Page 26 of Miss Vincent’s Vow

In the meantime, he needed to inform Mrs Timms of Sally’s dismissal. He hoped the girl would learn her lesson whilst she was young. Her mother would, no doubt, be disappointed, but he would ensure she received the full quarter’s wages, and she would gain another situation soon enough. There were always plenty of opportunities in Weymouth, particularly once summer was upon them.

He would not prevent Cassandra from giving the girl a reference if she felt so inclined, but Sally was no longer welcome in his house.

Jethro hoped his wife would understand.

He would not tolerate disloyalty.

Chapter 13

Cassandra arrived home in a better frame of mind than after parting with her sister, but with only just enough time to dress for dinner.

She hurried up the stairs to her room and rang the bell for her maid. She would need all the help she could get if she wasn’t going to be late. Perhaps Sally would come quickly today.

Cassandra started to unpin her hair to save time and was busy with the task when the door opened after a surprisingly short time.

“I’m glad to see you’ve improved your promptness, Sal—”

She broke off, because when she turned, it was not Sally but one of the chambermaids.

“What are you doing here, Mary Ann? Is Sally unwell?”

“No, madam.”

“Then fetch her at once. I’ve got no time to lose. I got rather distracted in the library and the hour is late.”

“If you please, madam, Mr Hunt said I was to help you.”

Cassandra shot her a curious look. “Why? Where’s Sally, if she is not ill? Has she played truant?”

Mary Ann shook her head. “She’s gone.”

“Gone?”

“Mr Hunt dismissed her.”

Annoyance flooded Cassandra’s body. How dare her husband dismiss her maid without so much as a word to her? Was she to have no say in anything? Wasn’t it enough that he spied on her? Did he need to manage her servants for her as well?

“Do you know why?”

The girl’s face whitened. Was she afraid of her—or afraid of getting into trouble? Did she fear dismissal, too, if she told her mistress what had happened?

Cassandra sympathised. It was hard to have your fate in someone else’s hands. To know they could let you go, if you displeased them. Was Jethro struggling with the fact that he couldn’t dismiss his wife in the same way as he had dismissed Sally?

Moved by sympathy, she pressed the girl’s hand. “It’s all right, Mary Ann. I won’t push you. My husband will no doubt explain what happened to me later. Now, please fetch the white crape evening dress Mrs Fisher sent over earlier, and pin up my hair so I can go down to dinner.”

The maid bobbed a curtsey and hurried into the dressing room to retrieve the gown.

Cassandra tried to ignore the feeling of helplessness that threatened to overwhelm her. She had been trapped in a life not of her own choosing by her father’s indisposition, and now she had plunged herself into another trap. But from this one, there was no escape.

While Mary Ann fussed around her, she dwelt on the underlying truth. However annoyed she felt at Jethro’s high-handedness, she must not complain. She had surrendered control of her life to another man, and now she must pay the price.

“You’re ready, madam.”

Mary Ann’s words broke into her reverie, and Cassandra looked into the mirror. She was pleasantly surprised to see that the girl was just as adept as her former maid had been. Perhaps Jethro had done her a favour, but what of poor Sally? Was her crime really so bad that she should be dismissed without a warning? Cassandra intended to find out.

She found Jethro waiting for her in the drawing room. If she hadn’t been so irritated with him, she might have been pleased to find him there before her. The look on his face was almost welcoming, but her need for answers was too great.

Hardly waiting for her husband to greet her, she blurted out, “Why did you dismiss Sally?”