“Can you help me place this strange feeling I have in the pit of my stomach?” Frances blurted out finally.
“Is it something you ate?” the maid asked, immediately concerned. “I can have a look at the menu tomorrow. Maybe it was a specific ingredient…”
“No, no.” Frances shook her head. “You misunderstand me. It has nothing to do with… well, food. More so, it has to do with what I feel.”
The maid caught on, her eyes lighting up. “What is it that has you feeling like you have a funny feeling in your stomach, Your Grace?”
Frances pursed her lips. “I would much rather you call me Frances.”
“Your Grace, I could not?—”
Frances sighed. She had always been very friendly to her maids. That was how she ended up being such great friends with Lydia. She disliked it when they called her by her title.
“Very well then, perhaps try not to use it as often then.”
The maid nodded, hesitantly.
Frances rubbed her temples. “As to your question, I cannot say exactly what. But the feeling is rather… persistent.”
The maid gave her a knowing smile. “That funny feeling in your stomach, it sounds like butterflies. They happen when you’re in love.”
Frances shook her head, her cheeks flushing. “No, that does not sound quite right.”
“Does it not?” Clara asked. “I feel like you and His Grace are quite in love.”
“What makes you say that?” Frances demanded immediately.
It felt like such a strange thing to hear someone say that to her.
“Well, for one, you have butterflies in your stomach.” She smiled. “That ought to be the biggest sign.”
Frances shook her head. “No, no. It is not.”
The maid looked at her in confusion. “Your Grace, I do not wish to overstep, but I feel a bit curious now as to why this feels like such an undesirable outcome to you.”
Frances racked her brain. She knew that she should not be divulging any details to the maid, especially one whom she had not spent so much time with. But she needed a friend, quite desperately.
“Can I trust you to keep a secret?” Frances bit her lip.
“Of course.”
“I can’t be in love with him. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
She felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders as soon as she said the words.
The maid nodded, though it was clear that she did not quite understand.“And is it bad that you feel that it is turning out this way?”
Frances groaned and then nodded softly. “It is unexpected, and I am not too apt in dealing with things that are.”
The maid’s smile remained gentle. “Love often doesn’t go according to plan, Lady Frances. Sometimes, it finds you when you least expect it. The way you describe your feelings, it sounds very much like you’re falling in love with His Grace.”
Frances looked down, her thoughts in turmoil.
This is not what we agreed on.
“I cannot have that.”
“From what I’ve seen, His Grace cares for you deeply. He is attentive, kind, and protective of you,” the maid continued.
