William poured himself a drink and silently toasted his success at overcoming yet another obstacle. He had freedom from marriage-minded misses. He had his life to live. Now all he wanted was a willing woman of his own and he’d be very happy indeed.
Six
Matilda settled into a drawing room chair, the same one she’d beaten the dust from this morning, and waited for the other shoe to drop. It was just a matter of time.
The Chudleighs had quickly taken their leave she’d heard, the woman utterly devastated by William’s announcement of his surprise marriage. A very great lie indeed. Miss Chudleigh’s tears had seemed very real, but Captain Ford had not been moved by the woman’s outpouring of heartbreak.
Not that Matilda had expected him to be kind after the way the woman had reacted to his scar.
She was a little worried about the scorn in Lord George Ford’s eyes when he’d looked her over and how he might treat his son. She knew the captain had a temper, but she didn’t know if he’d inherited the trait from his father.
She was also a little overwhelmed by the reactions to this false marriage. The captain’s sisters seemed to think William must be in love with her, which of course they said had to be the reason he would marry her.
Matilda heard the unsaid “stoop” in that statement and gritted her teeth at the near slight.
Although the marriage was false, their presumption annoyed her as much as William Ford’s obvious expectation that she’d fall in with the change to his scheme without voicing one single complaint about being so badly used.
She was glad she’d made a bargain with the captain for a house and sum of money after this disastrous affair was over. She’d never keep a maid’s position in any household now. William Ford had made her unemployable unless she assumed another name.
How could he imagine she had any ability to pretend to be his wife?
She did not know him that well!
Or want to.
The duke settled in a nearby chair with a groan and his refilled glass. He studied her, his expression inscrutable. “I swear the journey from Newberry grows longer each time I make it.”
Having no idea of Newberry Park’s exact location, Matilda clenched her hands together in her lap and nodded politely. The duke had always been kind when he’d visited, but she believed William’s actions today would not please him in the end. “You wanted to see me?”
She glanced around quickly, wondering why the captain’s sisters had disappeared. “Yes,” he said slowly. “Both of you actually, but William appears to have become delayed, no doubt because of his father. They do bump heads over every little thing.”
Matilda nodded but decided it best to keep the rest of her opinions to herself. This marriage was not such a little thing. There was the threat of very real scandal. Lord George Ford could have more than a few words to say to his son in private, and none of them would be kind about his marriage to a maid.
“We owe you a debt of gratitude for the care you have devoted to my grandson, but I had been uncertain of how to repay you. I had thought a stipend appropriate, or something to that effect.”
She blushed. Caring for Captain Ford after the first tension-filled weeks had been relatively easy. She had helped him eat what food he could manage to swallow to keep his strength up, cleaned the wound, and made sure he never scratched when his face itched. She had even bound his hands together late one night at his silent insistence when the itch of the healing wound had been driving him to distraction.
“I did what seemed best at the time,” she murmured.
He sat forward. “You believed William would survive when men of science had grave doubts.”
“I believed in the captain’s stubborn nature above all else, Your Grace,” she replied immediately and without thought for such a remark’s likely reception.
The duke choked on his whiskey, and the heat of a blush warmed Matilda’s cheeks. Perhaps it wasn’t wise to be so candid. She should not have admitted her employer was too stubborn to die when most would have succumbed to a lesser wound.
“The housekeeper has been expansive in her description of my grandson’s recovery in her letters, but I must confess I had not believed her suspicion that a romantic relationship existed between you both could possibly be true.”
Matilda glanced toward the door, hoping for Captain Ford’s return, but could not hear his approach. She would not lie to the duke for him. Not for any number of riches he might bestow upon her. “We have no relationship beyond that of servant and master. It was a mistake.”
Matilda was awkwardly aware that her dedication to the captain’s recovery had set her apart from the other servants, and she was not surprised Mrs. Young had stirred the pot by relaying the particulars and her unfounded suspicions. Captain Ford’s lie today would make her an utter outsider in the servants’ hall tonight if she hadn’t already been packed to leave this establishment forthwith.
She gripped her hands together as coldness filled her at the thought of having nowhere to go. What could she do to prevent her dismissal? How low would she have to abase herself so she was not thrown out? “If there is nothing else, I must report to Mrs. Young and continue my work for the day.”
“You must see that returning to your former position is impossible now,” the duke said slowly. “If I have instilled anything in my grandchildren, it is the belief that servants are not to be toyed with. I would not like to have others believe William acted without honor where you are concerned.”
Matilda swallowed. “The captain has always been a good employer.”
Almost always, she silently added.