Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Claire rushed down the hallway as quickly as she could without completely running away from the earl. For three weeks, ever since the housekeeper had hired her, she had kept a respectful distance from the Earl of Bannerdown, as had been instructed.

He was a quiet man, she had noticed, who often kept to himself deep within the confines of his study and did not emerge very often. Claire knew it wasn't her place to question but she was not even sure he asked Lady Florence how her day was at any given dinnertime.

Was it nerves or arrogance?

But as she ducked around the corner of the hallway to catch her breath, she could not deny that she thought it was not arrogance. For there had been a kindness in the earl's eyes. A mysterious look to him, as though they held depths she could not understand. His chestnut-coloured hair was curly, atop his head in thick lengths that was cut neatly around his ears. Word had it her employer had been in the king's army, but Claire heard so much gossip she did not know what rumour was and what was true.

Pressing a hand to her chest, she willed her racing heart to calm itself.

He is only an earl, she berated herself. You have danced with many of those. Do not be foolish now.

And yet her hands remembered the brush of his fingers against hers as they reached for the same book. He had not insisted he pick them up, at least. Claire enjoyed her independence and did not need a man, even a handsome earl, to tidy up her messes.

Claire went on towards the back staircase leading to the basement, where the rest of the staff chatted and gossiped, far beneath the main house and out of earshot of the nobility. In there, the cellar was cold, far colder now that winter had settled in, and Claire's eyes immediately found Winnie, Lady Katherine's personal lady's maid.

"I have just seen Lady Katherine," Claire said, entering the chatter.

Winnie, only twenty years old, had a mop of red curls and a bright smile, but that smile dimmed now at Claire's words. "She is not looking for me, is she? I only had to wash the old hag earlier! She insisted on bathing twice in one hour. I am sure she just wanted to put me through the torment of scrubbing her back. It makes my arms tire so."

"I believe her attention is directed at Lord Bannerdown this afternoon and rather irately so. She seemed rather impatient."

"That woman eats impatience for her meals," Winnie muttered. "It is why she has so much of it. If I am not at her side within a minute of her screeching my name, then I am to be scolded." She shook her head. "Sometimes I wish I could give that woman a piece of my mind!"

"The rest of the Ton do," one of the other maids training to be a cook said, sniggering. Daisy cupped her mouth, whispering, "I heard the gossip when I worked in Garnington Hall in Mayfair. They have quite a lot to say about the Little Harkwell and those who now claim it."

Is the earl a bad man? Claire couldn't help wondering. It was not unheard of to fake an inheritance or lie one's way into a title, but the earl seemed so kind, so gentle, from what she had seen. A little distant but not cold.

"Yes, I know the tales well," Winnie said. "As Lady Katherine's maid, I hear her never-ending boasting about her rise in ranks. The wealth she has inherited, the way she always knew her son was destined to be the earl." The last part was said with great pronunciation, mimicking Lady Katherine's voice, causing the other maids to snicker. Claire cleared her throat, trying to stifle her own laughter. "It is strange, though, is it not, that she left her husband behind? I heard that Lord Bannerdown was always closer to his father and took after him in his profession yet was hurried along to take the title of Earl of Bannerdown following his uncle's death."

"Well, Lady Katherine is the late earl's sister," Daisy said. "It makes sense that she should have her son inherit the title."

"I do wonder why her husband did not move with her." Winnie frowned. "If I am honest, she doesn't seem to miss him despite giving up her family for him. But she is happy to have returned to her childhood home. That part must be nice, at least."

"I wonder if she is happy marrying a commoner," Daisy said.

Claire turned away, laughing. The maids were just as bad as their mistresses when they attended their social functions.

"She seems to be. She talks endlessly about him but never mentions missing him," Winnie answered.

"Perhaps she is too overrun by riches to miss him."

"Hush now." Claire laughed. "We should not speculate on the Barnes' rise back to their inheritance. I am sure it is lovely for Lady Katherine to be back in her home despite the sadness of losing her brother. And no doubt the earl is happy, too."

"He does not seem to be," Winnie pointed out. "Lady Katherine dislikes how reserved he is."

"Oh," Claire said. "I had noticed, but I did not think it out of the ordinary. I knew that the late Earl of Bannerdown fell gravely ill with consumption last winter. Following his son and daughter rushing to his side, here at Little Harkwell House, they soon caught the same illness. It took them all some months later." She glanced towards the stairs, thinking of Lady Florence, her young charge, who was much more succumbed to sorrow deeper than Claire thought was possible. It weighed on the young girl's shoulders like a shroud.

"That is all true," Winnie said. "It just seems … odd. Lady Katherine did not seem to grieve for very long. It was as though she simply wanted her home and importance back."

"We should not speculate," Claire insisted gently. "It shall be our pay at risk if we are caught."

"That's a good point," Winnie said. "I should see if her ladyship wishes to have her feet rubbed while she meets with Lord Bannerdown." She rolled her eyes sarcastically and set off for the stairs, muttering under her breath.

It left Daisy to start talking about dinner preparations, and Claire soon left with her thoughts on the earl and Lady Florence, whose development she was worried about due to her grief. She hadn't known the young girl for long, but what she did know seemed so hindered by grief that Claire could only hope that sharing music and arts with her would help. It was an expression, and she wished to share it with Lady Florence. Perhaps grief might come out in a song for her. After all, music had always helped Claire.

***

That evening, in Florence's room, Claire slid her fingers through the girl's dark hair. As she unwound the delicate braids, replacing the intricate style with a simple plait to maintain the waves Florence liked, Claire asked something she thought she should not but risked regardless.

"Lady Florence, if you do not mind me asking, how is your relationship with the earl?"

The girl stiffened only for a moment. Claire began to help her change into her nightdress, a simple white cotton shift.

"I … Well, I do not really feel as though I know him," Florence admitted. "He does not speak to me. At dinnertimes, he gives me an awkward smile, and I fear I am the child he feels he has to take care of but, of course, was never asked. I think he thinks I may just leave if he does not speak to me. No doubt he is hoping for the day I am married off."

"I am sure he does not," Claire tried to assure her. "He was outside the music room today. Perhaps he wishes to get to know you better."

"Then he has had six months, which is two element seasons, to get to know me." There was a sad note to her voice, a bitterness with which Claire knew well. She withdrew from Florence to go to the cupboard down the hallway to fetch an extra blanket. The night was already chilly.

When she returned, Florence was on her bed, candlelight flickering over her face as she gazed down at her bed coverings. She grazed her fingers over the textured bedding, sighing.

"I do wish for a relationship with him," Florence said. "But I feel as though he should approach me. Lord Bannerdown and Lady Katherine are my only remaining family now, and I do not wish to lose more people." Her chest hitched as she fought back emotion. She shook her head. "It is why I find solace in books, Miss Gundry. They remind me that I am not alone, and that people have weathered worse situations and come out feeling rather positive. It is something I hope for myself."

"I am sure that will happen," Claire assured her. "And perhaps I can … facilitate some connection between the two of you. After all, you are his legal ward. He and Lady Katherine should have a hand in your debut next year. He shall have to get to know you then." She gave her a soft smile, almost teasing about the situation, but met Florence's sad smile as she tucked herself beneath the sheets.

"Sometimes, Miss Gundry," she whispered, her eyes fixed on the ceiling, "I wish I had not been a survivor of the illness that took my family away. Sometimes it hurts to be the one left behind in such ways, knowing the only family I now have did not choose me in their lives."

Claire's heart broke hearing those words, even as she resonated deeply with them. She wished to hold the girl comfortingly and take away those aches. She was far too young to feel them so terribly. But she could only brush back her hair, smile, and reach for her candle holder.

"Things shall turn out better, Lady Florence," she said. "I shall make sure of it for you."

Florence hesitated, and Claire thought she had fallen asleep, so she retreated, leaving her in darkness, until her quiet voice came through the shadows of her room.

"Miss Gundry?"

"Yes, Lady Florence?"

"I am ever so grateful for you. I wish you could stay forever."

A pang of sadness speared Claire. "Me too, Lady Florence. Now, get some sleep, for tomorrow we will duet and read some more books. What do you think? Maybe a stroll in the gardens in our thickest cloaks."

"I would like that."

But as she passed by the girl's escritoire, she could smell something sweet. Knowing she would not be caught, she arched the candle discreetly past the sweet, perfumed smell, finding a letter that had yet to be addressed to anyone, but bold strokes of writing littered the parchment. Claire paused, only for a moment, so she wasn't noticed snooping.

Was it for a friend?

Perhaps… Perhaps a tendresse?

No doubt he is hoping for the day I am married off. Was that situation closer than Claire realized? Why would Florence keep such a secret from her? She had told her many things that she did not wish to be public knowledge, such as her fear of debuting and worry over being too awkward to speak to suitors.

Maybe it is merely for a friend. Perhaps I interrupted her writing, and she has yet to address it.

Claire closed the door after bidding her goodnight and retreated to her room further down the hall, slipping quietly in. She could not fault Florence for keeping secrets, for she had plenty of her own.

She set the candle down on the dresser in her room, decorated in pale blues and soft creams. She eyed herself in the mirror, letting herself, for just a moment, remember the bright-eyed Lady Claire Garner that she had once been, the daughter of the wealthy Baron Flogsend, with whom she had lived in Bristol, as high members of society.

"And now you are a governess," she whispered to herself. "Miss Claire Gundry and nothing else. Nobody else. Lady Claire has gone, written off, just like the debts you settled for your father. That life is gone."

She steeled herself but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the hallway outside her door. Claire blew out the candles quickly and hurried into bed, ducking beneath the covers. It was still early, but she could not understand who would be at her door so late, so she feigned sleep, and eventually, it came for her.