Secrets in Mourning (12 page)

While Victoria was unused to the work she had performed, she knew that Molly, even though she had performed the task many times before, suffered from the same rawness. The life of a servant was one of drudgery and fatigue, and, depending on the disposition of their employer, one of little to no recognition. Although never exactly unkind, she hadn’t given her own servants the praise that they had been due. No wonder no one had liked her.

That would also have to change once this was over. She would make it up to them once she returned to her brother’s house.

Glancing longingly at the bed, she only contemplated lying in the comforting warmth for a few seconds. Dinner was in less than two hours and there was no way she could skip it unless deathly ill. The Countess would no doubt find that Victoria was not fulfilling the terms of the contract if she didn’t allow the woman to torture her over a meal.

A couple hours later, when Victoria was making her way down to the sitting room, she could only be grateful for Molly’s insistence on dressing her. Seeing Victoria’s hands, the maid had been extremely helpful and very sympathetic.

Now Victoria would only have to endure an hour until she could turn in for the night. She could hardly stop herself from wincing with every step.

Entering the room, she found herself alone. At least she thought so until she saw Mr. Baton in the doorway to the dining room.

“Your Grace, you may enter the dining room and begin. You will be joined shortly.”

“All right. Thank you, Mr. Baton.” Victoria offered him a tentative smile and was pleased
 
by the surprised look on the butler’s face. It was devious, she knew, but she couldn’t help but enjoy his shock. It was a different feeling to surprise someone, and she would have to make sure to do it often.

Allowing him to help her into her chair, Victoria’s brows crinkled when she noticed only one other set of dishes out. Was the Earl not joining them this evening? It was possible that he had other work to see to.

The thought of spending the entire meal alone with the Countess made Victoria want to run away screaming. Her body was sore in places she couldn’t even fathom and her hands were raw, blistered. She just wanted to rest, not spend an hour being harassed.

Closing her eyes, she longed for the evening to go by quickly. She sank even further into her chair.

With only a five minute reprieve, Victoria heard footsteps, but she didn’t bother turning. Lady Evelyn would be seated soon enough and Victoria didn’t want to face her a moment before she had to.

“Good evening…” Victoria trailed off, startled when she glanced up and saw that her dinner companion was not the Countess. Realizing her mouth had fallen open, she continued her greeting. “my lord.” His eyebrow raised in question. “Forgive me. I was expecting the Countess and was surprised to see you instead.”

“I hope you aren’t too disappointed.”

“Of course not,” she said a bit too quickly. In fact, a part of her was relieved that it wasn’t his mother. While not the most companionable, the Earl wasn’t cruel. She only wished that she had known earlier that the Countess would not be taking her dinner in the dining room. Victoria would have had a tray sent up to her room as well. But now she was stuck.

Two footmen came out of the adjoining room, the second carrying a steaming soup tureen. “I know my mother has been difficult on you.” The servants began ladling soup into their bowls.

She started to say that his mother had been wonderful, but looking into his knowing eyes, she knew he would see it for the lie it was. He had seen her cry. “She hasn’t been too terrible lately.”

“I am glad to hear that.” He gestured to her soup. “Please, enjoy. There is no need to wait for me to begin.”

The brothy vegetable soup was surprisingly good. The rich, spicy warmth fell smoothly down her throat. She almost moaned at the contact.

About to sample the soup, the Earl jerked to a stop. His spoon clattered as he dropped it into his bowl, his eyebrows lowering dangerously as he quickly reached out to her, gripping her wrist.

In pain, she gasped as he brought her abused hands toward the candlelight.

“What the hell happened to your hands?” he demanded as he turned her hand over to look at her palm, his gaze growing even darker.

Opening and closing her mouth, she didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t his swearing that shocked her, it was more of the fierce anger she saw in his eyes.

His eyes darted to her, taking her captive. “What happened?” he asked again, his tone lower, more deadly.

Twisting out of his grip, she couldn’t stop herself from wincing as she brushed a blister against his hand. “That is none of your business.”

“The hell it isn’t.”

“Why are you so upset over this?” She was confused, and more than a little annoyed herself. Why was he raising his voice to her? She had done nothing wrong. Had only been doing what he told her to do, and now he had the nerve to berate her for it?
 
“It’s none of your concern.”

“None of my concern? Are you daft? Of course it is. For now, you are a part of my household. I will have no one hurt as you are, especially not a lady.”

She pushed her back into her chair. “You have some nerve. I do as you say and still you sit and reprimand me? I have done everything you’ve asked. You have no right to speak to me this way.”

“I asked you to oversee the household, to coordinate the servants.” He leaned forward ominously. “Nowhere in there did I say that you should bear marks such as these.”

“And I have done as you have asked. I’ve overseen the servants and have made your house run more efficiently than ever. Or had you not noticed?”

His eyes narrowed. “Of course I have. And while commendable, I have also noticed that you have not hired more servants.”

“There have been none to hire.”

He leaned back into his chair slowly. “Elizabeth was sick today, was she not?”

Victoria eyed him warily, not quite sure where he was heading with his questioning. “Yes, she was.”

“And was it not also laundry day?”

She swallowed slowly. He knew, or at least he had a suspicion that she had helped out in more than a managerial role. She nodded once in answer.

His nostrils flared as he took in a deep breath, his jaw clenched in time with his fist beside his plate. “And who exactly helped Molly complete that task?”

Her lips pressed tighter as she looked away from him. “You are obviously well aware of who helped her.”

“Why would you do this?” He raked a hand through his hair. “Did you not think to put off the laundry? To postpone it for a day?”

“Of course I did!” Exasperation tinged her voice. “Do you think I wanted to do laundry? To act more like a servant than I already do on a daily basis?” With every word she spoke, her temper flared hotter. “But what was I to do? There was no one else, and you had already informed me that you would be receiving a guest tomorrow. It had to be done. There was no other option but to do it.”

“He had a change of plans and will not be staying with us.”

Her mouth fell open. “What?” She wanted to screech, but took a deep breath instead.

“I received a letter from him yesterday. Had you come to me with this problem, I could have told you thus.”

“Come to you? On something that you have already deemed to be my task?” Her nose wrinkled in distaste. “I shouldn’t need to come to you. Had you informed me that there had been a change of plans I wouldn’t have had to do it myself. I could have postponed it. How am I to run the household when I don’t have all the information?”

“So, this is my fault now? The chapped skin? The blisters? They were my doing?”

“Of course not!” Her spoon clattered to the table. “I saw no other option today. There was no way that Molly could handle the load alone without hurting herself or working far into the night. I wasn’t going to allow that. She works hard enough as is.”

“And you care?” He looked genuinely shocked.

She wanted to snap at him. “I’m not a monster. I’m not heartless. I wouldn’t force a dog to work in those conditions.”

“In the future, you will refrain from doing any such labor as you have today. I will not allow you to be injured while you are in my home.”

“You will not allow?” She stood up from her chair slowly. “You will not allow? Did I hear that correctly? Well, hear me. I am sick to death of being ordered around by both your mother and you. I have had it with the commands, with the demands, and with your loathing. You are neither my brother nor husband nor father and I do not need to obey you. You assigned me a task and I am seeing to it with the best of my abilities.”

He stood to meet her gaze. “While I legally have no hold over you, I will still not allow you to injure yourself. Remember that you need me for your inheritance.”

She threw her hands in the air. “How could I ever forget such a thing after being reminded of it constantly, my lord,” she said his title with a sneer. “I’ll be sure to work your servants to the bone in the future and not care one way or the other as long as the work gets done without a bruise to my body.” She whirled around and made it out of the room and down the hall, feeling no drop of triumph at the anger that sizzled in his widened eyes at her parting words. She just wanted to get to her room before she said something she really regretted.

She heard his steps behind her before she could react. Not bothering to stop, he grabbed her arm and hauled her into the music room a door away from the staircase.

“What do you think you are…” she trailed off when she saw him clenching his fists, his eyes looking furious as he backed her into the pianoforte.

Perhaps she had pushed him too far. She gulped, wondering how best to handle this furious male. What would he do to her? While she doubted he would hit her, he did look as though he craved physical violence.

He leaned closer, his body pressed against hers as his face descended, stopping only a few inches from her own. A surprised breath escaped her lips at the contact.

“You try my patience, Victoria.” She gasped at his use of her given name. His hands fisted at her waist, almost painfully before he jerked her fully against his body, molding her rounded curve to his hard muscles.

Her eyes flared with the knowledge that he was going to conquer her, to punish her in the only way he could.

He swooped down, pressing his lips demandingly against hers, ignoring the fact that she struggled in his arms. He was bruising, punishing in his pressure against her.

Reaching up, she tried to slap him before he forcibly brought her arms down to her side, holding them still. Breaking away, he breathed harshly. “I told you there would be consequences to trying to hit me.”

Capturing her lips again, he pressed against her, forcing her to yield to him. With the anger that seared through her body, another feeling began to trickle in as well. Desire.

Confused by her reaction, her struggles lessened, allowing her to feel the emotions he was producing within her.

Groaning against her mouth, his grip around her loosened. His hands moved to her back, rubbing her tight muscles.

The moan that escaped her lips startled her, giving him the opening to slip his tongue in to mingle with hers. The dark taste of him was incredible, heady, all the while his hands seemed to be all over her back, relaxing all the knotted muscles from her labor.

Wanting him closer, she lifted her arms, wrapping them slowly around his neck. As if burned, he jerked away from her, and she swayed from the sudden loss of his touch.

“Forgive me,” he said, looking as shocked as she felt. He held her shoulders to steady her, but she wasn’t sure if it was only for her sake. “Forgive me,” he said again, shaking his head as he quickly left her.