Page 5 of Hooked

“Good. Do you miss having the run of the kitchen?” I asked. She had bloomed out of her quiet shell just a little when it had just been the four of us there at Bridgefield. However, she’d shrunk back in on herself once our quiet little haven was interrupted by the arrival of a full house of servants, then our relocation to Dalthia, Marilee’s marriage, and our return here. Now she was the undercook and already impressing the head cook with her skill and efficiency.

She shrugged. “Gotten used to it.”

“Good. And I still love your biscuits the best.”

She grinned and we waved our goodbyes.

I slipped through the kitchen and into the main house. I was about to go upstairs when I heard singing drifting from down the hallway. I went farther down the corridor and peeked into the music room. Sir James sat on a chair, his viol between his knees as he drew the bow across the strings. Princess Marilee sat right next to him, singing along with the tune, a small smile curving her mouth, her eyes fixed on her husband. My chest swelled with happiness at the sight, at the love they’d found despite the odds that seemed so highly stacked against us all.

“Spying, are you?” a voice asked from behind.

I turned to see Beatrice, looking fierce in her crisp head maid uniform. Or at least as fierce as one can look when they have the temperament of a grandmother wishing to care for one and all. I waved off her reprimand. “You know they are oblivious to anyone else.”

She smiled, content. “Yes. However, they are the master and mistress of the house, and we don’t want to give the impression that we condone spying on them.”

I huffed a sigh and stepped away from the door. “Yes, I know. And you know I hold Her Highness in the highest respect.”

She nodded and looped her arm through mine as we made our way down the hall. “We all do.”

***

The following day, I stepped out of Marilee’s room, a bundle of laundry in my arms. As I turned to close the door, my back bumped into something. I spun around, the clothing dropping to the floor as my hand flew to my startled heart.

“My apologies,” Falstone said as he bent to retrieve the items I had dropped.

I took one moment to shake off my surprise then bent as well. No need for him to do my work for me. “Thank you, I have it,” I said, taking the clothes from his arms then rising so I could hurry away.

“You’ll not stop to speak with me?” he called out before I got too far.

I turned, my face no doubt marred by confusion. “My apologies. I did not realize you needed to speak with me. Is it about the princess?”

A slow smile tugged at his mouth. “No, this is nothing official. I only…hoped to have a word with you.”

I blinked. “With me?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand. Why?”

He shifted back on one foot. “To know you better, I suppose.”

I gaped for a moment, uncomprehending. “We have both been working for the princess for quite some time. You have never wished to know me better before.”

He cleared his throat in a show of nerves I’d never seen before. “My position required a good deal more of my attention when we were at Bridgefield. I could not risk being distracted.”

My brow felt as though it rose all the way to my hairline. “Distracted?”

“Yes.”

His firm answer made my eyes widen. “Are you suggesting that I am a distraction?”

“Most assuredly.” He tried for a smile, but it never fully formed.

My chest tightened at the heat in his words.

His assertion was shocking. I was not some young girl, fresh-faced and ready for romance. That privilege had never been afforded me. Thus I did not know how to respond to such a statement. So I stood there, wide-eyed, until I realized that trying to respond in any way would only leave me embarrassed. I shook myself from my stupor and turned, walking away. Perhaps I should have stayed, but really, what response could I have given? His words sounded as though he saw me as more than just a fellow employee. And though I tried to tell myself I had no reason to fear him, the thought of him seeking me out to know me better was not something I could accept. Not now. Perhaps not ever.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw that he stood where I’d left him, his gaze concerned as he watched me. I turned away again.