Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The peace of the woods around her made Eliza feel a lot calmer once the masked stranger had left her, but she could still not stop thinking about him.

He looked just as handsome and polished as he had the night of the masquerade, his dark allure even more pronounced because of the mask.

Eliza could feel her heart go out to him as he had been immensely loving and understanding towards her, making her feel as if everything she had gone through had been completely unjustified.

No one had ever shown her this support in the past, and she could feel the man getting under her skin. Although, George had got under her skin just the same, and she could certainly not forget about him either. Just then, she heard quick footsteps approaching, and George stumbled before her, a wide smile on his face.

“Beth!” he greeted her enthusiastically despite looking a little breathless.

All Eliza could focus on was his hair, which was slightly wet and drawn open, his curls even more pronounced because of the moisture. She could not help thinking how much more handsome he looked with his hair in that manner and had the urge to touch it, to see how it would feel underneath her fingers.

“George,” she said, smiling, “I was waiting for you.”

“I apologize for being late,” he quickly replied, his gaze following Eliza’s eyes, which were trained on his pronounced curls.

“Did I keep you waiting long?”

“Not at all.” She smiled. “He has only been gone for ten or so minutes. You are right on time.”

“I am glad,” George sighed, sitting down on the log. “Did you enjoy my surprise? I hope I did not offend you in any way by sending him here before consulting with you. I just wished for you to meet him again, and I thought you would be happy seeing him.”

“I am not offended at all.” Eliza smiled. “I am certainly glad you sent him here. I was actually quite happy to meet with him.”

“Thank goodness.” George laughed.

Eliza still could not look away from his hair; its dampness was only all the more inviting. Whenever George had come to see her in the past, his hair had been perfectly tied behind his head, but this was the first time it had been let loose in this manner, making Eliza feel things.

Her gaze strayed to it more often than it stayed on his face, and she was sure he had already noticed the object of her interest.

“If I am not wrong, you have been staring at my hair.” He laughed, touching them self-consciously.

“This is the first time I have seen it like that. I simply could not help it.” She shrugged, replying honestly.

“Do you wish to touch it?”

Eliza was taken aback at the offer but nodded quickly, unable to resist. That was exactly what she wished to do.

He laughed, making Eliza blush. He simply leaned in closer, making sure his head was within reach of her hands.

Eliza almost felt embarrassed that he had read her expression this easily but wordlessly ran a hand through his wet curls, twirling one of them between her fingers. It was as soft as she had imagined it to be.

“I must say I love your curls,” she said with a smile, “I have always liked curly hair, especially because mine is just wavy.”

“But I absolutely love your hair.”

His confession had been so quick and so hearty that Eliza knew he was not lying. His russet gaze was as warm as ever as he stared at her, pushing away a lone strand of hair from her face. Eliza smiled at the touch.

“You do?” she asked.

“Of course,” he nodded, “You have such beautifully golden hair that shines when the sunlight catches onto them. You must believe me when I say this, but when that happens, I cannot stop looking at your hair. And it is so impossibly long, even when you wear it in braids that it makes me wonder how much longer it could get. It also appears rather soft and makes me want to touch it to see what it feels like between my fingers.”

Eliza was so stunned by his description that she quietly took off the cap that was covering her hair and allowed it to fall down her back.

The soft breeze teased her long tresses, which blew about, making Eliza feel special in front of George’s eyes.

“Just returning the favour, I believe.” She laughed, bringing them to the front so George could touch them.

His gaze fully drawn to her hair, Eliza breathed in sharply as he touched her tresses, running them between her fingers just as he had claimed he wished to do in the past.

She stayed still, his -touch sending tingles down her spine. He truly had a life-altering effect on her, and she failed to understand what it meant.

At that moment, as Eliza witnessed his expression, she could not help wondering if he felt the same way about her as she did about him, the thought filling her with warmth and happiness.

The two of them laughed at the exchange, and Eliza was happy to feel such comfort in George’s presence. She was just about to tell him about the masked stranger and thank him for the meeting when a twig twitched nearby, forcing both of them to stop laughing and look about.

“What was that?” George asked while Eliza quickly put her hair back inside the cap, neatly securing it.

“A branch must have broken somewhere.”

“You are right,” George sighed, still staring suspiciously around the woods.

“I must return to the house; it is quite late already,” she said smiling, “but thank you for finding the masked stranger and bringing him here to meet me. I do not know how to pay you back for this favour.”

“You must simply promise to continue being my friend, and I will consider the favour returned.”

“I will do just that.”

Eliza smiled at him and turned around to make her way back to the house. In just a span of one afternoon, she had come across and talked to the masked stranger and shared an intimate moment with George.

Both the men made her feel in ways she had never felt before, and Eliza had no clue how to decipher these emotions.

Although right now, she probably had a thousand chores already waiting for her and needed to focus on them.

***

Amelia rushed back to the house before either Beth or George decided to search for the source of the noise in the woods, but from the looks of it, they had not searched at all.

Although, she could not afford to be discovered spying on Beth, who was supposed to be her friend, and had known returning immediately would be the best thing to do.

When she had accidentally stepped on the twig, she felt certain that she would be found, but now that she was back inside the confines of the house, she felt as if she could breathe again.

It had been close.

Since she had found that Beth had been receiving gifts from some fairy godmother who was an anonymous person, she had not been able to help herself in taking a closer look at Beth. Amelia failed to understand why someone as ordinary as Beth was getting all of these luxurious gifts, and the very thought angered Amelia.

However, what she had seen today in the woods had angered her even more.

She had not been close enough to be able to hear the conversations since they were talking very softly in whispers, but she had still seen Beth.

Amelia could simply not understand this sudden special treatment that was being given to Beth by all those around her. After all, what was it that she had that Amelia did not have? Jealousy filled her heart as she washed the dishes that were waiting for her, her mind still on Beth.

“Why is she getting all of this attention? Why is it that only she can attract everyone and everything? She is just like me and any other servant in the house, so why must she be treated differently?” Amelia whispered to herself, feeling the bitterness in her heart grow even more. She had never been one to control her resentment, and now the emotion rose in her heart towards Beth as hatred filled her heart.

She was not going to sit silently as Beth got everything that Amelia deserved just as much.

When Amelia had come into the Russel Estate to work as a servant, she had been rather happy to meet Beth and finally come across someone who was treated even more miserably her.

All her life, Amelia had grown up believing that no one had a worse fate than her but seeing Beth had given her some hope that the poor girl had it even worse. Despite being a servant, she was treated more like a slave and was clearly hated by those in the house.

Rather than feeling sorry for Beth, Amelia felt happy for herself because, for the first time in her life, she felt as if she had things better than someone else.

Beth was more beautiful and more accomplished and did the most work in the house, but despite that, she had no respect or love. She was clearly unwanted by all, and that made Amelia feel quite happy.

But now, out of nowhere, Beth was the one getting gifts from an anonymous person, and from spying on her today, Amelia could see that it was not just the gifts but also two men who were clearly interested in her.

The handsome stable hand from the earl’s estate had looked rather close to her when the two of them had been talking in the woods, but what was even more shocking was how the enigmatic stranger from the ball was after her as well.

He had been the most sought-after individual at the ball, every single young lady from the ton clearly seeking his company, but he had discarded them all for Beth. Beth? Who was nothing more than a mere servant?

It made no sense to Amelia, and she just did not know what to do. How was she supposed to cope with the reality of this?

She could not help imagining the horror of the situation if Beth ever transcended her status as a servant and rose above Amelia in station one way or the other. She was supposed to have nothing in life, and her fate was not going to change this dramatically.

Amelia was not going to let it happen.

She had just reached the forest when the stranger from the party had been holding Beth’s hands, the two of them staring at one another romantically.

Anyone looking upon them would label them as lovers, but the mere idea of that sounded too good to be true.

Moreover, Amelia knew Beth closely, and she had never appeared the kind of girl who would allow a strange man to take liberties with her. That sight had been shocking enough already for Amelia, but things had got even worse after the stranger had left.

George had arrived just then, making matters even more confusing for Amelia and even more out of her realm of understanding.

George was interested in Beth as well? But why? He was both handsome and kind, and even Amelia had fancied herself attracted to him, but she finally understood why he had not even looked at her. Why would anyone look at her with Beth present in the same room?

Beautiful, innocent Beth.

Amelia felt as if someone had stabbed her in the back, her hatred for the girl she had once called her friend growing with every passing second.

She needed to do something because she was certainly not going to sit silently and watch things unfold. This was not going to happen. Not when Amelia’s own happiness was at stake. She had to do something.

“Oh, darn it.” She threw the dishes in the sink, her heart dropping at the mere thought of it.

Amelia could see how beautiful and delicate Beth was, but she had always been carefully kept concealed away from the eyes of the public, and even then, she had managed to grab the attention of not just one but two men.

Count Fife, the family friend, already salivated at the mere sight of her, and from what Amelia had heard, he had also offered her marriage, but Beth had refused the proposal.

Something was not right. Amelia could feel it.

“Amelia?” a maid called out to her, and Amelia smoothed her expression before turning around.

“Yes?”

“Lady Victoria is calling for you in the parlour.”

“Lady Victoria?” Amelia was confused.

Whenever Lady Victoria needed any work done, she only asked Beth to do it and hardly ever called Amelia. However, now, she was specifically calling for her, and that worried Amelia a little. What could the matter be?

She nodded at the maid, quickly making her way towards the parlour where Lady Victoria was seated already. Amelia went in and curtsied before her, hoping she would not ask Amelia to do some work for her. She was awfully particular and critical.

“Amelia,” she began speaking, eyeing Amelia from head to toe, “You must do something for me.”

“Anything, My Lady.”

“I believe Beth is up to no good, and I want you to keep a closer eye on everything she does. Whatever she does, no matter how large or small, you must report back to me immediately. Is that understood?”

For a second, Amelia wanted to do nothing more than tell everything to Lady Victoria, but the unspoken rule between servants of never ratting out one another stopped her from saying anything.

“I will do just that, My Lady.”

“Bravo.” Lady Victoria smiled. “You can leave now.”

Amelia quickly turned around to leave, unable to understand the events that had taken place today. Although, now she knew exactly who she needed to go if she felt the need to reveal the secrets Beth was keeping from everyone, and she would use them against her at exactly the right time.

***

Victoria barged into her mother’s bedchamber, finding her mother laying comfortably on the settee in her room, a maid massaging her feet. She turned to stare at Victoria as she entered but did not comment.

Instead, she closed her eyes once again as if trying to ignore her very own daughter. This angered Victoria even more, and she paced around the room, already worried about everything Count Fife had just revealed to her.

“I believe I must ask you what is wrong,” her mother finally sighed when Victoria stayed silent, “But you will tell me yourself in just a few moments, I am sure.”

“I am delirious with anger right now, Mother,” Victoria said, breathing in deeply. “And you will be, too, once you hear what I am here to tell you.”

“I am sure.” Her mother rolled her eyes and got up from her lying position to sit on the settee.

With a flick of her wrist, she dismissed the maid so she and Victoria could finally be alone in the bedchamber. Once the maid was gone and just the two of them were left behind, Victoria finally sat on the sofa in front of her, still unable to control her anger.

She did not understand if what she felt was anger or annoyance, but the emotions were intense, and she needed to do something about them immediately.

“Count Fife just came to call.”

“I hope you did not receive him alone, my dear,” her mother immediately interjected. “Despite his advanced age, he is still a man, and his intentions never look noble to me. You must keep your distance.”

“Of course I didn’t meet with him alone,” Victoria sighed impatiently, “Margaret was with me.”

“Now, what is it that he did or said that has sent you into a flying rage?”

“He casually mentioned how he had seen Eliza with the enigmatic stranger, the mystery man of the ball on the night of the masquerade!”

“First of all, her name is Beth,” her mother corrected, “where exactly did he see them together?”

“According to him, the pair were together in the alcove and upon asking what they were doing in the alcove all alone, he simply smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

In fact, he said that you must consider giving Eliza to him in marriage as soon as possible before she does something truly heinous, which would tarnish the family reputation.”

“Why would anything a servant does tarnish the family reputation, Victoria? Do not be ridiculous. Beth is as irrelevant as a person can be, and I do not even think Count Fife might be telling the truth. He could be making things up just so we would somehow let him marry Beth. I strictly told her to keep away from the guests, and she would not deny me in such a manner. Moreover, she is of noble breeding and would think twice before tarnishing her reputation in such a manner. Count Fife is spreading nothing but lies!”

Victoria was annoyed. She had already expected her mother not to believe her.

“But what if it is not a lie? What if it is the truth?”

“If it is the truth, it will come out in front of us itself, but I am certainly not going to believe Count Fife’s word about something this absurd. Imagine what the masked stranger might be even doing with a servant all alone in the alcove? I am sure he has better taste than that.”

Victoria knew her mother was making a point, but she still felt angry. What she was mainly angry about was how she herself wanted the enigmatic stranger, but according to Count Fife, he had been interested in spending time with Eliza.

Victoria could not help feeling jealous, for she certainly could not think about a man who she wanted to be with wanting Eliza instead.

“I still believe you should seriously consider Eliza’s proposal for Count Fife. He is desperate about marrying her, and it will be good riddance for us all.”

“Do not be ridiculous, Victoria.” Her mother stood up, walking towards the open window. “The reason our lives run this smoothly and we have everything we need before we even ask for it is because of Eliza. She is the one who handles the entire household, and you simply want me to get her married and get rid of her? That is never going to happen.”

“Really, Mother? I am sure someone else can take over the responsibility and manage just as well as Eliza does.”

“You are right,” her mother retorted, “but they will also ask for higher pay and more perks, and we are in no position to give anyone that. Let’s not forget that we are only living on Eliza’s large inheritance since your father has never worked a day in his life. We cannot just push Eliza out of our lives.”

Victoria sighed, knowing her mother was right but feeling annoyed all the same. She wished for Eliza to leave their lives as quickly as possible and stay away from the masked stranger as well.

She would only need to think of another reason for her mother to finally get her married and make her leave the house, even if it took Victoria a little longer to hatch another plan.