Chapter 4

The head maid had been giving me queer looks ever since the incident with the lord two weeks prior. They had not punished me for anything because neither Maud nor Lord Alexander said anything about it to her. Still, she kept giving me weird side glances every time she saw me.

Luckily, they asked me to report on Lady Lucia’s floor these last few weeks.

I enjoyed working for her. She was Duke Kestrel’s wife. A sweet lady with a playful side. She made me think she wasn’t born into nobility. She had a very laissez-faire attitude about many things—something no respectable noblewoman would have.

While I waited for her, she would often talk about her youth and all the mischief she would get into.

I adored working in her quarters. It was just so much simpler.

Lady Lucia never reprimanded me and always asked how I was in the morning. She would even let me stay with her while she had tea and read her poetry books aloud, so I, too, may enjoy it while cleaning and polishing chandeliers.

I felt almost human again. That’s how much I loved it. I didn’t feel like I was a servant maid working off a debt.

“Ida, dear, what would you say if I read us something not from this country today? There’s a very well-liked writer named Shakespeare in one of the neighbouring countries. What do you say?” She looked at me quizzically. “Here’s one of his works I know you will like: A Lover’s Complaint.”

I snorted. Of course, Lady Lucia would not have known I was familiar with that author and play-writer, but I remembered that poem. Although it was a good one, I didn’t enjoy it much. It talked about love and how cruel it could be. Shakespeare wrote about the many facets of love beautifully, but when love blinded all the other senses, his poem reminded us it became something dangerous.

“As you wish, milady.” I softened my eyes at her when I answered. If it made the duchess happy, I would let her read it to me.

I was feeding more logs into the fire when a small footboy knocked on the parlour door and interrupted the reading. I saw Lady Lucia peer over her book, questioning the young boy’s sudden appearance.

Since I did not recognize him, I deduced he was not from this floor.

“My apologies for this disturbance, Lady Kestrel, but Lord Alexander has asked if he could have tea with you this evening?”

“Oh my, he never has time for me! Of course, please let him know he can join me.”

She clapped her hands together while trying to suppress her sudden glee. It was another thing I liked about her. Most of the time, etiquette was thrown out the window.

The footboy bowed and hurried to deliver the message back to his master.

It shocked me I would see Lord Alexander so soon. Ever since our encounter, he left me with a burning desire to see him again, which was ultimately the opposite of what my brain was screaming at me.

I smiled when I thought of the irony that Lady Lucia wanted to read me “A Lover’s Complaint.” The Faiths must have had a terrible sense of humour that day.

“Ida, will you make sure that we bring out the nice tea set Alexander gave me for my birthday? I would love to use it while he’s with me,” she paused, bringing her brows together in thought. “And maybe bring up some small biscuits as well?” She asked, smiling. I could tell it delighted her to have him stop by.

I took the ash bucket, inclined my head toward the lady to acknowledge her request, and left swiftly to inform the kitchen of the sudden arrangement.

When I came back and prepared the fine china, I wondered if her son came to visit her often. In the last two weeks of being assigned to her floor, she never really had the company of anyone. Not even Duke Kestrel himself came to see his wife.

They were in their late forties, and them having each their quarters was not something odd. It was a widespread practice amongst the nobility.

My heart cramped up a bit at the thought of my parents. They had loved each other fiercely and had refused to have separate floors, even though my father was never really around because of his duties. He always said that nothing grounded him more than to return to the arms of his loving wife after a hard day’s work.

I hated thinking about my family. I still had nightmares because of what happened years ago. I tried to chase away that unnerving feeling and resumed my task.

The place setting was done, and I had elegantly set the food on the fine porcelain plates. Lady Lucia had instructed me not to use silverware while her son was in her company. This caused me to raise my eyebrows inquisitively at her. She shook it off, saying that her son reacted severely to Silver.

I had to rummage through all the silverware in the estate to find any flatware available. It was tricky, but I could find something accommodating while still looking stylish: copper, brass, and nickel.

Lady Lucia returned shortly to the parlour, holding Lord Alexander’s arm. Every hair on my body raised when I glimpsed Alexander. He was most striking in his black two-piece suit with a white dress shirt.

It’s like the room had run out of air, and it plunged me into a boiling hot pot. Heat flushed my cheeks, and I was very grateful at that moment that my bonnet covered half my face once I bowed.

I tiptoed toward the end of the room and pressed against the wall until they excused me. I had to wait if the lady had any other demands before I could leave in the adjourning room and work while keeping an ear out if she needed me.

“Ida, this is my son, Alexander,” Lady Lucia spoke, smiling sweetly at me.

Alexander looked at me, and his eyes changed from a soft gray to almost black the instant we made eye contact.

He looked almost angry.

What was his deal?

He then straightened himself, recomposed his face, and flashed me an almost perfect smile while tasting the sound of my name. “Ida.”