Page 62 of Married to the Earl

Betsy nodded. “But he couldn’t have done it.”

“No, he couldn’t have,” Astrid said. “The man who was killed was a regular patron of the Angry Boar. I’m going to pose as a barmaid and see if I can learn anything about the death that I can go to the police with.”

“My Lady, you can’t,” Betsy breathed. “It’s too dangerous.”

“I must,” Astrid said firmly. “I have to do something. He’s my husband, Betsy, and I love him. I can’t just sit here in the manor, waiting and hoping that everything will turn out all right. I must do what I can to help him.”

Betsy hesitated, then nodded. “I’ll do what I can to help you, then,” she said.

“Thank you,” Astrid said fervently. “I can’t hope to do this without you.”

“Do we really have to cut your fine hair, though?” Betsy asked, running her fingers through it.

“You tell me. Would a servant ever have hair like mine?”

Betsy sighed. “No,” she admitted. “A servant would cut her hair short so that it wouldn’t interfere with her work.”

“Then that’s what I’ve got to do,” Astrid said. “I can’t have them so much as guessing at my true identity. I need to appear to be just another girl looking for a job.”

Betsy nodded. “I suppose it wouldn’t be safe for you to be in the Angry Boar if anyone realized you were Lord Middleborough’s wife.”

“Exactly. I need you to help me for my own protection,” Astrid said. “Can you do it?”

“Yes,” Betsy said, some steel in her voice now.

“Good,” Astrid said. “Thank you, Betsy. I don’t know what I would do without you.” And for the first time since she had acquired a personal maid, that statement felt like the truth.

The rest of the day was a blur of activity. Astrid tried hard not to focus on what she was doing. She forced herself not to mourn the loss of her lovely dark hair, which had reached to her waist, as Betsy cut it off at the shoulders. She kept her attention instead on how free and light her head felt, how much pressure was suddenly gone from her neck and shoulders.

Betsy brought piles of clothes for Astrid to try on. Most of her maid’s things were too small for Astrid, but she found a few dresses that would work. Betsy also chose a few items from the collection Astrid had brought to Middleborough Manor with her. Together, Betsy and Astrid altered those dresses, removing lace and other decorative details to make them as plain as possible.

“How will you get out of the house?” Betsy asked.

“You’ll have to make sure no one is watching,” Astrid said. “Clear the way for me so that I can sneak out the door. And then, you’ll have to be in the foyer again tonight after midnight to let me back in. I don’t have any way of knowing what time I’ll be back on this first night, so I’ll need you to stay awake and wait around until I get here. Can you do it?”

“Yes, My Lady,” Betsy said, her voice full of determination. “I can.”

“I’m very lucky to have you on my side,” Astrid said. “I don’t think I’d be able to do any of this without you, Betsy.”

“Lord Middleborough is innocent,” Betsy said. “I know he could never kill a man. I want to do my part to help see him free.”

On impulse, Astrid stepped forward and embraced her maid. Betsy froze for a moment in her arms, then returned the embrace.

“You’re not quite like any other lady I’ve ever served,” Betsy said. “Most of them would shy away from a man who had been accused of a crime.”

“Most of them shied away from Lord Middleborough before he was ever accused of anything,” Astrid pointed out. “They needed no great reason to keep them away. I may be of common birth, Betsy, but I think I see my husband more clearly than any of the nobles do. And I believe you see him clearly, too.”

“Thank you, My Lady.”

“Go now,” Astrid said. “You mustn’t be seen spending too much time with me today. If my disappearance should be discovered, I want you to be able to say you don’t know where I am and be believed.”

“You shouldn’t worry about protecting me, My Lady,” Betsy protested.

“It’s for my sake as well as yours,” Astrid assured her maid. “If anyone thinks you know where I am, they’ll work to pry the truth out of you. I know you wouldn’t willingly betray me, but they might threaten you or trick you, and I wouldn’t expect you to stay silent under those conditions.”

“I would,” Betsy said staunchly.

“I know you would do your best,” Astrid agreed, smiling. “That’s all I ask of you, Betsy, truly. Now go downstairs and spend the rest of the day with the servants. You can start telling them how distraught I am. Tell them I refuse to leave my room and that I don’t want to be seen by anyone.”

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