Author's note: Hello lovely readers! Thank you for your support and patience.
Enjoy!
Kent
September 1912
The next morning, Adam once again elected to dine in solitude.
Thankfully, the dinner the previous night wasn't filled with snide remarks or raised voices (perhaps a product of a tiresome hunt earlier in the day), but that didn't make the evening any more enjoyable.
His relatives were staying for only three more days, and Adam was planning on seeing just how many more meals he could get away with skipping out on. If he was lucky, he would eat both breakfast and luncheon by himself, and only have to suffer through dinner.
As he was reading the paper and just about finished his breakfast, he heard the sound of the doors opening and shutting, and the soft patter of footsteps against the hardwood floor.
Adam leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes. He had told Cogsworth he would be taking his breakfast in here, he'd made sure of it. Why were there still people who insisted on interrupting his time alone? Though, if it was one of this relatives – and it very well could be – they wouldn't care that he'd told them he didn't want to be disturbed. Their whole visit was disturbing him, after all.
As the footsteps grew closer, Adam was ready to raise his voice again as he turned to see whoever had entered the library, but stopped short when the maid from the previous afternoon came into view.
She stopped short as well, clearly surprised to see him.
"I beg your pardon, sir," the maid started to say. "Mrs. Potts didn't tell me you would be here or I wouldn't have come up."
"It would seem to me that you can't get enough of me," he smiled slyly, making the girl's cheeks flush a deep red.
"I'm here to do my job, sir," Belle replied, a slight tone of annoyance in her voice. Adam didn't know if the months trapped at Theron wiped away some of his charm or that the maid was simply not interested, but either way, being discarded by a woman he'd just met was a new sensation for him.
Adam cleared his throat and looked back down the paper. "Right, of course," he said. "How are you settling in, then?"
"Very well, thank you. Plumette and Mrs. Potts have been ever so helpful," she replied. He looked up from the paper at the girl, and smiled brightly.
"And I hope my family haven't scared you off," Adam said with a slight chuckle.
"Not at all. I'm sure most people have relatives they'd rather not want a visit from."
"Not as bad as mine, though," Adam chuckled.
Just then, another set of hurried footsteps came into the library, along with a worried shout. "Belle, Belle!" A nervous voice floated deeper into the library as Plumette came into view.
Both Adam and the maid shifted their gazes, and Plumette's eyes grew wide in shock. He waited for her speak.
"Um…" she began, trying to collect her words. "Very sorry to interrupt, Mr. Adam, but Mrs. Potts just said you would be in here and we've been asked to start with the drawing room instead."
Adam nodded. "Of course."
The maid… Belle shifted her gaze to him and smiled softly before leaving the room with Plumette, and he watched her go. Once she was gone, he couldn't deny the certain sense of comfort he felt when she was around, and the way she always looked at the library with such wonderment and appreciation… It had been a long time since anyone in the house loved the library as much as him.
As quickly as the thoughts came, he shook them away. It would never happen, nothing could ever happen between them. It was a fantasy, something out of a novel. He was doomed to marry a wealthy woman solely based on her prospects, and not a woman he actually loved, and he was certain that if he didn't pick a bride soon, his father would pick for him. The thought filled his body with a certain dread, of spending out his life in the company of someone he didn't love. But the thought of living out his days at Theron alone filled his body with an equal amount of dread. But which would be worse?
Adam took a deep breath, trying to push away both thoughts. He walked over to one of the far shelves and picked out another of my favourites, and had barely gotten through the first page when he was yet again interrupted. But this time it was not by Belle or someone else just as pleasant, it was his aunt, Margaret.
"Adam," she called as she made her way further into the library. He inwardly groaned, and slipped his mother's embroidered book mark into the pages of the book and set it down, though he wished he didn't have to.
If Adam were to say "hello" or "good morning", Margaret would have interrupted him, but as it happens he said neither of those things as he wished for the encounter to be over as quickly as it began.
"I've invited some friends to stay over for a night or two. They're traveling back from the continent and were about to stay at Lady Cherris's place, you know, the sorry excuse for a great house, so I invited them here instead."
Adam blinked. This woman had the audacity to invite strangers into a house that was not her own… it was bad enough she was staying in it for another three days, let alone her friends.
"When, pray tell, were going to inform me about this?" He didn't even know why he tried to hide the anger and frustration in his tone. Perhaps because he knew an innocent book would be caught in the crossfire.
Aunt Margaret stared at him blankly. "I just did, didn't I?"
"You know what I mean," Adam replied, rolling his eyes. Could she be any more insufferable?
"Well I only found out last night, and you, it seems, have made it your mission to avoid us and left the drawing room before I could bring it up. And besides, I couldn't very well let them stay at Lady Cherris's. There is practically water running down the walls, I really don't know how she can stand it."
There was obviously no convincing her that these friends of hers could stay anywhere else. "Tell Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth, they'll get everything sorted," he said, picking his book back up and turning to the page he'd started.
"They're your servants," Margaret said and walked out of the library in long strides.
Adam scoffed. "They're your guests!" he called out after her, but she was no longer listening.
"Can you believe it?" Plumette asked angrily as she and Belle changed the sheets of the guest bedroom they were preparing for Lady Brankford's mysterious guests.
"She's just doing it because she knows she can get away with it with Mr. Adam. She wouldn't even dare to try that with his Lordship in the house," she continued, tucking the sheets under the mattress.
"Perhaps that's why she seldom visits," Belle suggested. "I know I wouldn't mind her out of the house as quickly as possible."
Perhaps Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth would be very cross with her if they'd heard those words, but she got a feeling they were no fans of the Brankfords. None of the staff were, in fact. Last night during the guests' dinner, Lumiere had joked about mixing soap in with Lord Brankford's soup, but of course cared too much for his job to actually try it. He'd even made sure Cogsworth was out of earshot so he didn't suspect.
"First last night and now this…" Plumette muttered.
"What happened last night?" Belle asked, concerned. Plumette shook her head as she fluffed one of the pillows. "Nothing, nothing," she said
Belle looked at her suspiciously. "Are you sure?"
"I… I don't know if I can say, at the moment," she replied slowly, as if carefully constructing the sentence.
"You can always tell me, whenever you're ready," Belle said, moving over towards the head housemaid and held her hand comfortingly.
"Thank you," Plumette said. "Now, let's get the other room done before Lady Brankford comes up and orders us around herself." Belle smiled, and they moved to the next guest room to change the sheets and get it ready.
Plumette spent the whole time telling stories about when they went to London for the Season the previous year, and Belle listened gratefully. Her memories were so vivid that it made Belle feel as if she were in them herself.
It made her long for London that much more, and hoped desperately she'd be able to travel there sooner or later.
The two housemaids finished preparing the guest rooms and descended the stairs into the servants' hall.
The kitchen maids were setting the long table for luncheon, and Percy was playing a delightful tune on the small piano. From the kitchen, the smell of meat pies wafted over, making Belle realize she was terribly hungry after preparing those two rooms, and not to mention a second encounter with Mr. Adam.
She hadn't appreciated the way he flirted with her, though she could tell he was used to getting his way all the time. It would make things difficult for her position, and not to mention her job would be a stake. If anything happened between them, she might not be able to work again, and all her dreams of travelling would be dashed.
But perhaps he didn't really mean what he had said. Perhaps it was all an act. Knowing Mr. Adam's reputation, it wouldn't surprise Belle if he just looking for some form of entertainment, and he found it with the new housemaid. It that were the case, then Belle would not give him the pleasure.
A few hours after the servants' luncheon, Plumette found her sweetheart in one of the store rooms, shining the silverware for the dinner that evening.
"So, the mystery guests arrived safely?" Plumette asked, entering the small room. She picked up some of the silverware and polish from the wooden table and started helping him.
"You don't have to do that," Lumiere said, trying to get her to put the fork and polishing rag down.
"I want to help you," she insisted. "Dinner's not for hours and all the rooms have been cleaned until they sparkle."
"I don't deserve you," Lumiere breathed, almost spilling too much polish on his rag.
"No, you don't," she replied. "Now tell me about the guests."
"Yes, I was quite surprised when they arrived. They're both young, perhaps around Lady Brankford's sons ages."
"And here I thought Lady Brankford didn't have any friends below the age of forty."
Lumiere laughed at her comments. "Yes, exactly my thoughts, but it turns out one is the son of the Duke of Chester, and the other his friend who'd been living in Paris or Madrid or some such place."
"My, I'm sure Mr. Adam is thrilled to have them staying."
"Oh yes, his absence was noted."
"Why would Lady Brankford invite them here, though?"
"God knows why that woman does what she does, but I heard her and conversing about a possible marriage plan, probably between Mr. Adam and the duke's daughter."
But that makes no sense, Plumette thought as she scrubbed a little harder to get a blemish off of the fork. Just last night she and Lady Theresa were talking about replacing Mr. Adam as heir with her own son. It would do her no good for Mr. Adam to marry a wealthy woman. But perhaps that was just a cover for different reason she had for inviting them to Theron.
"Perhaps she's trying to marry off Miss Elizabeth to the son of the duke," Plumette mused, trying not to let her voice falter.
Lumiere scoffed. "The girl's only seventeen, she hasn't even attended her first Season yet."
"Still, I wouldn't put it past her."
"Oh, no doubt. Either that or she's trying to get her own daughter to reconsider."
"Lady Theresa would never do that," Plumette insisted.
"But Lady Brankford thinks all women are like her. She thinks they will pass up something when a better offer comes along."
"What a terrible way to view other people."
"What?" Lumiere asked, gazing at Plumette with a mischievous smile. "You wouldn't leave me if the Prince of Wales himself offered you his hand in marriage?"
"Never," Plumette replied firmly, placing a kiss on his cheek. "To me, there are no better offers than you."
Lumiere was about to kiss her when a knock came from the door. Plumette and Lumiere jolted apart suddenly, out of fear that Cogsworth had caught them, but it was only Lady Brankford's maid, Helena.
"Can I help?" Plumette asked.
"I was going to ask how to get to the post office, but I see that you two are rather busy," the lady's maid said in a bored tone.
"It's right beside the pub," Plumette replied. "May I ask what you are delivering?"
"A letter to Lord Villeneuve from Her Ladyship."
"Do you know what the letter contains?" Plumette pressed, earning a suspicious look from Lumiere.
"No," the lady's maid replied. "And I don't particularly care."
"You know, I was actually going to go into the village later this afternoon," Plumette said, coming up with a plan. It perhaps wasn't the best thought-out, but it was good enough. "I can take the letter for you. Save you the trip."
"Alright," Helena said, handing her the sealed letter. "Thank you," Plumette replied, but the lady's maid was already out of the room.
"That's nice of you to offer," Lumiere said, trying to kiss her again now that they were alone in the small room.
Plumette felt as if the letter were burning on her hands. She quickly returned Lumiere's kiss and made an excuse to leave. "I'm afraid I have to leave now. Mrs. Potts said she wanted me to do a few things before the dressing gong, and I must hurry if I am to make good time for the post office." It wasn't technically a lie; the housekeeper had said to her at luncheon that a button had fallen off one of Miss Elizabeth's dresses and she needed to mend it, but that wouldn't take a second.
Lumiere nodded with a certain look of knowing about him. If he did see through her slight fibs, he didn't say anything.
As the housemaid left the storeroom and walked up the steep flights of stairs towards her own bedroom, she couldn't help but feel guilty for extending the truth to Lumiere. But perhaps if he were in her position, he would have done the same thing. It would do no good if more people knew about Lady Brankford's schemes, after all. She wanted to be sure first, before she confided in Lumiere, and the letter in her hands could contain the answers she wanted.
Plumette was relieved to see that Belle was not in their room, and she closed the door. Slowly, and carefully, she started to open the letter so the envelope wouldn't rip. It was becoming increasingly difficult for her to do so with her shaking hands. But eventually, after what felt like an century, the flap opened and Plumette retrieved the parchment inside.
Her heart raced as she scanned the contents of the letter. Your son has been idle for far too long… risking the security of the estate… he must marry within a year… I suggest my son, Edward, as a suitable replacement as heir…
Plumette gasped as she read. Lady Brankford was trying to replace Mr. Adam as heir. The question was… would His Lordship agree? He'd already scouted that accountant… but perhaps he would want to keep the earldom in close relations. But what would happen to Mr. Adam then? And what would happen to them? If Mr. Edward was anything like his mother, he might replace them with new staff.
The housemaid took a deep breath and pushed all of that to the back of her mind. She only had one decision to make now: and that was to either mail the letter or keep it.
The door opened with a soft click, and Plumette nearly jumped out of her skin.
"I didn't mean to startle you," Belle said. "I just came up to change before the dressing gong."
Plumette didn't reply, she was in deep thought.
"What is it?" Belle asked. "And what is that?"
It was only now that Plumette realized she was still holding the letter in front of her. "Nothing," she said, perhaps a little too quickly, and folded the letter and inserted it back in the envelope.
"Is this about yesterday?"
Silence.
"Plumette, what are you holding? What have you done?" Belle's tone wasn't threatening at all, but concerned.
Plumette thought she might be able to pass off another excuse, but Belle wouldn't go for it a second time, not after she'd been the letter in her hands. Besides, it would be better for her to know the truth, instead of arousing any suspicion.
"It's a letter from Lady Brankford," Plumette started. "To His Lordship."
Belle stared blankly at her. "Why do you have it?"
"I told her lady's maid I would mail it. But last night she was talking about… replacing Mr. Adam as heir to Theron with her own son, Mr. Edward. The letter outlines her plan to do so."
"But surely His Lordship wouldn't replace his own son with another," Belle argued, stepping closer towards her.
"That's just it, though. Before Mr. Adam had moved back to Theron, His Lordship had found the next heir after him, an distant cousin. If he was willing to let the earldom pass to him, it would make sense he would let the earldom pass to Mr. Edward instead."
"And now, what are you doing to do with the letter?" Belle asked. "If Lady Brankford finds out you read it, you'd lose your job."
Plumette looked at her with a sort of desperation. "I know. I don't know what to do."
Belle thought for a moment. "Go to the post office anyway," she suggested. "That way if anyone asks, you can say you did indeed visit the post office."
"And what about the letter itself?"
"Keep it. Mr. Adam's guests are only here for three more days, and His Lordship is off traveling on the continent. It would take weeks for the letter to reach him. After the guests leave, we can talk to Mr. Adam about it. You can tell him what you heard last night, but make no mention of the contents of the letter. If Mr. Adam wants to read the letter himself, he can."
Plumette nodded, taking in Belle's plan. It was good, certainly, but what worried her was the prospect of someone finding the letter in her room, and not to mention she had to seal it again. However, the plan did set her nerves at ease, at least for the moment.
To Adam's surprise, dinner with his aunt's guests hadn't been a completely dreadful affair. William Ellis, the son of the Duke of Chester had got on very well with everyone (though Adam had mostly kept to himself during diner as usual), and his friend Mr. George Holloway, who had been seated next to Theresa had spent the whole dinner talking with her and payed little attention to anyone else. And by the looks of, Theresa had been quite taken with him as well.
What a story that would be, Adam thought as he and the other men were making their way from the dining room to join the ladies in the drawing room. The daughter of the Marquess of Brankford running off with man of no title or land.
Her mother certainly wouldn't allow it, not after Theresa had found a suitable fiancé without her meddling.
As the men entered the drawing room, Lady Brankford's face lit up. "William!" she called him over to where she was sitting with Elizabeth. "Tell my niece about your travels, I'm sure she would love to hear them."
Adam rolled his eyes at his aunt's obvious attempts to get Elizabeth married off so early, and it surprised him at the same time. He wouldn't have though she could handle having a niece of higher rank than her own.
During dinner, Margaret had told Adam all about William's sister, an eligible woman with only a Season or two behind her. Adam, of course, had attempted to change the subject at every turn.
"I could never marry anybody I was told to. I'm stubborn. I wish I wasn't, but I am," he had told her, though he didn't know if he truly meant what he'd said in the last sentence.
As the room fell into quiet conversation, Adam thought he might slip out of the room to go to the library to read. He found himself hoping that maid, Belle, would walk in again, as she seemed to do so often. It was a silly thought, he admitted to himself, but a true one nonetheless.
All of the other servants of the house had known him for years… but Belle was new, so full of joy and wonder, and had given Mrs. Potts a run for her money in the way she spoke to him. Besides, he'd never seen another person gaze around the Theron library with the level of giddiness she had done. He longed to show her more of it, its collections of novels and encyclopaedias and atlases, he wanted to share his favourite books with her, and he hoped that she would show him hers.
But the pragmatist in him pushed him back into reality. It was true that Adam had never felt this way about anyone, and least of all the women pushed on him by his father, but he knew a relationship with a common housemaid would never, ever, be accepted by his father, or even the peerage. Perhaps if he ignored the feelings, they'd go away eventually. The more he tried to rationalize a relationship between the two of them, the more he delayed the inevitable, and the more the terms of reality would hurt him.
Adam longed for another glass of port, and was about to ask Lumiere to fetch him one, but instead he caught Theresa and Mr. Holloway slip out of the drawing room.
It hadn't looked as if they were about to engage in any distasteful behaviour, but nevertheless Adam discreetly left the room to follow them.
Theron's halls were dark at that time of night, and though a few of the lights were switched on, it was difficult to look for any movement.
He had almost completed a circuit of the main halls, when he heard a gasp from inside the library. Without warning, Adam opened the door and Theresa and Mr. Holloway jolted apart. It was clear they had been in an embrace, and not only judging by Theresa's flushed an embarrassed expression.
"Your mother was asking where you'd gone off to," Adam lied to Theresa.
"Yes, of course," she replied, swiftly exiting the library, seeming thankful for the interruption. Mr. Holloway made to follow her out, but Adam stepped in front of his path.
"I trust this won't happen again," he said in a low voice. "Especially not in my home." He paused for a moment, and the man was just about to leave when Adam spoke again. "And perhaps next time, try with a more willing participant, and not a woman engaged to be married. It would be such a nuisance to have the police involved, and oh, the damage it would do to William's reputation…"
Adam smirked as Mr. Holloway glared at him. He savoured his reaction for only moment before turning on his heel, leaving the library and retreated to his rooms.
He did care for his cousin's reputation, at least in part, but as he climbed the stairs, he found himself more concerned about the nuisance scandal would bring upon Theron itself. Before, Adam had been able to get away with practically anything, including his share of affairs with married women. But now, he was doubtful his father would step in to save him. And besides that, it would only make him angrier and more willing to organize an arranged marriage as quickly as possible, something Adam wanted to avoid at all costs. It was bad enough he was being forced to marry, but at least he had the illusion of choice in the matter. He couldn't even fathom the idea of meeting his bride on the day of the wedding, an idea he was sure his father had considered at some point.
Adam fell onto his bed, willing the thoughts of arranged marriages out of his mind. He eyed the copy of Lancelot and Guinevere on his nightstand, and read until he fell asleep with the book still in his hands.
It seemed as if Belle had only just fallen asleep when she was awoken by a gentle shake on her shoulder. She tried to shake away the hand, thinking it was a dream, but she was shaken again, a bit harder this time.
Belle opened his eyes and saw Plumette looking frantic above her. "Is everything alright?" Belle asked, suddenly alarmed at her friend's expression.
"No, nothing's alright," a different voice said from the across the room. Belle looked up and recognized Lady Theresa in the dark, biting her nails. She looked at Plumette.
"What is going on?"
"Lady Theresa thinks Mr. Holloway has died," Plumette answered, her voice uneven. Belle's gaze shot to the lady, and then back to Plumette.
"What? How horrible! But why are you telling us? Surely you should inform Mr. Adam or your parents or…"
"He's in my room. Mr. Holloway's in my room."
Belle's eyes widened. "Your room? What in God's name is he doing there?" Her voice raised a little, and Lady Theresa shushed her in response. "Sorry, my lady," Belle apologized.
Lady Theresa shook her head. "No, I'm sorry, I just… after dinner, he came into my room… started kissing me. We… ended up… ended up on the bed and he cried out and fell over, limp." Tears started to fall from her eyes and her voice cracked as she spoke. "I need you two to help, I'm begging you. We must get Mr. Holloway back to his own room without anyone seeing. If my mother finds out she'll disown me." She held her palm to her mouth, trying to silence her cries.
Belle looked at Plumette, a bit unsure of whether to do anything, or try to come up with a plan that didn't involve carrying a grown man across the length of the house. But it was getting late with each passing second, and Lady Theresa's plan was the only option.
Both maids nodded in agreement, and together the three women walked down the corridor and down the servants' stairwells to the guest bedrooms. Once they reached Lady Theresa's room, Plumette gasped at the sight, and Belle grimaced. She'd never seen a man in such a state in her life. Undressed, his middle covered by thin white sheets, and unmoving.
Lady Theresa avoided the body as best she could and motioned for them to take hold. She grabbed Mr. Holloway's right shoulder, Belle his left, and Plumette his ankles. Together, they lifted Mr. Holloway's body and carried him as quietly as they could down the halls to the bachelor guest rooms. The three women readjusted their grip often, sometimes causing the body to slip and knock against the floor which made Belle's heart practically stop.
After what it seemed they had crossed the entire length of the country, they reached Mr. Holloway's room. Plumette quietly put his ankles down and opened the door. The three women carried him into the room and Belle shut the door behind them, and then placed the body on the bed.
Lady Theresa pulled away the sheets and gave them to Plumette, and then proceeded to arrange Mr. Holloway's body as naturally as possible.
Belle's heart was still pounding from what she'd just done, and she couldn't even admit it to herself. She'd just carried a dead man across the length of the house. The thought only made her more anxious, and she was eager to leave the room.
"Leave it, my lady," Belle said as Lady Theresa was still fiddling with the body.
"But they'll get suspicious…"
"No one will be suspicious. No one saw, no one has any reason to suspect," Plumette added, clearly wanting to leave as well.
Lady Theresa gave the body a final look and walked towards the door. "I trust what has happened will stay between us," she said.
"You'll hear no argument from me," Belle said.
"Me neither," Plumette added.
The women traveled their separate ways; Lady Theresa to her room and Plumette and Belle back to the servants' quarters.
Neither Belle nor Plumette spoke a word about what they'd just gone through, and the only words exchanged were a short "good night" as they got into their beds.
Belle closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep, but all she could see was Mr. Holloway's body, his lifeless eyes staring back at her. She hoped should never have to speak of it again, and that the whole thing would pass over within the month.
She finally fell asleep after practically willing herself, and in the morning when the rest of the house heard of the news, she continued on, pretending as if she knew nothing about it.