Page 13 of A Rake's Redemption
Elsie hesitated and then went to look out into the hallway before she closed the door and turned around. “I suppose I can tell you. You’ll probably hear about it soon enough. Promise me you won’t say a word to his lordship.”
Intrigue overcame curiosity. Why would Alexander Ashley not want his sister-in-law’s name mentioned? “Ye have me word.”
Elsie lowered her voice to a whisper even though the door was closed. “His lordship intended to marry the duchess. She was Lady Amelia Stanton then. My cousin says he was smitten with the lady.”
Inis had an unfamiliar sensation as though her stomach had just dropped to her toes, although she didn’t know why. “What happened?”
Elsie paused. “Lady Amelia had…ambitions.”
Inis began to have an inkling to what happened next. She’d seen it often enough in Ireland’s aristocratic circles. “Lady Amelia preferred to marry a duke instead?”
Elsie nodded.
“But why would the duke marry her if he knew Lord Ashley intended to?”
“I don’t know for sure. My cousin says His Grace and our lordship don’t get along.” The maid lifted her shoulders. “Also, Lady Amelia is very beautiful.”
The odd, sinking sensation in Inis’s stomach returned. It should come as no surprise to find out that someone as good looking as Alexander Ashley was attracted to pretty women. Handsome men and beautiful women went together as naturally as a matched pair of horses.
“I should leave before your bath water gets cold,” Elsie said.
“Thank ye, I appreciate…” Inis started to say, but the maid had already scurried to the door as though she was afraid she’d said too much. Inis let her go, then stripped off her shirt and breeches, glad there wasn’t a mirror in the small room. She didn’t need to see that her slender body was more angles than curves or that her riotous curls never looked smooth and combed.
Inis stepped into the hip bath and sat on the small, built-in seat. The Duke of Dansworth had visited her uncle in Dublin several years ago. How she could ever have confused him with Alex, she didn’t know. She must have panicked the day she was brought here and heard the name. Although Inis had not joined her uncle and the Duke of Dansworth at the high table that night, from what she remembered, the duke had seemed much older, but that might have been because he was thin as a reed with what looked like a permanent frown on his face. He hadn’t been kind to the maids who’d waited on him, either. She recalled him chiding one of them for not changing out his silverware more quickly when he’d dropped a piece. He reminded her of Silas Desmond, or maybe it should be the other way around, given the duke’s title.
Titles. As Inis let the now-tepid water settle over her, she thought of how many women like Amelia Stanton were social climbers. But Sweet Mary, Inis could no more imagine conjoining with the Duke of Dansworth than she could with Silas. How could any woman bring herself to do such a thing?
The more important question, though, was did Alex still have feelings for Amelia?
Chapter Five
Inis joined the rest of the household staff in the kitchen for supper that evening as she had since she arrived. Alex had suggested she take the meal with him in the dining room so she might accustom herself not only to place settings, but also being served by the footmen and maids. She had adamantly refused.
No doubt some of the staff would be jealous when they discovered Inis was being given “lessons.” She certainly did not want them thinking she expected anyone to wait on her. With the exception of Elsie, the other maids were aloof and usually stopped talking when she came across them. Inis didn’t need to give them cause to alienate them further. Having the hot water brought up to her room each afternoon by footmen was luxury enough.
Even at her uncle’s house and estate, where there were numerous servants to tend to her needs, Inis usually did most things for herself. Why would she waste a maid’s time when she was perfectly capable of combing her own hair and dressing herself?
She looked around the large table set in the middle of the huge kitchen. Besides herself and Elsie, there were four other chambermaids seated at the table. Mary and Ivy darted side-glances at her, which told Inis they’d probably already heard she would be receiving individual lessons. Alice, the oldest of the group, studied her openly. Even if Elsie had not told them, the walls of large houses, and barns, seemed to have ears. One of the stable boys could have overheard Lord Ashley’s conversation with her earlier. Servants loved to gossip. Fern, the maid Elsie said had only been hired a few weeks ago, didn’t look at Inis at all.
The other woman at the table tonight was the housekeeper, Mrs. Bradley. She usually did not take her meals with them since she was, officially, their supervisor and kept a polite, reserved distance. Inis wondered if perhaps she had joined them tonight to squelch any snide comments about Inis being given special attention by Lord Ashley. A major portion of a chatelaine’s job was to keep the female servants in line, just as the majordomo did with the male staff.
“Does Lord Ashley entertain often during the Season?” Inis asked Mrs. Bradley.
“No,” the housekeeper replied. “As a bachelor, he tends not to host many events.”
Inis had hoped that would be the case, but she wanted to be certain she wasn’t going to be thrown into any situations unexpectedly.
Mary rolled her eyes at Ivy and spoke as though Inis were not there. “Maybe she’s hopin’ the lord will make her hostess.”
Ivy giggled. “A groom for a—”
“That is quite enough,” Mrs. Bradley said, giving them both a stern look. “What Lord Ashley does, or does not do, is none of your concern.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Mary and Ivy said in unison and studiously attacked their food.
Inis sighed. She didn’t need to make friends, but she would prefer no hostilities. “I am the one who misspoke. I should nae have asked the question.”
“Since you are new here, it is a reasonable one,” Mrs. Bradley answered.
