“Sally Potter,” she said, stretching out a hand to him. “You are the new coachman, aren’t you?”
Jude took a deep breath, shaking her proffered hand. “Yes, I am. Nice to meet you, Sally. I’m Jude Huxley. Of course you can sit with us.”
Her smile widened. She almost strutted towards the only vacant seat left by the fire. Lenny nodded at her curtly. “Sally.”
Sally gave Lenny a perfunctory smile of acknowledgement before turning her attention straight back to Jude. He knew she was interested in him, and it wasn’t just curiosity, because he was new to Bosworth Manor. He could tell by the way she was looking at him. He had encountered confident women like her before. They weren’t backward about coming forward, as one of the workers in the orphanage used to say.
“Where have you come from, Jude?” she asked.
“Shrewsbury,” he said. “I lived there all my life.”
She looked surprised. “You are from the big town? We don’t get many people from there. It’s mostly locals who work here.” She paused. “Now I know why I have never seen you around before. I know most families in the district. Why did you decide to come here?”
Jude shrugged. “A fresh start, I suppose. I wanted to get out of Shrewsbury. I’ve never lived in the country before or worked for a noble family. Something different.”
She laughed. “Well, you will find itverydifferent from Shrewsbury!” She pouted a little. “There’s not much to do here at all. Sometimes I die from the boredom of it.” She gave a heavy sigh. Then she brightened again. “The only amusement is the village dances. They are held once a month at the hall in Charingworth. There’s one happening before Christmas. Would you like to go with me?”
Jude smothered his surprise. He wasn’t used to women asking him out quite so bluntly. Most waited to be asked. Evidently, Sally Potter had no such reservations.
He hesitated. She was pretty and friendly. It would probably be no hardship to squire her to a local dance. He wasn’t really attracted to her. She was a bit brash and brassy. He admitted to himself it probably had a lot to do with his fierce attraction towards Lady Evelina. It was as if he couldn’t even look at another woman properly at the moment, never mind courting one.
And he could tell that if he agreed, then Sally would immediately assume hewasinterested in her and keep pressuring him to become her sweetheart. He didn’t want to go down that road. It would only lead to awkwardness when it became apparent to her he had no such desire. It was probably best not to commit and let her down gently.
“I haven’t even thought about socialising yet,” he said, smiling at her warmly. “I want to focus on my new job and settling in here right now. But I will let you know if I change my mind. Thanks for the invitation, Sally.”
Her smile hardened a bit, but then she shrugged her shoulders, feigning nonchalance. “Do that. It is fun. Something to break the monotony.”
“Sally!” called the cook. “I need you!”
Sally sighed heavily, getting to her feet. She gave him another flirtatious look before scurrying away.
“I would watch that one if I were you, Jude,” said Lenny. “Sally Potter has a reputation as a bit of a hussy. But she is also on the lookout for a husband.” He paused. “You probably don’t want her hooks in you.”
Jude smiled slightly. “She seems like a flirt. But I have no interest in her. Thanks for the warning, though.” He hesitated. “I am here to work, Lenny, not seduce the maids.”
Lenny laughed, draining the last of his mug of tea. “You have a good head on your shoulders, lad. You’ll go far here with that attitude. You can set yourself up for life here if you work hard. There’s security and stability.” He paused. “And if you are ambitious, you can climb the ladder within the household.”
Jude nodded. “That is exactly what I want.” He frowned. “I’m tired of going from job to job, and I was tired of Shrewsbury. And Iamambitious. I am going to work hard. Believe me.”
Lenny looked impressed. “That’s the spirit, Jude.”
Jude smiled back. He really did like Lenny. He was like a gentle giant. And he was so friendly and seemed willing to act like a mentor towards him.
He took a deep breath, filled with determination. Hewasgoing to succeed here. This really was going to be the fresh start he desired. It was finally time to stop being the orphan searching for his family and create the life he wanted. He needed to look forward, not back.
It was all possible at Bosworth Manor, as Lenny had said. He could carve out a very successful life here. The only possible fly in the ointment was this sudden powerful attraction to the lady of the house, which had taken him completely by surprise and was very disconcerting.
But it would probably fade with time, and he could manage it. He had no choice. There was simply no chance a man like him could have a woman like her. They may as well be oceans apart.
Chapter 6
Evelina rubbed her hands together as she walked quickly beyond the boundary line between the Bosworth Manor estate and the woods beyond, hitching the wooden basket she was holding higher upon her arm. Today, she collected some of the traditional Christmas greenery to decorate the house.
She kept walking along the trail into the woods. She wouldn’t be able to collect enough to decorate the entire house, of course. Bosworth Manor was enormous. Tomorrow, she would instruct the gardeners to harvest what was needed. But she wanted to gather the first of the greenery herself. She had always done this with Mama at the start of the Christmas season. It had been a special time for just the two of them.
Evelina’s mind drifted back to those other times as she walked. So many years. She had probably only been four years old when Mama had first taken her into these woods, both of them carrying baskets. They meandered for a long time, usually collecting ivy, holly, and mistletoe, until Evelina became too tired. When she was very little, Mama often carried her back, holding her tenderly.
Evelina sighed. Every step of the path she took carried a memory. It was almost as if she could feel her mother beside her and see her footprints in the snow. But when she turned to look, she wasn’t there.