She took a deep breath. It was hardly appropriate to ask him. Papa always said that it was important to be kind and friendly to the servants, but not to get too familiar with them. He said that to do so muddied the boundaries between the classes and that an unscrupulous servant could use a close relationship against you. It was important to be kind, but distant. Always.
Evelina took another deep breath, trying to push the thought of the encounter with the handsome new coachman out of her mind entirely. But it was hard. Very hard indeed.
***
When they reached Charingworth, Jude jumped down from the carriage, opening the door. He held out his hand to assist the lady. Even though her hand was gloved, he felt a definite spark. He had experienced quite a few sparks when she had collided into him rushing out the front door of Bosworth Manor.
He had never seen a more beautiful woman in his life.
His eyes flickered over her before sliding away. He knew it wasn’t appropriate to gawk at her in such a way, but it was hard not to. Lenny had told him the Lady Evelina was lovely, but it was a complete understatement. She was a great beauty.
She was a petite woman. Her hair was indeed as black as a raven’s wing, just as Lenny had said, and soft and silky. Her eyes were cornflower blue, large and expressive, accentuated by dark lashes. She had the most startling pale skin, as white as milk, without a blemish. He felt his loins stir as his eyes slid to her mouth. A perfect rosebud.
She flashed him a quick smile, mumbling her thanks, before pulling her hand away. He took a deep breath before jumping on the top of the carriage to take down the collection of baskets assembled there. Apparently, Lady Evelina was taking them to the villagers for the Christmas season. It was an act of generosity that Lenny had told him her late mother always did.
As he trailed her from cottage to cottage, carrying the baskets, he tried to stop looking at her. To distract himself, he focused on the village. Charingworth was beautiful, with thatched cottages and cobblestone streets surrounding the central village square.
He had never journeyed far out of Shrewsbury before, and it was beautiful. This part of Shropshire was on the border of Wales, and he had never seen it before. His entire world had been the city ever since he could remember.
But, of course, he had a life prior to that, which he couldn’t remember. He had always assumed the family that had abandoned him were from Shrewsbury, which was one reason he had never left the place.
He had always thought that if he was to discover that long-lost family, it would be there. But what if it wasn’t? What if his family had journeyed to Shrewsbury to abandon him and were actually from somewhere else entirely, like one of these pretty little Shropshire villages?
Stop it, he told himself, taking a deep breath. You have come here to make a fresh start and leave the obsession with finding your family behind, not create a whole new imagined scenario about it.
“Jude?”
He jumped. The beautiful lady was standing outside one of the cottages, looking at him intently, her blue eyes huge.
“A basket?” she pressed. “You look like you are miles away in your mind.”
“I am sorry, milady,” he said, taking a deep breath, passing her one.
She smiled, then walked off towards a cottage. Jude took another deep breath. He must stop this rumination and focus on this new life he was trying to create. He must leave the past behind.
He watched her petite figure walk through the doorway of the cottage. His loins tightened again. He must be careful that he controlled this sudden intense attraction towards her, as well. He may have come here to start a whole new life and leave his past behind, but that didn’t include developing a pointless fancy towards a woman which he would never have a chance to pursue. She was so far above him; it was laughable.
***
Evelina walked out of the last cottage. The handsome new coachman was standing there waiting for her. The baskets had all been distributed. Her duty was done for the day, and it was time to return home.
But she didn’t want to yet. Her gaze lingered on the small church in the near distance, St. Thomas’s Church. She was sure it would have its nativity scene set up now, and Mama had always liked to take her there after they finished this duty to sit and contemplate the scene. Afterwards, they would pray.
“I am going to the church,” she said. “I will not be long. You can return to the carriage to wait for me there.”
The handsome coachman nodded. Her heart beat a little faster as she regarded him, before hastily turning away. She knew her cheeks were flushed. She hoped his sudden presence in her life was not going to be a problem. For the simple fact was, she had never felt such an overwhelming attraction towards a man in her life, and it wasn’t at all appropriate to be feeling it towards a servant.
All was quiet within the church. Evelina took a deep breath. They had indeed set the nativity scene up at the altar. Her heart leapt at seeing it.
She walked slowly down the aisle, taking a seat in the nearest pew. It was the same figures that had been used ever since she was a child. A serenely smiling Mary, dressed in blue, looking down into the manger where baby Jesus lay. Joseph stood behind her, holding his staff. The three wise kings were to the left; the shepherds to the right.
She closed her eyes, remembering sitting here with Mama. Often, her mother would tell her the Christmas story in a low voice. Evelina had been spellbound by the scene, imagining the miracle, the start of Christmas. Time drifted by as the years of doing this filtered through her mind, one after the other, like a deck of cards being shuffled.
Slowly, she opened her eyes. She saw snow falling softly through the windows. It had started to thicken. She didn’t know how long she had been sitting here in silent contemplation, but she should get back to Bosworth. Often, if the snowfall thickened, sections of the road could become difficult to traverse.
“Milady?”
Jumping, she turned around. The handsome coachman was standing there, watching her. Her face reddened.