Taken by the Duke by Jess Michaels Page B

thorough cleaning at any rate.”
    Before Ava could ask her what she meant, Laura stepped into the hallway and motioned to someone. Another maid stepped into the room with several gowns draped over her arm. Laura motioned to the bed.
    “Just lay them there, thank you.”
    The girl did as she was told, then slipped from the room with just a side-glance for Ava.
    “What are these?” Ava asked as she moved to the bed to examine the dresses. “They are very pretty.”
    Laura smiled, but it was a very fleeting and sad expression. “They are indeed. But let us see if they fit you, yes?”
    Ava did not have time to answer as the efficient maid suddenly stripped her from her nightshift and gave her new undergarments to put on. As Ava did so, Laura picked the first of the three gowns, a day dress in rose pink that had elaborate red stitching along the bodice, and helped Ava stepped into it. As she buttoned the gown, the servant clucked her tongue.
    “You are a bit larger in the bust, but only a fraction,” she murmured, almost to herself. “It will be simple enough to let the gown out.”
    She scribbled a note on a tiny pad she swept from some unseen pocket and then turned Ava slightly. “The length will do, and that was my concern. A little long, but not enough to warrant alteration.”
    “Whose gowns were these?” Ava asked, dreading the answer as Laura held up the next dress next to her, as if to compare the color to her skin tone.
    The maid stopped fretting and blinked a few too many times. She took a long breath. “They were Lady Matilda’s, of course.”
    Ava nodded. “I do not wish to wear them,” she murmured. “It is unseemly given the circumstances.”
    Laura shook away the sadness that was on her face and sighed. “I understand your meaning, my lady. I would not share these gowns with anyone, you see, and especially not you, though I mean you no offense.”
    “Then why bring them?” Ava asked.
    “Because we have little choice.” The maid paced away to lay the two untried gowns onto the bed. “The duke has brought you here, for whatever purpose he has in his mind. He did not plan for your comfort when it came to clothing, probably because he is a man and doesn’t think of these things at all.”
    Ava stared. A servant willing to say anything ill of Rothcastle, even something benign? This was someone who might help her.
    “I suppose while he was kidnapping me, he did not pause to think of my attire, no,” she said, staring evenly at Laura.
    The young woman turned toward her. “Do not mistake me, I do not question him. Lady Matilda was my mistress and a kinder person I have never met. She was snatched from us by—”
    She broke off and turned away. Ava’s heart sank. Was there no one in this house who could see reason?
    “I am so very sorry for your loss,” she said softly, for there was no use arguing with this woman, still steeped in grief. “Is there no other option for me?”
    Laura drew a few breaths. “No. Although I assure you I chose gowns Lady Matilda never wore. They were new things she had designed before her accident.”
    “That is good,” Ava said and it was true relief that flooded her. She had never been allowed to speak to Matilda, of course, and had felt no hatred toward the girl. In truth, she had always thought she was very pretty and had a nice smile.
    But that did not mean she wished to wear the dead woman’s gowns.
    “I do thank you for your thoughtfulness in the matter,” Ava said, moving toward the servant slowly. “Especially considering your feelings about me and my family.”
    The girl turned toward her. “I only think it is a shame that things have come so far. But perhaps there is an end in sight to this foolishness.”
    Ava flinched. She had never had a servant be so direct with her, but what Laura said stabbed her to her very core.
    “An end?” she repeated, thinking of Christian’s offer.
    The girl didn’t answer, but turned away to fiddle with one of