The Maid's Secret by Val Wood

smokescreen has been lit to shield you and sacrifices are being made already. Marry Tuke and leave this house.’
    Ellen didn’t understand all that, but she trusted Mrs Marshall above anyone and it seemed that there was no other option open to her. The next time Nathaniel Tuke put his hand on her waist she didn’t shrug it away, and the following time she agreed to meet him by the stable block; she told him that they wouldn’t have to be long, and he said that they wouldn’t be.
    ‘I’ve waited a good while for you, Ellen,’ he grunted.
    ‘But we were together at Master Christopher’s party,’ she lied, and thought that her heart would break into pieces as she remembered that night. She could never love Tuke. She would only ever love another. ‘You were drunk; I knew you wouldn’t remember.’
    ‘Nay.’ He gazed at her. ‘I wouldn’t have forgotten that.’
    ‘You have,’ she said, and saw the doubt in his eyes. ‘It was after we found Master Christopher. You went for help and then came back. You must remember, surely?’
    And whether he was convinced or not she was never sure, but he grinned and said, ‘Shall we get wed?’
    She met Christopher one more time before she left to marry Tuke. She was in his room making up his bed whilst she thought he was downstairs at breakfast.
    ‘Beg pardon, sir.’ She dipped her knee when he came into the room.
    ‘My fault, Ellen. I forgot to take a handkerchief with me.’ He slid open a drawer and took one out. He glanced at her. ‘You look very well.’
    ‘I am, sir, thank you.’ She could hardly speak, she was so choked at the thought that she might never see him again. ‘You won’t know,’ she said huskily. ‘I’m leaving at ’end of ’week.’
    ‘No! Really? I hadn’t heard.’
    She watched him attentively to ascertain whether he was saddened but couldn’t read anything into his expression. ‘I’m going to be married,’ she murmured.
    ‘Married?’ He sat down on the bed that she had just made. ‘When? To whom?’
    ‘Next week, just afore Christmas.’ She swallowed. ‘Tuke,’ she whispered. ‘He works in ’stables.’
    ‘I know who he is,’ he said in a low voice. ‘Well, I’m – I’m staggered. I had no idea you were seeing Tuke.’ He gazed into space for a second. ‘You’ve probably heard that I’m going to be married too? To Jane Forrester. She’s been here to the house several times. We’re going to announce our engagement at Christmas. So,’ he said. ‘Big changes for us both.’
    He got up from the bed and shook her hand. ‘All the best to you and Tuke, Ellen,’ he said. ‘I wish you health and happiness.’
    ‘And I you, Christopher.’ His name came out on a breath and she saw him blink.
    He kept hold of her hand. ‘I won’t forget the fun we had all those years ago when we were not much more than children. Our secret, eh?’
    ‘Yes,’ she murmured. ‘Our secret. No one else’s.’
    And that, she thought, as she walked away from the house and down the long drive on Tuke’s arm, is the only thing I have to cling to.
Our secret
. She hunched against the biting cold and felt bitterness and resentment surging through her as she thought of the love she had wished for and had been denied.
Our secret
. Until – until such time as I choose to betray it.

You can find out more of Ellen’s story and how life turned out for her in Val Wood’s wonderful new novel
HIS BROTHER’S WIFE
.
    Read on for a sneak preview of the first chapter . . .

CHAPTER ONE
Hull, 1860
    Harriet trudged up High Street towards the George and Dragon. How she hated this job! The customers with their stinking breath and coarse hands on her backside, who she had to push away with a smile and quizzical eyebrow so as not to upset them, so that they didn’t get nasty or complain about her to the landlord. The landlord wasn’t so bad; he saw what was going on and didn’t blame her for it, but his wife was a harridan.
    Still, it was a job and