“Miss Parker?” came a sleepy voice.
Audrey whirled around to see Beckwith standing in the doorway of the small bedroom off the kitchen. “Oh, Beckwith, you scared me.”
“I’m terribly sorry, miss, but what are you doing coming home so late at night?”
“That’s a story for another time. All I can say is that I’m ever so grateful that you’ve never left our employ.”
“Miss Parker, I would never leave your family,” he said.
“Thank you, but I don’t know how much longer we can pay you. Papa seems to be either gambling or drinking away everything.”
Beckwith nodded. “I know, miss. It’s a sad state of affairs.”
A silent tear rolled down Audrey’s cheek. “Thank you for not abandoning us. It’s a shame, but Papa hasn’t been the same since Mama passed away.”
“Yes. That was indeed tragic. Do you need anything, Miss Parker?”
“No, I’m fine. Thank you for your concern. Goodnight, Beckwith.”
“Goodnight, Miss Parker.”
Audrey left the kitchen, shaking her head to dispel the memories of that awful day when Mama took her last breath. She couldn’t change anything, and it wouldn’t do her any good to dwell on the past. She walked through the silent house, pausing to check in the parlor.
Her father had taken to sleeping in there lately. Perhaps he was too drunk to climb the stairs to his bedchamber. She didn’t know, and it really didn’t matter, except it meant she and her sisters couldn’t be in the room until he awoke or they would face dire consequences. No one wanted that.
She was at her wits’ end over what to do about her father these days. No amount of cajoling or pleading stopped him from drinking away the meager funds they had left from their quarterly allowance. It didn’t seem to matter to him that, between his drinking and incessant gambling, he was putting his three daughters at grave risk of becoming paupers. She had no idea what he was thinking these days, and he refused to even discuss the situation with her.
Their circumstances should have been so different. If her mother were still alive, Audrey would be attending balls and teas and enjoying musicales, not dodging the grabby hands of a spoiled young man who would never know a single day of hunger. But her mother was gone too soon, and Audrey never got to have a Season. Taking care of her father as much as he allowed and looking after her younger sisters was her lot in life now. Not that she minded. She loved her family and would do anything for them, even demeaning herself by taking a maid’s position.
Being the daughter of a baron did little good in their current circumstances, and neither did it put food on the table. She had no choice but to accept the things she hadno control over. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but she would do anything to keep her sisters safe and fed, even if it meant seeking employment.
When the money had become scarce, Audrey had tried to find a position as a governess, but it seemed that as soon as the lady of the house laid eyes on her, they were against hiring her. She overheard one of the maids talking at one such house, saying she’d never be hired as a governess because of her beauty. No lady wanted a pretty young woman around who could possibly tempt her husband. It was so unfair.
She had no luck trying to find a companion position either, because most of those were live-in positions, and there was no way she’d leave her younger sisters alone in the house. Audrey was reduced to finding a maid’s position, even though she knew it would cause a scandal if anyone found out. As a member of Society, it was frowned upon for her to work, but she’d been careful to be hired by one of the newly rich middle-class families who lived on the outskirts of London. There was little chance that, while working there, she’d run into anyone from Society. Also, the fact that she’d never had a Season meant that not many in thetoneven knew who she was. Now that worry was gone, at least, but so was her meager income.
Walking into the parlor, she saw her father sprawled on the sofa. “Oh, Papa. Why do you torment yourself like this?” she whispered, pulling the blanket over him. He reeked of alcohol, and she nearly gagged at thestench. There was nothing more she could do to help him tonight. Trying to reason with him would have to wait for another day, hopefully a day when he was reasonably sober. She turned away from her father and left the parlor. He would find out soon enough that she was back home when he woke.
Then the real fight would begin.
There was no way she’d turn over the wages she’d saved, but she’d have to give him something to appease him momentarily.
She walked through the small foyer and up the stairs, stopping at her sisters’ bedchamber to look inside. Grace and Mia were sleeping soundly, snuggled together. Audrey had given up the larger room and bed after their mother passed away four years ago, so the girls could be a comfort to one another. Her sisters were close in age, merely two years apart, and she knew they needed each other during these trying times. However, there was no one left to comfort Audrey in the small bedchamber at the end of the hallway.
She’d been the closest to her mother, and her death when Audrey was five and ten had affected her profoundly. She’d been on the cusp of womanhood and, like every young girl in Society, dreamed of having a London Season, finding a husband she could love and cherish, and starting a family. That dream was shattered when her mother took her last breath. Audrey had not expected her father to succumb to his grief so dramatically. He was supposed to comfort her, but that had not happened.
After his wife’s death, James Parker became a shell of a man, who took comfort in the bottom of a bottle and kept his three daughters at arm’s length. He’d been a loving father before their mother died, but day by day, he became more distant. Grace and Mia felt his change of attitude the most.
Audrey backed out of her sisters’ room and closed the door. When she finally made it to the last room on the right, she was beyond grateful that she’d come through this night unscathed, physically at least.
Before she could crawl into bed, however, she had to hide her coin purse. She opened the drawstring, took out three shillings, and placed them on the wooden dresser. That was all she was willing to give her father because she knew all he would do was waste it at the local pub. She needed the rest of the coins to pay Beckwith and their cook and to buy food.
Closing the purse, she went to the far corner of the room where, quite by accident, she’d discovered a loose floorboard. When she’d lifted it to see how it could be repaired, she was pleasantly surprised to see a tiny space between the beams, perfect for hiding a coin purse. She now lifted the board and tucked her purse inside before replacing it once again.
No one knew about her hiding spot, not even her sisters. Not that she didn’t trust them, but she was afraid one of them might accidentally blurt out that she had a secret hiding spot. Her father would tear the room apart if he thought she was keeping coin from him. Lying toher family was yet another burden she had to carry.
With her money safely secured, she hung her cloak on the peg, slipped out of her dress and stays, and pulled on her nightdress before finally crawling into bed. For the first time in close to a month, she closed her eyes knowing that no one would disturb her rest.
Chapter2
