Page 56 of A Housekeeper for the Earl of Drinkwater
Lady Alice sniffed and nodded.
“They detest him,” she said. “He is a wealthy shipping owner. But he has no title. He is a commoner, and my parents will have none of it. They have even banned us from meeting.”
Serena put an arm around the woman, trying to hide her whirling emotions.
“I cannot imagine how difficult this must be for you,” she said. “Perhaps you should think about what it is thatyouwant.”
The woman nodded, sighing.
“I would rather elope with my true love than be forced to marry the earl,” she said. “But my parents would never forgive me if I did that. I simply cannot imagine having to make myself try to forget about Thomas to marry any other man, let alone the earl.”
Serena smiled sympathetically, helping the young lady dry her tears.
“There is something to be said for true love, my lady,” she said. “Listen to your heart. It will never steer you wrong.”
Lady Alice nodded, giving Serena a small smile.
“I suppose you are right,” she said. “I will give it a great deal of thought. Coming here tonight only reinforced my certainty that I love Thomas. Perhaps he is worth risking my parents’ displeasure.”
Serena patted her gently.
“Come, Lady Alice,” she said. “They will be missing you, I am sure. We must get you back to the ball.”
Lady Alice took a deep breath, then nodded.
“You are right,” she said. “It would not do for Mother to find me out here like this.” She surprised Serena by embracing her. “Thank you for being kind enough to talk to me. I do feel much better. And I think I know now what I must do.”
Serena shrugged bashfully.
“It was my pleasure, really,” she said. “Try to enjoy the rest of the ball, won’t you?”
The young woman nodded, patting Serena’s arm.
“Good night, Miss White,” she said.
Serena watched as Lady Alice slipped through the shadows back towards the manor. When she was gone, Serena heaved a heavy sigh. It had broken her heart to hear that the earl was considering marrying another woman.
She found herself praying that Lady Alice would go on and elope with her Thomas, and she scolded herself for such thoughts. But the lady had admitted that she did not want Lord Drinkwater—her heart was elsewhere. Serena thought, not entirely selfishly, that they would all be better off if Lady Alice disobeyed her parents and eloped with her Thomas.
But do I truly have the earl’s best interests at heart with such thoughts?
Chapter Twenty-three
After the last ball guest had left Chimneys, Edward made his way up the stairs and to his mother’s room. He noted that the entire first floor appeared to be spotless, and his heart silently applauded Miss White once more. She was truly a godsend, and he realised he did not know what he would do without her.
Pushing away the thought as he entered his mother’s room, he saw it was softly illuminated by a lamp on the nightstand. She was asleep, an open periodical lying across chest. She seemed more substantial beneath the quilt; she’d been eating well of late and was looking healthier by the day, he was pleased to see.
Not wanting to wake her, Edward stroked her hair gently and bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“I love you dearly, Mother,” he whispered, smiling fondly at her. Then, he slipped back out of the room, heading once more for the ballroom, where there were still plenty of refreshments left over, to which he couldn't help himself. Especially the champagne.
As he admired the ballroom again, he marvelled at how quickly it had been transformed. He was glad for the new maids, but deep down, he knew that Miss White was responsible for everything that had made the ball a ringing success. Was there anything the woman could not do?
When Emily and the new maids came in to clear the refreshment tables, he gave them the pick of the platters, letting them load their plates with left-over treats, before gently shooing them out of the room.
“You may now retire for the evening, ladies,” he slurred, giving them a crooked smile. “I will remain here for a while; I would like to enjoy what remains of the . . . er . . . liquid refreshments. You all did a marvellous job tonight, and you all have my deepest thanks.”
Emily grinned, and the others giggled and blushed, and they each bobbed a curtsey as they made off with their plunder.
