had handled everything beautifully. He’d allowed her to stay here without him for two nights, but only because Dawson and the new housekeeper had already assumed their new roles.

He was standing in his first-ever home, and quite proudly too. He imagined many happy moments in this place with Matilda. He imagined raising their family here together one day too.

He made his way to the butterfly house but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what was going on. The room was filled with plants now, a cozy pair of chairs and a side table had been placed in one corner. But it was his Matilda that stilled him. His beloved was kneeling on the floor, her beguiling bottom swaying back and forth as she scrubbed at something she shouldn’t be touching. “What is this?”

She spun around, eyes wide. “William, you’re back!”

She scrambled to her feet and removed the soil-stained gloves that protected her fingers before she hurried to greet him with a peck on the cheek.

William put his hands on his hips. “I’ve come for my Mattie, but who is this urchin scrubbing at the tiles?”

“It was just a small spot,” Matilda promised, appearing not the least bit guilty. “It was stubborn, and I could not stand it there a moment longer.”

He grunted. Stopping Matilda cleaning their new home had become something of a battle between them. The minute he went out of a room she moved things, dusted, or started polishing windows. The number of times he’d spanked her for infractions, and she’d not complained, was a little alarming. “Very well. I will let this go just once.”

She fell into his arms. “You were gone a very long time.”

“Three days and two very long nights.” He cupped her face with both hands and lifted her gaze to his. “An eternity.”

“It was.” She took her lower lip between her teeth but then smiled brightly. “I trust you left your family in good health.”

William kissed her. Hard. Pleasantries could wait a few minutes. Gods, he’d almost run mad with missing her. “Victoria had a marriage proposal just as I left Newberry House. She’s going to consider it on the journey back to Newberry Park and write to let us know what she decides.”

Matilda’s face grew serious. “She did? Who?”

“Lord Thornton. He’s a kind man. I’d be very happy with the match if she accepts him.”

Matilda turned away. “Does she love him?”

“Hard to say. Victoria keeps her feelings to herself much more than the other pair. Do you know how they met? My sister almost skewered him with an arrow of all things. He’s a brave man to offer. He must wonder if he can survive the marriage.” William laughed heartily, recalling how Victoria had blushed and stammered when she’d recounted the story. “Do you remember our wedding day?”

Matilda nodded.

He tweaked her chin. “You were so scared of what our marriage might entail. I hope you see now that your fears were unfounded and you belong with me.”

“Yes, William.” She turned away. “I know what you want from me.”

A shiver raced over William’s skin at the flat quality of her response. He tried to catch her eye, but she kept fiddling with other things. “Maria Chudleigh showed her face again. She asked after you particularly.”

Matilda turned away. “Oh, what did you tell her?”

Something subtle had changed since they’d become intimate, but couldn’t work out why. He had wondered perhaps if his nature was driving a wedge between them. He’d given her everything he was. His name. His time. His attention. His wealth.

“I told her that when I returned to our home I expected the nursery to be ready. She almost fainted at that suggestion. You would have laughed about it later with me.” He placed one hand on Matilda’s shoulder and she jumped. “Are you all right?”