Page 23 of Lady Audacious
‘I am not leaving while there is competition on his very doorstep.’
‘Then take Lady Emily with you and call upon the new neighbour yourself tomorrow and see what you make of her. If you imply that there is an understanding between you and the earl…’
‘Now that is the first sensible suggestion you have actually made all night.’ Sarah’s smile caused the unwelcome red mist to dissipate. ‘I am absolutely convinced that she is below par and that he was too gentlemanly to make such an admission himself.’ Sarah glared at her maid. ‘Why are you looking so doubtful? It is your duty to agree with me.’
‘It is my duty to talk some sense into you and show you where you are going wrong. You are making too much out of this new arrival. You told me yourself that Lord Amberley paid a lot of attention to a young woman at a soiree you recently attended, yet you haven’t got into a taking over that. And she, I assume, would be a worthy rival.’
‘She is now promised elsewhere, and Reuben doesn’t seem unduly concerned by the announcement of her engagement. Anyway, I shall persuade Emily to ride over with me tomorrow. She is curious about the lady as well, so I am sure she will agree. What did you hear in the village when you walked down this evening?’
‘Everyone’s talking about the woman. She dresses like a Quaker, evidently. She is young and very self-assured but everyone is frustrated because they don’t know anything about her. She deflected all questions that were put to her, apparently. Anyway, she purchased a couple of readymade gowns from the haberdashery.’
Sarah wrinkled her nose. ‘Readymade gowns? How very provincial of her.’
‘She’s taken on a couple of maids, two lads and a cook—but here’s the interesting bit. One of the maids is Doris Garland. You won’t know the name but the gossip in the village is that she was on the brink of a very advantageous marriage to a solicitor’s clerk but he called it off when she was caught in a compromising position with a groom.’
‘How delicious,’ Sarah said absently, ‘but what is that to me?’
‘It means that Doris, who had expectations of improving herself, is now obliged to work as a maid and is unlikely to receive more offers, given her reputation. Understandably she is resentful, and that resentment will fester now she’s obliged to work for a woman no older than herself who appears to be setting up house alone.’
‘Hmm.’ Sarah tapped her fingers against her lips. ‘She might be willing to report to you about the activities in that household, in return for a few coins.’
‘Precisely. The girl obviously doesn’t know the meaning of loyalty.’
‘Well then, see what you can do.’
Odile slept very well on her new mattress, as comfortable as you please between crisp new sheets of a quality that was far finer than anything she had known at Miss Mackenzie’s. She was exhausted yet quietly pleased with the manner in which she had conducted herself during her first full day at Fox’s Reach.
Her repose had been interrupted by sporadic images of the suave Earl of Amberley and the amusement in his expression when she had stood her ground, refusing to satisfy his curiosity about her circumstances. She ought to be wary of him, since she knew he wanted Fox’s Reach for himself and might lower himself to underhand strategies in order to procure it. Despite that possibility, she somehow sensed that she could trust him. As a gentleman of honour, she could call upon him in her hour of need and he would help her with no expectation of reward.
Which was all well and good, she thought, turning and thumping her pillows into a more comfortable nest, but she was determined to prove a point to herself by managing the renovation of her house by herself. She simply would not call upon any outsiders for assistance when obstacles were placed in her path, as they inevitably would be.
She had pretended not to notice the glances that had been sent her way in the village the previous day. Like the earl, they assumed her family—amalemember of her family—would be arriving imminently and were therefore willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Once word spread that she intended to live alone—and thanks to the resentful Doris it was likely to do so very quickly—then their attitude would soon alter.
A young, unmarried woman in possession of an inheritance and living alone, was clearly undesirable. They would think she had acquired the property by underhand means, perhaps by luring an unsuspecting gentleman in through use of her feminine wiles. Odile laughed aloud at such an absurd notion, aware that she was nofemme fataleand wouldn’t know how to deploy her wiles, even supposing that she possessed any. She was not yet accustomed to country ways but had no difficulty in believing that the locals would be as superstitious as Londoners and equally keen to spread unsubstantiated rumours.
So be it. Odile enjoyed her own company and would find plenty to do with her time in her new abode. She hoped the locals would come to approve of her, but wouldn’t lose any sleep if they did not.
She rose early and dressed in one of her new gowns, which made her feel like a different person. She twisted her hair up into a loose approximation of the bun that Miss Mackenzie had insisted upon and examined her reflection, thinking she looked determined, respectable and perhaps even a little more mature.
Mrs Blaine greeted her effusively. The kitchen was warm and enticing smells emanated from the range. She supplied Odile with a large breakfast and had already acquired tea, which she poured. Odile sat at the kitchen table and did justice to Mrs Blaine’s fayre.
‘Your parlour will be ready for you by the end of the day or I’ll know the reason why,’ Mrs Blaine said. ‘You’ll be able to eat in comfort in there and relax afterwards with no one to disturb you.’
‘I don’t mind eating in the kitchen, Mrs Blaine. You have made it very welcoming. But I don’t want to trespass upon your territory.’
‘It’s best if you observe a few formalities, if you don’t mind me giving you advice,’ the older woman said, plonking herself down on the stool across from Odile and helping herself to tea. ‘You are the mistress of this house. Your youth and unusual circumstances will set tongues wagging, so you will need to maintain standards.’
‘I will be condemned if I do and condemned if I do not, I’m sure,’ Odile muttered. ‘People are quick to frown upon the unconventional but I will not be forced into giving up my place here by unenlightened views.’
‘And nor should you be. All the time I remain in residence, no one can criticise the arrangement.’
‘Which will not prevent them.’
‘Did I notice the earl speaking with you in the garden yesterday? I thought you might have invited him in.’
Odile chuckled. ‘He would have been horrified by the state of the place. Besides, it would not have been seemly.’ They both chuckled. ‘Actually, he rather arrogantly assumed that I would sell the property to him and probably expected me to offer it to him at a bargain price. I was compelled to put him in his place, and he is now aware that he quite mistook the matter.’
Mrs Blaine smiled. ‘The earl isn’t arrogant, love. He’s well respected around these parts and never gets above himself.’ Odile harrumphed. ‘He won’t make a nuisance of himself either. If you’ve told him you don’t want to sell, he will respect that decision.’
