Robert.”
“Then I suspect it is a conversation you should have with Lord Robert.”
He had a point. How would Robert react if she mentioned the matter? She pictured his stunned look and grinned.
Of course, he could be no more stunned than Mary was when Emily began the same conversation with her maid later that night before bed.
Mary was dark-haired and darker-eyed and a little on the pale side, or perhaps Emily just terrified her. Mr. Phillips had confided that Mary had been His Grace’s upstairs maid in London until she agreed to take on extra duties while Emily was there. His Grace didn’t apparently see the need to hire Emily her own maid even though she was out of school. She could only hope that was not because he thought she was going to marry soon, and then it would be up to Lord Robert to see to all her needs.
“Rumors?” Mary said, fair skin turning even paler.
Perhaps if she didn’t look directly at the woman, Mary would be less nervous. Emily turned to let the maid unlace her quilted cotton corset. “Yes, rumors, stories. Gossip.”
“Well,” Mary said, busily pulling the cord through the holes in the back of the undergarment, “everyone seems quite glad Lord Robert has chosen to settle down.”
“Settle down from what?” Emily asked with a frown.
Mary’s fingers seemed to slow. “Oh, I’m sure I couldn’t say, your ladyship.”
Not her too. This would never do! “It’s quite all right to speak freely, Mary,” she said as gently as she could. “I won’t scold, I promise.”
Mary sighed as she finished with the corset and pulled it off, her breath brushing Emily’s bare shoulder. “It’s just that I want to do a good job for you, your ladyship. Being a lady’s maid has always been my dream.”
“I understand having a dream,” Emily said, turning to face her once again. “Lord Robert is currently threatening mine. So, please, tell me if you know. Why did he have to settle down?”
Mary clutched the corset to her chest and lowered her voice, as if afraid the silk-covered walls might overhear. “He was a wild fellow, your ladyship. The other servants were talking about how he had a girl in every village around the family’s country estate. Even dallied with a merchant’s daughter here in town and a married lady.”
Oh, the cad! Hadn’t she said he was up to no good? Emily could feel herself blushing just thinking about it.
Mary must have noticed that Emily had reddened, for the maid hurried to fetch her robe.
“Now, don’t you worry, your ladyship,” she said, draping the quilted satin around Emily’s shoulders. “He chose you, didn’t he? That proves he intends to do right.”
Perhaps. But it might also prove that he’d simply bowed to pressure from his family. What better way to turn respectable than to marry the daughter of an old family friend, particularly when she was the daughter of a duke? There was nothing more respectable than marrying the daughter of a duke. Yet why the hurry? Just how tame was Lord Robert Townsend now?
The thought kept Emily up late into the night. Unfortunately, Mary had handed her nothing she could use. Obviously His Grace knew all about Lord Robert’s reformation. He’d said he and Robert’s brother had only been waiting for Robert to change before announcing the wedding plans. So she still had nothing she could tell her father that would change his mind and save the ball.
And it wasn’t as if she cared who Robert had dallied with. She certainly didn’t want him to fall in love with her! But she’d thought, she’d hoped , that the man she married would see more in her than merely her father’s consequence and good name. Was it not possible that someone might enjoy her company, appreciate her art, want to be with her simply for herself ?
She finally rose, pulled on her painting smock, and went to her easel. She was itching to start another battle scene. She could just imagine all those feudal fighters in the colors of
“Then I suspect it is a conversation you should have with Lord Robert.”
He had a point. How would Robert react if she mentioned the matter? She pictured his stunned look and grinned.
Of course, he could be no more stunned than Mary was when Emily began the same conversation with her maid later that night before bed.
Mary was dark-haired and darker-eyed and a little on the pale side, or perhaps Emily just terrified her. Mr. Phillips had confided that Mary had been His Grace’s upstairs maid in London until she agreed to take on extra duties while Emily was there. His Grace didn’t apparently see the need to hire Emily her own maid even though she was out of school. She could only hope that was not because he thought she was going to marry soon, and then it would be up to Lord Robert to see to all her needs.
“Rumors?” Mary said, fair skin turning even paler.
Perhaps if she didn’t look directly at the woman, Mary would be less nervous. Emily turned to let the maid unlace her quilted cotton corset. “Yes, rumors, stories. Gossip.”
“Well,” Mary said, busily pulling the cord through the holes in the back of the undergarment, “everyone seems quite glad Lord Robert has chosen to settle down.”
“Settle down from what?” Emily asked with a frown.
Mary’s fingers seemed to slow. “Oh, I’m sure I couldn’t say, your ladyship.”
Not her too. This would never do! “It’s quite all right to speak freely, Mary,” she said as gently as she could. “I won’t scold, I promise.”
Mary sighed as she finished with the corset and pulled it off, her breath brushing Emily’s bare shoulder. “It’s just that I want to do a good job for you, your ladyship. Being a lady’s maid has always been my dream.”
“I understand having a dream,” Emily said, turning to face her once again. “Lord Robert is currently threatening mine. So, please, tell me if you know. Why did he have to settle down?”
Mary clutched the corset to her chest and lowered her voice, as if afraid the silk-covered walls might overhear. “He was a wild fellow, your ladyship. The other servants were talking about how he had a girl in every village around the family’s country estate. Even dallied with a merchant’s daughter here in town and a married lady.”
Oh, the cad! Hadn’t she said he was up to no good? Emily could feel herself blushing just thinking about it.
Mary must have noticed that Emily had reddened, for the maid hurried to fetch her robe.
“Now, don’t you worry, your ladyship,” she said, draping the quilted satin around Emily’s shoulders. “He chose you, didn’t he? That proves he intends to do right.”
Perhaps. But it might also prove that he’d simply bowed to pressure from his family. What better way to turn respectable than to marry the daughter of an old family friend, particularly when she was the daughter of a duke? There was nothing more respectable than marrying the daughter of a duke. Yet why the hurry? Just how tame was Lord Robert Townsend now?
The thought kept Emily up late into the night. Unfortunately, Mary had handed her nothing she could use. Obviously His Grace knew all about Lord Robert’s reformation. He’d said he and Robert’s brother had only been waiting for Robert to change before announcing the wedding plans. So she still had nothing she could tell her father that would change his mind and save the ball.
And it wasn’t as if she cared who Robert had dallied with. She certainly didn’t want him to fall in love with her! But she’d thought, she’d hoped , that the man she married would see more in her than merely her father’s consequence and good name. Was it not possible that someone might enjoy her company, appreciate her art, want to be with her simply for herself ?
She finally rose, pulled on her painting smock, and went to her easel. She was itching to start another battle scene. She could just imagine all those feudal fighters in the colors of
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