Page 15 of Reforming Lord Ragsdale
“Can’t find a place to sleep, can we?” she mocked. “Find a peat bog.” The maid hurried on down the stairs, tying her apron as she went and laughing at her own cleverness.
Emma drew her knees up to her chin and watched the maid’s progress. “No, but I will find a place someday,” she said, too quiet for anyone to hear.
Not that anyone was listening to her. As Emma sat on the back stairs, she heard the butler giving his orders. Soon the upstairs maids would be coming up the stairs, staggering under the weight of cans of hot water and then teapots.Another day has come to the Ragsdale household, she thought as she looked down at the paper still clutched in her hand. She spread it out on the landing and wondered for a moment at her audacity. She shook her head over the document containing Lord Ragsdale’s shaky signature.I must be crazy, she thought.
She made herself small in the corner—something she was good at—as the first maid hurried upstairs with hot water. Five years ago—or was it six now?—she never would havedone something that outrageous.There was a time when I cared what happened to me, she thought as she carefully folded the paper.I wonder which room is Lady Ragsdale’s?
The problem was solved for her as she quietly moved up the stairs in the wake of the upstairs maids. The first closed door she identified from last night. No one went in there, and she knew it would be hours before anyone stumbled out. Two doors down was Sally Claridge’s room, if she remembered right. Ah, yes. The woman who opened the door was the dresser who had made herself quite at home in the little space Emma had carved out of the dressing room before the trip to Oxford. Robert had slept in the room next, but now the maid was tapping softly on the door beyond. The tall, thin woman with the sneer who opened the door was Lady Ragsdale’s dresser.
Emma thought at first that she would wait until the maid left and then knock, but hurriedly discarded that idea. The dresser probably would not let her in. She took a deep breath and followed in after the maid, who looked around in surprise and glared at her.
“I am sure you do not belong in here,” the dresser said. The cold glint in her eyes told Emma that if Lady Ragsdale’s servant had not been occupied with the tea tray, she would have thrown her out. As it was, the dresser could only sputter and protest as Emma hurried to the bed where Lady Ragsdale sat awaiting her first cup of the day.
“Emma, whatever are you doing in here? And for heaven’s sake, why are you so rumpled?” Lady Ragsdale asked, staring at her unexpected morning visitor.
“I slept on the stairs because no one provided a room for me,” she explained. She spread out her hands in front of her. “I know that you would have, my lady, but you were so tired from yesterday’s journey.” She flashed her most brilliant smile at the lady in the bed and was rewarded with a smile in return.
“Thank you, Acton,” Lady Ragsdale said to her dresser,who handed her a cup of tea and stood glowering at Emma. “That will be all for the moment. Sit down, Emma. And do excuse this ramshackle household. I will instruct Lasker to find you a place to sleep tonight.”
Emma perched herself on the edge of a chair close to Lady Ragsdale’s bed. She sat in silence for a brief moment, willing her heart to stop jumping about in her chest, then held out the paper to Lady Ragsdale.
The other woman took it and read the few words on the page as Emma held her breath. To her vast relief, Lady Ragsdale began to laugh. She set down the teacup on her lap tray and leaned back against the pillows, indulging herself until she had to wipe her eyes with the corner of the sheet. “Emma, you are a shrewd one! Why on earth do you want to attempt this Promethean task?” she asked as she handed back the document.
Emma chose her words carefully. “I owe your son a hefty debt and mean to pay him back. It was his idea, by the way.”
To her chagrin, Lady Ragsdale regarded her in silence. Emma returned her stare, pleading in silence for the woman before her to understand.I must have an ally, or this will not work, she thought.Oh, please, Lady Ragsdale.
She leaned forward, testing the waters. “Lady Ragsdale, doesn’t it bother you that he is frittering away his life?”
“It bothers me,” the widow replied quietly after another substantial pause. She took a sip of tea. “John is a stubborn man. I cannot control him alone. Since his father’s death. . .” She paused again, then visibly gathered herself together. “I’m afraid my guidance is not to his liking.” She sighed. “He’s bitter about the loss of his eye, and he can’t seem to settle down. What he needs is a good wife, and so I have told him.” She took another sip. “Naturally, he does not listen to his mother.”
Emma settled back a little in the chair. “What I propose is this, Lady Ragsdale. Since he told me last night to reform him, I intend to do just that. When he is organized, driedout, and—hopefully—married, I think he will agree to ending my indenture. I will feel the debt is paid.”
“Ifhe will go along with any of this,” Lady Ragsdale warned. “John sober is different from John drunk. What will you do if he denies all knowledge of this pledge of his and refuses to listen to you?”
Emma looked Lady Ragsdale right in the eye. “Then I will plague his life until he does.”
How, she did not know. She knew as well as John Staples’s mother that there was nothing she could do if Lord Ragsdale decided to ignore her. But Lady Ragsdale was looking at her with something close to hope in her face, and she knew she had an ally. She took a deep breath.
“The first thing I want to do is lock up the liquor supply in this house.”
Lady Ragsdale opened her eyes wide. “I do believe you are serious.”
Emma stood up and went to the window. The rain thundered down. It was perfect weather for reformation, she decided. “I have never been more serious. I truly intend to tidy up your son and receive my release papers from him in exchange.” She hesitated, and then plunged on. “I have business of my own in London, and now that I am here, I need the liberty to carry it out.”
The two women regarded each other for a long moment, and then Lady Ragsdale held out her hand. After another slight pause, Emma extended her own, and they shook hands. Lady Ragsdale smiled and called for Acton, who came out of the dressing room so fast that Emma knew she had been listening at the door.
“Acton, I want Lasker up here right away. We have a matter of a lock and key to discuss.”
When the dresser left the room, Emma returned to the chair. “It is perfectly obvious that for some reason Lord Ragsdale cannot stand the sight of me,” she said. “Why? I never did anything to him.”
Lady Ragsdale indicated that Emma remove the tea tray, and she did. The widow settled more comfortably in bed as the storm raged outside. ‘‘It is not you, my dear, but the Irish that he loathes.”
“Why?”
It was a simple question, but it seemed to hang on the air.
Emma watched as Lady Ragsdale’s face grew as bleak as the morning outside.I have to know, she thought as Lady Ragsdale touched the corner of the sheet to her eyes again. She folded her hands in her lap and looked at Emma again.
