Mrs Hardwicke, I presume...
Sighing, Liam shook his head, straightened his back and followed the melody.
‘Trop longtemps j’ai attendu ton retour...’
For too long I’ve awaited your return...
It might not be the voice of a ghost, but Liam’s heart clenched nonetheless at the sound of it, for it was no less haunting, tormenting nor generally aggravating than a spectre’s might have been. Why had Leonards saddled him with such a perplexing and seditious housekeeper?
You know very well...
Even so, how could he? When he knew very well what Liam desired most? Peace, calm and a semblance of normality. Those were the things he longed for, which would already be nigh impossible to achieve here. He didn’t need Mrs Hardwicke and her siren songs, and her disobedience, to further add to it.
By the time he reached the door to one of the smaller guest rooms, Liam had managed to work himself into quite a state. When he opened the door to find his new housekeeper on her hands and knees scraping at the grate, still singing merrily, giving him a rather tantalising perspective of her generous charms, he nearly started shouting. All his repressed anger, grief and lust rising up like demons inside his breast.
Taking a breath, he reminded himself what his behaviour and thoughtsshouldbe, and strode in.
‘Ne reste pas sourd à mes prières...’
Don’t be deaf to my pleas...
‘You must be deaf, or blind, or dull, for it seems you have completely ignored your orders, Mrs Hardwicke,’ he barked, inwardly cursing himself for balking in his resolve.
The woman shrieked, surprised, toppling over as she swerved around to face him, her face red and her hair barely contained by what had once been a severe-looking bun. She stared up, mouth slightly gaping, blinking as she assessed him.
Brown, Liam noted despite himself.Her eyes are brown.
‘My lord,’ she said, half asking, half declaring. ‘I... That is, I hadn’t realised...’
‘That I had returned? Yes, quite. And do not fret,’ Liam said, before she could give voice to the words on her lips. ‘Thomas saw to all my needs this morning.’
‘My lord—’
‘Yes, Mrs Hardwicke, now that we have established that I am indeed your lord and master, will you give me your hand? I cannot continue to have a conversation thus,’ he said gruffly.
‘Of...of course,’ she stammered, bringing herself to her feet without aid.
Liam ignored the disappointment he felt at being denied the opportunity to sample her touch.
‘Thank you, but I fear I am rather a mess, and I would hate to give Gregory more work this evening with your clothes.’
‘How considerate, Mrs Hardwicke. If only you had been so considerate regarding your instructions for the house.’
To her credit, she did not flinch under his otherwise infallibly cold and shrinking look. Many a strong man had cowered beneath his gaze, but she had the audacity to stand taller, raise an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips, ready for a confrontation.
At the very least Liam had to admire her spunk, and somewhere in the back of his mind a voice whispered that he should admire how very fine indeed she was when ruffled.
‘You mean the instructions which dictated I should leave all but four rooms to ruin, my lord,’ she said calmly, though Liam could see the twinkle of outrage in her eyes. ‘Forgive me, then, for it is not in my nature to be complicit in such a crime. This house has been left to itself for too long, and had it been left so any longer, there would’ve been no home for us to meet in. I saw no harm in tidying beyond my original mandate. Or would you perhaps have preferred I sit and drink and play games? I have it on good authority that some of my predecessors did, so perhaps I should’ve followed their lead.’
‘Do you question all your employers thus, Mrs Hardwicke? Or is it I alone who am subject to such insubordination?’
‘You will forgive me for pointing this out, my lord, but you were not here to discuss such matters. After ten years you can hardly fault me for being stunned at your return.’
‘Well, I am here now, and here we are discussing it. I thank you for your initiative—however, such efforts will cease immediately,’ Liam said flatly, with the air of a petulant child.
‘I am a housekeeper, my lord, and that is what I shall do.’
‘Are you refusing to obey my orders evennow, Mrs Hardwicke?’ he asked, both astonished and intrigued.
