Kingsley hesitated, but only for a moment. Then slammed the door behind him with a resounding crash.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Ester clicked the key into the lock, then paused, staring at the door. Julian’s instructions had been clear—they were for her protection— but the room she was hidden in was isolated, leaving her with no sense of what was happening beyond its walls. Silence pressed in, broken only by her restless movements. She had tried to settle on a chaise protected from the dust of ages by a rough, canvas sheet, discovering a forgotten stack of books beneath it. She picked one up, determined to distract herself, but the words blurred, and no meaning stuck. Her thoughts constantly circled back to Julian.
What was happening between him and Kingsley? Would their confrontation turn violent? Could he be hurt?
Unable to bear it any longer, she had resolved to leave the room and find out for herself.
Now, she hesitated.
With a sigh of frustration at her own indecision, she turned to the nearest window, leaving the key in the lock.
The window was tall and narrow, framed by a stone arch, with a deep sill that could easily serve as a seat. Beyond it, the forest stretched endlessly, a green fortress reaching far beyond the horizon. The thought of returning to her family was a welcome one, of course. But the thought of soon leaving Theydon Mount was suddenly painful.
It was an isolated idyll.
One could be whomever one chose to be here. The forest did not care if she and Julian bathed naked in its pools. Or made love beneath its leafy canopy. That thought made Ester blush furiously. The knowledge that they had done that very thing, out of wedlock, made the blushes even more potent. So lost was she in the recollection of Julian’s body that she did not hear the footsteps outside the door, nor the turning of the handle until the door was creaking open.
Ester gasped, heart lurching in her chest, as she spun around, half-ready to fling herself behind the worn chaise. The fright fled from her as quickly as it had come when she saw Molly. The maid looked equally startled to see Ester...
In fact, she looked positively panic-struck.
Behind Molly stood a young man, and the moment their eyes met, Molly turned sharply, pushing him back into the corridor and slamming the door with a decisive thud.
With her back pressed firmly against the door, Molly spun around to face Ester, her face a mask of stark terror.
Ester’s heart still pounded in her chest as she tried to steady her breath. “Molly, you startled me!” she whispered.
“I am so sorry, Miss! Did you have a change of heart? I had thought you left and not expected there to be anyone in this wing—that is to say—well, Mr. Crammond—well, he told me to… and…” she floundered, cheeks scarlet.
Ester’s mind suddenly returned to the young man Molly had so hastily concealed. Julian kept a small staff, consisting only of three servants—Molly, the butler Mr. Crammond, and Mrs. Grypes, the housekeeper and cook.
“Has Julian finally decided to take on a new servant?” Ester asked, brow arching.
Molly’s eyes darted nervously back toward the door, her lips parting as if to explain. But no sound followed. It took a heartbeat too long for Ester to understand what she had just seen. Smiling, she made toward the young maid and gently took her trembling hands.
“Ah, I see now. Is he a young man from the village, perhaps?”
Molly faltered for a moment, then nodded pitifully. “His name is Henry, Miss, and he works for Jessop the butcher in Theydon Village. He comes by every week to deliver. I have been talkingto him after each delivery for the best part of a year now. Even walked part of the way back with him once.”
Ester smiled warmly. “And is he a kind young man?”
A blush deepened on Molly’s cheeks as she gave a quick, eager nod. “He is the perfect gentleman. Though, obviously he is no gentleman in the strictest sense, if you take my meaning,” Molly clarified, swallowing nervously. “You will not tell His Grace, will you, Miss? I will get into such terrible trouble if it came to be known I was sneaking him into Theydon Mount.”
“Of course not, Molly. But you must be careful,” Ester replied, her tone turning serious. “Once a reputation is tarnished, it is very difficult to restore. And, as you well know, it is always the woman who bears the brunt of such scandals.”
Molly’s face softened with relief. “Oh, Henry is not that sort, my lady. He is ever so respectful—he even asks my permission before holding my hand. I do not have any qualms on that score. May I… open the door and…”
“Certainly,” Ester smiled. “I should like to meet him, actually.”
Molly’s face brightened, clearly pleased by the idea, and she slipped out of the room for a moment. When she returned, she led a tall, broad-shouldered young man inside, his face ruddy from the chill of the outdoors. He wore a collarless shirt, sturdy trousers, and work-worn boots. His large hands dwarfed Molly’s, and he bobbed his head in respect, tugging his forelock as he greeted Ester.
Molly stood beside him as Ester spoke to him, beaming with pride. Ester realized that she was behaving as the lady of the house, as the duchess, taking an interest in the beau of one of her household staff. It gave her a strange, warm feeling. Onlyplay-actingof course. There was no possibility of marriage, despite the intimacy she and Julian had shared. He could not afford to marry someone with the prospect of scandal hovering over her as Ester did. It would be a perpetual sword of Damocles. Even if Kingsley seemed to accept the money Julian had said he would offer, what guarantee would there be that it would be enough? That he would not return at some future date?
Eventually, Molly sent Henry on his way and Ester heard a chaste kiss being shared behind the closed door before his heavy footsteps receded down the corridor. Molly returned to the room, crimson and fanning her face with her hand. Ester grinned and impulsively hugged the young maid.
“Oh, I am so very happy for you, Molly. He seems a lovely young man.”
