Page 48 of His Duchess in Disguise
“You’ve been walking out with one of the village girls, Hamilton. Do you know anything of Mr. Blank?”
“Frankly, Your Grace, he never came up as a topic of conversation. Melissa and I had been making plans for the day when we can afford to get married. She works in the garden with her mother, and they sell produce, and she does leather tooling for her father. We’ve both been putting a little by as we can.”
“I see. Well, that is a healthy approach, to be sure. Mr. Blank, I’m afraid you are not as famous as you could wish to be. So tell me again why you thought Miss Smith would go with you?”
“Because she isn’t who she says she is!” he burst out. “She’s not even a kitchen maid. Whoever heard of a kitchen maid who can’t cut carrots?”
“Everyone has to start somewhere,” Leo observed mildly.
“Oh, come on! If you’ve ever cooked, you know how to cut carrots. Only someone who never cooked anything in her life would cut her hand chopping carrots.”
One of the soldiers cleared his throat.
“You would like to add something, Private?” Captain Arnault asked.
“If you please, sir, that ain’t necessarily so. Me sister had ta cook fer all o’ us whilst me mum went out ta clean. She cut herself a bunch o’ times. Got so’s mum would chop the carrots for she left the house.”
Captain Arnault nodded. “Thank you, Private, for your observation. The point being that having cooked does not necessarily mean that you won’t have an accident during food preparation. Would you concur with that, Your Grace?”
“I do find it an interesting point. I believe that hereinafter, I will instruct Mrs. Chambers to make sure that the kitchen maid can, indeed, chop carrots. We do seem to eat a great number of them. It would not do to require a doctor each time we make stew. But this is hardly a good reason to think that a young woman would go out at night with you, well after her bedtime. Especially when you found that young woman soaking in one of the laundry tubs, modestly covered with a bath sheet.”
“He did what?” Mr. Nob looked astonished.
“I believe he threatened Miss Smith, saying that he would expose her identity if she did not go with him, and he attempted to yank the bath sheet from over the tub, instead of simply going away like any self-respecting gentleman.”
Mr. Nob stared at the young man. “I give him a bill or two to ask the young lady to come speak with me. In no wise did I request that he coerce her or attempt to bring her by force. Nay the less, I do need to speak with her, if I am to earn my fee.”
“Your fee, Mr. Nob?”
“The Baron of Calber and the Earl of Cleweme paid me a sum to locate Miss Hoskins. They asked that I bring her back with me, but I said that I’d only do that if the girl came of her own free will. I ain’t no slaver, an’ I won’t be party to forcin’ anyone to do anything unless it is to uphold the law.
“O’ course, if that young lady should be here against her will, an’ if she’d been kidnapped like, then I’d be duty bounden to report it to the nearest constable. An’ I wouldn’t put it past the Earl o’ Cleweme to bring a constable or two with him just to make sure that you were accused of kidnapping.”
“Now that is an interesting idea, and it certainly would be in character for Percy. But at this time, you have no evidence that Miss Hoskins is, in fact, here at Menhiransten nor that she is the Miss Smith who recently cut herself while chopping carrots.”
“Would there be a chance that I could hear that from the young woman’s own lips?”
“You could, but not tonight. Miss Smith has had a trying day and has been moved to one of the guest rooms since it seems that scullions cannot be trusted around the female help.”
Mr. Nob nodded. “In the morning would be soon enough. Am I to be allowed to go back to my room in the inn?”
“All things considered, I think it would be best if we put you up here, in the manor house. I believe there is a bunk or two in the barracks, is there not, Captain Arnault?”
“I think we can find a cot for Mr. Nob,” the captain said. “Privates . . .”
The soldiers acknowledged the order smartly and took Mr. Nob out with them.
Leo contemplated Matthew Blank. “I think your father is going to be very disappointed in you, Mr. Blank.”
The young man turned pale. “Do we have to tell him, Your Grace?”
“I’ll consider it,” Leo said. “Meanwhile, you’ll be given a blanket and pillow, and you can go spend the night in the empty smokehouse to think about what you’ve done. We’ll talk further in the morning.”
Chapter 32
Emma woke to the sound of Mary Higginsby softly humming as she laid out a breakfast tea. Daylight flooded the guest room, showing it be well-appointed even though it was rather small. Besides the bed, the room contained a pair of blue, brocade wingback chairs, and a small commode that held a pitcher and basin and hid a chamber pot in its bottom compartment. There was also a small table and a set of shelves that would be perfect for a few books or knickknacks.
“Good morning Miss,” Mary greeted her.
