Page 11 of A Housekeeper for the Earl of Drinkwater
Serena barely noticed that he had taken to addressing her by her formal name, as opposed to her Christian name, as he had always before. She was too numb with misery, and suddenly, she just wanted her meeting with him to be over. She understood now why he might have wished to spare her from reading the document. Knowing what it was, she did not want to read it either.
“Very well,” she said, convinced of the document’s authenticity. “I shall sign it.”
The solicitor pointed to the bottom of the page, where her signature was needed. Serena could not help noticing how he kept his hand over the paper, almost as if to prevent her from reading it; she could hardly manage to sign it. She considered asking him to remove his hand, but she remembered what he’d told her about the contents of the paper.
She did not wish to see the words printed on the page. In truth, if she had, she knew she likely would not have been able to force herself to sign it. She was signing away everything she had ever known and loved, and her heart was heavy.
She was also angry again, because it was through no fault of her own that things had turned out like this. When she had finished penning her signature, she thrust the paper back at the solicitor, too ready to see the back of both.
Mr. Tate grinned broadly, nodding at her signature with approval. His eyes were bright, and he seemed almost gleeful, making Serena wonder just how sorry he really was about what she’d had to do.
“Very good, Miss Serena,” he said, reverting to the informality that always made Serena cringe. “Now, we must talk about expenditure cuts.”
Serena sighed, nodding. She rubbed at her temples, trying to push away her emotions yet again so she could focus on the business at hand.
“What do you suggest, Mr. Tate?” she asked.
The solicitor gave her another chilling smile, producing another sheet from beneath the document she had just signed.
“Here, we have listed all your family’s expenditures, up until the time of your mother’s passing,” he said, running his finger up and down the page. “As you can see, the annual pension money put aside for the employees is where a large amount of money is going.”
Serena nodded, staring at the paper. It took her a minute to understand why Mr. Tate had specifically mentioned the employees’ pension payments.
“Oh, no,” she gasped, putting her hands up to her mouth. “Surely, you do not mean I must fire the staff. I can hardly do that to them, not when my father promised them employment for as long as they are able and willing to work, and a pension when they retire.”
The solicitor sighed, and Serena could not tell if he was sympathetic or agitated.
“That is precisely what I am trying to tell you,” he said slowly. “With your financial state as it is, you do not have the money to pay them their wages, let alone the pensions they were promised. I am afraid you must let go of all but the most necessary of your servants.”
Serena shook her head, tears welling in her eyes.
“But surely, I can keep Evelyn and Whitton,” she said, dreading the answer.
The solicitor gave her another sad smile.
“As you can see, they command the highest pensions,” he said. “And thus, they must be the first to go.”
Serena put her face in her hands. She could not fathom losing Evelyn, especially not now that she needed her more than ever. There would be no one left to look after the house while she was working, and she would lose the only form of mother she had left.
But she did not trust the solicitor enough to tell him her plans to find work. She fought to compose herself, though her lip trembled furiously, and she still could not speak.
“Marry me, Miss Serena,” he said, giving her another flesh-creeping smile. “I can provide well for you. And, if you like, after we are married, I will find employment for Evelyn and Whitton. I might even employ them myself, for your sake.”
Serena held her breath. She was prepared to reject him yet again, but this time, no words came. With horror, she realized that her resolve to not marry him was weakening. She knew it was only because he was offering to save her best and dearest employees. But did she not owe them as much, if it was within her power to give it to them?
“I will consider your proposal,” she said, resigned. “I will let you know when I have an answer for you.”
The joy in his eyes as she spoke should have made her feel more at ease. And yet, she had never felt more uncomfortable around him, not even when he’d proposed the first time.
“Very good,” he said, rising. “I shall leave you to your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you. And do not fret. I shall see myself out.”
Serena nodded, bidding him farewell but not standing to see him leave. She truthfully did not know if her knees would support her. So, she simply watched him go, shivering as he began to whistle a happy tune on his way out.
“Are you all right, Miss Serena?” Evelyn said, rushing over to her. “What was that all about?”
She remembered only then that Evelyn had been by the door the entire time. However, it did not appear as though the housekeeper had overheard the discussion about letting her go. Serena could not bring herself to tell Evelyn, or to bring up Tate’s second marriage proposal.
“Let us just be glad he is gone,” she said, hugging the housekeeper. “Would you mind making me some tea?”
