Why was he pushing this? It startled her, and she shook her head, growing slightly frantic.
“Abigail was already planning on taking it,” she informed him. “She is going out for supplies for Cook and already said she would post it for me.”
Victoria tried yet again to get around him, and yet again, Lord Harford did not let her pass. To her surprise, he appeared irritated, his brow furrowed.
“Why are you hiding your letters?” he demanded to know.
Victoria’s eyes widened, and she let out a baffled gasp. “What…what are you asking me? I do not understand why you would think I would be hiding….”
“I know you went to post letters that time we went to the village together in the country,” he explained, his tone sharp. “When you said you had to buy ribbons? I saw the letters in your bag that day, and then I also saw you meeting the postman at the end of the country estate’s drive. He gave you more letters, and you were trying to keep anyone else from seeing that they had arrived.”
“What?” she exclaimed, shocked.
“Who are you writing to?” he asked. “Why are you keeping your correspondence such a secret?”
Victoria stared at him for several moments, stunned into silence.
She could understand his confusion, of course, ad she was embarrassed that she had been so careless as to get caught with her letters. She thought she had been so careful. Had been so determined to keep her correspondence from being discovered.
Yet, even as she felt caught off guard and confused, she felt a shot of irritation. What business was it of his who she was writing to? Would he have questioned her and spied on her if he knew she was truly a lady by birth?
Did he feel as though he were free to speak to her in such a manner because she was the nanny?
Is that truly what he thought of her?
Victoria furrowed her brow. She had thought they were closer than that. That they had an understanding between the two of them.
She had thought he viewed her almost as an equal…that he cared for her.
Apparently, she had been wrong if he was so willing to invade her privacy and humiliate her in such a fashion. The hurt she felt at that moment was overwhelming. She had never experienced this kind of pain before. It nearly brought her to her knees, but it also made her angrier.
“Miss Clifford? Do you have nothing to say?” he demanded to know.
She opened her mouth to snap a response but then stopped herself and pressed her lips back together. She decided that no, she did not have anything to say to him. There were no words to express what she was thinking and feeling.
Without a word, she turned on her heel and marched back toward the stairs.
“Miss Clifford?” Lord Harford called after her, sounding shocked. “Where are you going?”
She did not answer, and she did not stop. She continued on up the stairs to the second floor. For a moment, she was tempted to look back to see if he was chasing after her, but she resisted. She did not want to give him any indication that she wished to continue their conversation.
When it became clear that he was not, in fact, chasing her, she continued on to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She tossed her letter onto the table next to the bed and collapsed into the blankets, wrapping herself up tightly.
Victoria stayed in her bed for some time, and when she heard the knock on her door, she tried to ignore it.
“Tory? Are you all right?”
It was Emily. At the sound of her friend’s voice, Victoria felt a small pang of guilt.
“Come in,” she called out in a ragged tone.
The door slowly opened, and Emily poked her head inside. She frowned when her gaze fell on Victoria.
“Tory? Why are you still in bed? Are you sick?” she asked in a gentle tone.
Swallowing, Victoria answered, “I…I am sorry, Emily. I am afraid I have a headache. I do not think I can get out of bed.”
Emily hurried across the room to her and placed a cool hand on Victoria’s head.
