Her cousin joined her at the window. “It’s a marvelous sight, is it not? Marvelous and treacherous.” The descriptions could apply to Lord Julius as easily as the landscape.
“Gemma, he was supposed to leave today. What are we going to do?”
“You can start by taking a breath before you faint.”
“I’m too level-headed to faint,” she grumbled. Her body chose to betray her at the exact moment. Her head spun and she swayed into the window.
Gemma put her arm around her shoulders, smiling. “I can see you are perfectly balanced.”
Julius waited a bloody long time for a servant to respond to the bell pull. It took even longer for the boy to return with his clothes. After dressing in haste, Julius scrounged up toothpowder from the late Mr. Price’s belongings to prepare for an audience with Lady Hadley.
Elisabeth? Bess? Yes, she prefers Bess.
Her name was the total sum of what he knew about her.
Wincing, he rubbed the space between his brows where an ache lingered. It wasn’t like him to fall into bed with a woman upon their first meeting. Wooing a lady was half the fun and made the reward sweeter in the end. He also preferred remembering the deed. Had Price’s ale always been so potent?
“Upon my word,” Julius muttered, “never again.”
Not that his oath changed the situation. He’d been careless last night, and given Bess’s poor opinion of him this morning, he didn’t know how to proceed.
Had he truly promised marriage before they were intimate, knowing he had no intention of honoring his word? If so, the ale he drank did more than addle his brain. It had turned him into a despicable cur, a man he didn’t recognize.
His reputation for being a hellion hadn’t been earned from being reckless with another’s heart. He craved the rush of adventure and satisfied it with racing. His mother believed the hunger was in his blood, inherited from her Dane ancestors. Everyone in his family accepted this explanation without question, including Julius. He couldn’t rid himself of the hunger anymore than he could lob off his own arm or leg.
Despite his lack of clarity on what had occurred overnight, he went in search of the lady. His honor as a gentleman was at stake. If their liaison resulted in a child, he could never deny his flesh and blood. He and Bess must reach an understanding—in whatever form she deemed appropriate—before he returned to Everly Manor.
He didn’t encounter a single servant on the upper level to request an audience with the lady, nor was a soul in sight below stairs. It was the oddest of circumstances. Deducing the help was congregating in the kitchens, he followed the scent of bacon and drew up short in the doorway. “Lady Hadley, what in the devil are you doing?”
The three women cried out in surprise. More aptly, two women and one girl. The servant frying bacon wasn’t old enough to hold a position above scullery maid, and Bess appeared to have taken over her duties.
When the occupants simply gaped, he entered the warm kitchen. The delicious fragrance of sweet bread baking in the oven and salty meat wrapped him in a comforting embrace.
“Where is the cook?” he asked. “Has something happened to her?”
The elder servant, a willowy young woman with high cheekbones and meticulously neat appearance, recovered from the shock of his sudden appearance. She bobbed a curtsey. “The weather has delayed her, my lord.”
“I see.” Her explanation did little to clear his confusion. Why was the cook away from Davensworth Cottage, and how had Bess been recruited to wash dishes? “And the other servants, Lady Hadley? Have they fallen ill?”
Bess’s mouth thinned. She lowered the dish she was holding into the washbasin and dried her hands on her apron. “I will speak with Lord Julius privately, Quinn. If you will continue to assist Anne, I would be grateful.”
“Yes, my lady.” The young woman moved behind Bess to release the apron ties. “I am pleased to be useful.”
“You are a godsend.” Bess’s smile was soft when she spoke to the servant. All traces of kindness were replaced with cool detachment when she looked at Julius. “Let’s retire to the library. Gemma is occupying the drawing room.”
She swept past him, expecting him to follow. With quick, efficient steps, she navigated the corridors; he adopted a more leisurely pace. It allowed him to study her while sending a message he was not amenable to being led nor handled by anyone. His will was strong, his path determined. She needed to know what she was getting into if their lives were forever entwined. He hoped being clear now would eliminate any conflict between them in the future.
The furniture in the library was covered in sheets. She whipped one off a chair and gestured toward it. “Sit.”
“I’m not a circus dog.”
“Should I not retrieve the flaming hoops then?”
He chuckled; his defensiveness evaporated without any conscious effort on his part. “You continue to surprise me, Bess. I like that quality in a woman.”
“Possibly one other person shares your opinion.”
He shrugged. “I don’t require validation from others."
“What a rare bird you are.” Her smile seemed to be given begrudgingly. “If you would like to have a seat, please be my guest.”
She remained standing, so he did as well. The circumstances of their unconventional meeting last night might have given her the wrong impression. Julius was a well-bred gentleman, from the top of his head to the tips of his Wellies.
He aimed a frown at his shiny boots. “These were caked in mud last night. Did you polish them?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She crossed her arms and leaned her shoulder against the end of a bookshelf. “Robbie cleaned them for you.”
The servant boy who’d attended him earlier. Julius ran his fingertips over the covered furniture as he sauntered toward the bookshelf where she stood. “What is going on at Davensworth Cottage? Why did I find you washing dishes?”
Bess sighed. “Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t share my cousin’s plight, but I don’t see how we will hide it. The butler resigned after my uncle’s death and took most of the male staff with him. He thought it was beneath him to be employed by an unmarried lady. He believed the estate should have gone to a male relative, no doubt one of my irresponsible half-brothers.”
“It was none of the manservant’s concern,” he said, “as long as his salary continued.”
Her eyes widened as if he was capable of surprising her as well. “My thoughts exactly, Julius.”
To hear his name fall nonchalantly from her lips did something strange to his insides. His initial reaction was pleasure, but dread followed closely on its heels. If he broached the topic of their night together, would they quarrel again? He didn’t have the stamina for another round before breakfast.
“In the end, it is for the best.”
Julius realized she was still talking and tried to focus.
“Gemma will require a loyal man under the roof.”
“Er, a man?”
“A butler to hire footmen,” she said. “A house this size requires adequate staff. ”
“This explains the lack of male staff, but not the reason you were elbows deep in dish water.”
“I suppose it doesn’t.” She caught one side of her lip between pearly teeth as if measuring her words before speaking. “Davensworth Cottage had more than its fair share of tragedy last year. After the butler resigned, the housekeeper took charge. She did a fine job of running the household, but a month later, she died suddenly.