She had disturbed his peace along with a maid to bring him the cup of tea he had asked for after dinner. He never liked the help coming inside his study, which was his sacred space, but sometimes he was left with no choice. He enjoyed maintaining his solitude when he was working, especially for the past few months.
“I have been meaning to ask you, when can I meet with Amy’s nanny?”
Edward immediately noticed the shock on Mrs Bailey’s face at his unexpected question. She had always been well aware and rather concerned of how Edward refused to take any interest in things pertaining to Amy and had been completely dismissive about the hiring of the nanny as well. However, now, he wanted to meet her. If Edward were in her position, he would have been just as stunned.
“You care to meet Miss Jennings?” Mrs Bailey finally asked, recovering from her shock.
“Yes.”
“Of course, My Lord.” She nodded. “I will send her here within the quarter of an hour. Miss Amy must be down for the night, and Miss Jennings should be about to retire. She can come see you now if that is alright with you?”
Edward nodded. “I will be waiting.”
He watched as Mrs Bailey left with a curtsy, her expression still one of disbelief, but Edward had not been able to stop himself from making this request. Since the day he had interacted with Ophelia in the gardens when she had mistaken him for a stable boy, he had been intrigued. It was not as if his desire to meet her had sprung out from her beauty alone, for beautiful she was. He had never laid eyes on someone so perfectly created that she looked far better than most debutantes, even when dressed simply in a modest gown.
She had something about her spirit that had completely unnerved him. How she had greeted him without even knowing who he was and had continued to stand her ground of being positioned higher than him made him want to chuckle. In the past few months, nothing had made him feel that way. But above all, he was interested in witnessing her reaction once she discovered who he was.
A loud knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts and he realized how the papers before him had been completely ignored.
“Who is it?” he asked, realizing fifteen minutes had already passed.
“Ophelia Jennings, My Lord,” a familiar voice replied, bringing a smile to Edward’s face.
He stood up from behind his desk and walked towards the shelves lined on the walls, trying to stay in the dark so Ophelia could not see him at once. He wanted the revelation and her realization to be slow, so he could savour it. A part of him did not understand why he was even going to such lengths, but he could not explain it even if he tried.
“You can come in,” he called out before turning his face away from the door.
The wooden door creaked open, and he heard soft footsteps fading on the carpeted floor. Her presence had such an unusual effect on him that he could feel her eyes boring into his back, and he wanted to do nothing but turn around. To distract himself for a few seconds, he quickly picked a book from the shelf, flipping through the pages leisurely.
“My Lord, you asked to see me?”
Edward finally turned around at her question but remained concealed in the dark. He knew she could not see him, but he could clearly see her standing in the middle of the study. She was still beautiful after an entire day of work, as Edward was certain it could not be easy to care for a child.
“Yes, Miss Jennings, I did,” he replied, his gaze still stuck on her strawberry blonde hair tied in a loose braid over her shoulder. Her hazel eyes caught light through the candles shining beautifully on her fair face. Something about her was certainly endearing, but Edward knew he needed to stop staring.
“How can I be of assistance?” she asked, her hands gracefully folded before her.
“Well, you have been taking care of Amy, and I realized I needed to meet you personally,” Edward said, beginning to walk ahead as he shut the book in his hands.
“Of course, My Lord.” Ophelia nodded enthusiastically. “Anything you need to know; I am here for it.”
He nodded, placing the book on the table as he finally stepped completely in front of the candles, no part of his face hidden from her. Edward waited patiently as Ophelia’s hazel eyes, brimming with curiosity not moments ago, turned to confusion before recognition dawned in them. He was surprised by how expressive her eyes were and the shock that emerged inthem as she finally realized who he was. Exactly what he had been hoping for.
The range of emotions dancing on her face was extremely attractive to Edward, and he could not control the small smile it brought forth on his own. Ophelia opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Edward raised his hand to stop her. He could see she was beginning to apologize, but he felt no need for such words.
“If you are going to apologize for your behaviour with me in the gardens the other day, then don’t,” he said, but Ophelia was already shaking her head.
“I was terribly rude and uncouth, My Lord. I should have known better than to address you with such a rude disposition, but I certainly had no clue I was conversing with the Earl of Sommers himself and not some stable boy,” she explained, and Edward knew she was highly embarrassed. Her colour was high as her cheeks, tainted with red.
“You were unaware of my identity, Miss Jennings. Hence, it was nothing but an honest mistake. I am no way upset with you or have anything against you with how you talked to me. Please do not worry or guilt yourself over nothing,” Edward replied, not wanting her to worry.
It would only be natural if she were embarrassed, considering he was her employer, but Edward hardly cared.
“You have been entirely absent with Miss Amy and have not met her even once, My Lord,” she said hastily, her words jumbling, “I was almost certain that you had been away, or else you would have come to see her. Hence, when I saw you in the garden, I hardly even realized that you could also be the earl himself.”
Amy.
He was not surprised that even Ophelia had noticed his absent behaviour regarding Amy, for sooner or later, she was supposed to wonder about it. However, Edward could not be affectionate with that child or even see her. His emotions simply did not allow it. Amy reminded him too much of his sister and he was better off without reminders for the time being.
