Innocence (4 page)

She had no right to think of him by his Christian name, as they had not been introduced let alone being intimately acquainted. But she very much liked the sound of it, just as she very much liked the look of the man. While all four gentlemen were a sight to behold, there was something about the Duke’s son that caused her heart to race. Not normally one to behave giddily in the presence of a gentleman, Lisa was unsettled by her response. She could only assume it was caused by the knowledge Nathaniel was the son of her potential benefactor.

Without warning, he looked up, staring directly at the window behind which the girls were kneeling. Sally and Ruth squealed and ducked down below the sill, but Lisa remained where she was, boldly returning his gaze.
 

Truth be told, she was frozen immobile.

Time seemed to stand still, the sounds of the great house fading away as her attention was captivated by the handsome young man standing in the courtyard below. From this distance, she was unable to make out the colour of his eyes, but his gaze was arresting and held her fixed in place. As he continued to stare up at her, a faint hope rose in Lisa’s heart. She had promised her father she would trust no one besides the Duke, a promise she was loath to break. But she couldn’t help wondering if his son might help her in his stead.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of work, introductions, more work, a hearty meal hastily eaten, and then
more
work before the girls were released to trudge up three flights of stairs to their attic room. Lisa had never been so tired in her life, and the thought of rising at five the next morning to do it all again filled her with dread.

After stowing her belongings in the small timber chest at the foot of her narrow bed, she hid her mother’s necklace beneath the thin mattress of her cot. Her evening bath consisted of a quick wash from a bowl of water she filled from a barrel in the hallway. The water was ice cold, but at this point, Lisa was just grateful she had not had to lug the buckets up the stairs herself.

Despite her exhaustion, sleep was elusive, as her overtired mind kept repeating the events of both the day and previous week. Lisa missed her father and home terribly and wondered what would become of her. Overwhelmed by her drastic change in circumstance, she cried herself to sleep.

Chapter 4

The New Girl

Morning came too soon, and Lisa groaned as she lifted her aching body from the bed.

“It’ll get easier.” Ruth offered her a sympathetic smile. “It’s busier than usual at the moment with all the guests stayin’ on from the weddin’. Oh, that was hectic but the loveliest sight ye can imagine. Are ye out of practice, or was the last place ye worked at smaller than this?”

“A bit of both.” Lisa sighed wearily. After splashing icy water on her face, she donned her uniform then ran her brush through her tangled curls. She had managed to take her hair down the night before, though the plait she had tied it in before climbing into her narrow bed was rough to say the least. Her new sleeping companions eyed her feeble attempts to put it up in a bun sceptically.

“Ye’ve never done yer own hair, ’ave ye?” Sally shook her head in disbelief.

Lisa feared her ineptitude was stretching the credibility of her fabricated tale.
 

“My, er . . .
friend
, Helen, used to put it up for me.”

“I’ll ’elp ye this once,” Ruth said. “But ye’ll ’ave to do it yerself in future. We don’t ’ave much time in the morning.”

Lisa listened carefully as Ruth explained the process, holding up the little mirror they had to share between the three of them so she could follow each step.

“Ye’ve got the most beautiful ’air.” Ruth smiled shyly.

“Really?” Lisa blinked in surprise. “But it’s
red?
”
 

“Aye, a lovely dark red with the prettiest gold highlights.”
 

Lisa was not used to being complimented on her hair. The local society ladies had made sure to enlighten Lisa to the inappropriateness of her colouring when they had taken the motherless girl under their wing.
 

“There’s nothing to be done about it.” Lady Morton’s face had twisted into her most disapproving expression. “But the fact remains, a
true
lady should not
possess hair the colour of spring vegetables.”

Lisa had giggled, imagining the portly madam with bright green hair, but her smile had soon faded. The other girls had teased her mercilessly, Lady Morton’s daughter, Petronella, in particular.
 

“I was told only
whores
have red hair.” Lisa braced herself for her fellow maids’ reactions, willing to take the risk to finally learn the word’s meaning. When she had asked her father about it, he had told her to take no notice but not to mention the word in public as it was not fitting for a young lady’s vocabulary.
 

“Oh piffle.” Ruth tucked a stray curl into place. “Whoever said so was just jealous. You’ve got gorgeous hair. It goes wonderfully with your green eyes.”

“My cousin has red hair, and she’s a whore.” Sally sighed. “The fellas certainly like it, at least, that’s what she reckons. Says she gets twice as many blokes as the other girls wanting her to spread her legs of a night. Right curse it is. She’d give anything to have brown hair or even blond, but red hair’s the one they want ’cos of stupid stories wot get told.”

“Can we please not talk about it?” Ruth asked.

Lisa was about to insist they continue, Sally’s remarks spawning numerous questions, when she noticed Ruth had gone quite pale. Her whole body was trembling, and Sally put a comforting arm around the younger girl’s shoulders.

“Sorry, lass.” The blustery blonde revealed an unexpectedly motherly side with her gentle tone. “Didn’t mean to upset ye. Yer safe ’ere, even with the Duke away. His Grace threatened the devil’s own fire for anyone that messes with ye.”

Ruth nodded jerkily then headed for the door at the sound of their names being called. Concerned for the girl and more confused than ever, Lisa followed behind.

Breakfast was served promptly at six, plain food amply supplied. After helping the other maids dry a mountain of dishes, Lisa went with them to the dining room where breakfast was to be served for the household. It was an impressive-looking room, but it apparently paled in comparison to the more formal dining room where luncheon was served. Depending on the numbers, which could vary from a handful to dozens, dinner was served in even more distinguished surroundings. The girls explained she might get a glimpse of these rooms if she was on cleaning duty, but only the butler, under butlers, and senior footmen served at luncheon or dinner. The maids helped with breakfast as it was served buffet-style, a highlight of their very long day.

“Lady Cahill and the other ladies sleep late and ’ave their breakfast in bed,” Ruth explained as they made their way to the breakfast room.

“Thank God for small mercies,” Sally said.

“What about Lady Rebecca? Will she be down for breakfast?” Lisa asked, curious, as she had hoped to meet the Duke’s daughter one day.

“Oh, no. His Grace ’ad ’er sent off to stay with his sister when he went on his ’oneymoon. He wasn’t about to leave ’er ’ere with Lords McGivern and Edgeley sniffin’ around, even with a half-dozen great aunts and uncles and ’er brother and cousin ’ere to act as chaperone.”

Lisa nodded, pleased to have some understanding of the situation. The importance of a young lady protecting her reputation had been drummed into her over the previous few years, along with the importance of parental or mature chaperonage.
 

Arriving at their destination, the girls set to work spreading linen tablecloths and setting the tables. At least, Lisa knew where to put the cutlery. When ornate carts arrived with fruit platters, pastries, and piping hot covered dishes, they positioned the plates on the long sideboard for the household members and guests to serve themselves. It was the maids’ job to clear away the used dishes and replace or refill others as required. They were also experienced at pouring the guests’ hot beverages, something the other girls assured Lisa she would
not
be required to do.

Her leg jiggled with nervous anticipation as the usual time for the lordships’ arrival approached.

“Keep still,” Ruth whispered, and Lisa blushed to hear the oft-spoken admonishment delivered by a maid. Her tendency to fidget had been a problem for as long as she could recall. Of all the talents she was supposed to have mastered to prove her credentials as a lady of quality, riding was the only one she that had come naturally. She was barely passable at the pianoforte, hated embroidery, and her singing was better left unsung. She did like to sketch, and she could discuss the weather in several languages, which hopefully counted for something.

Lisa’s attention refocused when the door opened, and lords Cahill, McGivern, and Edgeley entered the dining room. Talking and laughing together, they were dressed for riding in cream jodhpurs, long black Hessians, and tightly fitted hacking jackets, looking every bit as handsome as she recalled from the day before.

The girls let out a collective sigh of appreciation and bobbed their curtsies, the men merely glancing their way without responding. Lisa frowned, unnerved to be dismissed in such a manner. Under normal circumstances, she would have expected a proper introduction, greetings, and at least a few moments of idle discourse from the gentlemen, not appraising looks and no direct comment at all.

The three men filled their plates and then took their seats at the table as they continued their discussion of an upcoming hunt. Lord Cahill signalled for a cup of tea. Mr Henson, the head butler, nodded to Ruth who wasted no time taking the tea service to the table and filling Lord Cahill’s cup before moving on to Lord McGivern.

“I’d rather coffee.” Lord Edgeley waved Ruth away, his gaze upon Sally who smiled and swayed her ample hips as she collected the coffee pot.

Lisa gaped at the girl’s shameless display and Lord Edgeley’s extraordinary response. Smiling up at Sally, he rested a hand on her hip as she served him. While Lisa had witnessed worse behaviour in the public inns on her journey from Henbury, she had not expected to see such familiarity in a ducal manor. More than a little shocked, she glanced over at Ruth who shrugged one shoulder and then motioned for her to face forward. A few moments later, Nathaniel entered the room, and Lisa needed all of her concentration to remain standing.

Up close, the Duke of Worthington’s heir was even more handsome than he had appeared from a distance. He walked across the room towards the buffet with long, easy strides before glancing at Lisa and coming to an abrupt halt. His eyes, deep blue and heavily lashed, sparked with an emotion she did not recognise.

“You.”
 

His brow furrowed, and Lisa took a step back. Feeling a blush rising in her cheeks, she wished she was still young enough to wear her hair down. Hiding behind it would have given her a semblance of protection,
not
that she would have had that option in her current position as a servant. Dropping her gaze, she bobbed a curtsy, remembering not to sweep low to the ground as she had trained to do under her governess, Miss Brewer’s, strict guidance. When she glanced up, Nathaniel hadn’t moved.

“Quit scowling at the new girl, Nate,” his cousin chided. “She can’t help being a beauty, and you know you can’t touch. Stop torturing yourself and eat.”

“Bloody hell, Michael. Do you have to be so blunt?”