Page 6 of Honor Unbound

“Do you ’ave a beau, Jane?” This voice was younger, with a hint of mischief. Miss Murphy’s.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“If you want to transition from maid to lady’s companion, you must work on your diction,” Lady Mary said. There was a bang, then a scraping sound. “You’re a smart girl. You can stop dropping yourh’s if you put your mind to it.”

Brett leaned against the wall beside the door jamb, crossing his arms over his chest. A lady’s companion? He had a hard time seeing the maid in that position. Her hair was a bit too untamed. Her mouth a bit too free. But he admired anyone who wanted to improve his or her position in life.

“Now, what’s this nonsense about you not wanting to inquire into that Trent?” Jane asked. “Don’t tell me this will be the first dead body you don’t want to investigate.”

Brett pursed his lips. Perhaps he should have done more investigation himself into his new employer. He’d heard that Lady Mary was a bit unorthodox, but he hadn’t heard anything about her and dead bodies.

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to investigate. Of course, I do. A man has been killed and I want to know why. But it has to be done with some delicacy, and having our household tromp all over hill and dale doesn’t qualify. I’ll ask Stavers and Ernest to speak to their acquaintancesdiscreetly.” Lady Mary grunted. “This wretched window. It’s still sticking. I thought Bobby said he’d fixed it.”

“I’ll talk to him.” Jane sighed. “You could leave this matter to Sir Kelsey.”

“I could.”

“But she won’t.” Miss Murphy laughed lightly. “And besides, where would the fun be in that? As Lady Mary showed me at Perrin Manor, uncovering misdeeds can be quite satisfying.” There was a beat of silence, then a red head popped out from the doorway. “Isn’t that right, Mr. Burton?”

A wide smile stretched across Brett’s face. He’d been well and truly caught. He pushed off from the wall and stepped into the library. “No disrespect intended, milady. A good butler should anticipate his mistress’s needs, and that requires a bit of listening.”

Marie skirted around him and dropped into a leather chair. “Eavesdropping, more like.”

He shrugged. “Different sides of the same coin.” He strode to the window and tugged it open. It was sticking. A warped frame, most likely from water damage.

Lady Mary pushed her spectacles up her nose. “You’re quite pert for a new hire. Usually it takes months before one of my servants feels free to be so bold.”

“My nan used to say a decision once made should be held onto with both hands.” Brett widened his stance. “She also used to say a man shouldn’t take too long making his decisions. Procrastination shows a weakness in will.”

“Intriguing as your grandmother’s folk statements are,” Lady Mary said dryly, “what do they have to do with the present situation?”

“It means, I want to help with your investigation.” He rocked back on his heels. He hadn’t realized that’s what he’d been thinking when he’d followed them to the library, but the decision felt right. Exciting. Uncovering a killer. Could it be done?

Miss Murphy scoffed. “In the kitchen, you thought the lot of us were mad wanting to investigate. Now you want to join in?”

Brett pursed his lips. “It took me a moment to get over the shock, I’ll admit, but like I said, the Burton men don’t let the grass grow under their feet.”

Miss Murphy turned to Lady Mary. “We don’t need ’im.”

“We don’t needhim.” Lady Mary tapped her fingers along the arm of her chair, staring into space.

“Fine. We don’t needhhhim.” Miss Murphy narrowed her eyes. “You and I have solved a murder before, just the two of us. We can do it again.”

Lady Mary dipped her chin and arched a snowy eyebrow. “That is a great exaggeration, my dear.”

Brett tipped his head to the side. “So this isn’t the first murder you’ve come across?”

“Sadly, no.” Lady Mary leaned back and rested her head against the top of her chair. “But we had a large amount of help previously, and I’m unwilling to turn away any assistance needlessly.”

Miss Murphy’s hands tightened. “But—”

“How old are you?” Lady Mary examined Brett with a critical eye.

“Eight-and-twenty, milady.”

“You seem strong and of good constitution,” Lady Mary said.

All of the women’s eyes turned to him, and Brett couldn’t help but draw his shoulders back and stand just a bit taller. “I’ve found hardiness to be useful in my position.”