Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Eliza patiently waited for the Russel carriage to disappear from the driveway and be out the door before rushing to the footpath between the earl’s estate and the Russel estate.

She truly couldn’t understand why the family had been so insistent on going to the earl’s house for dinner in a carriage when it was right next door, but Uncle Edgar’s need to maintain appearances was well known to her.

However, she was not to worry about anything. She was simply glad they were finally gone.

She peered down into the tree line, unable to see George making his way towards her. When he had asked her about the card game that might take place between the servants after the family was gone for dinner, she had immediately asked Lara to put his name down.

She had even formally invited him and could not lie to say that she looked forward to meeting him.

He was the reason she had decided to wear her best dress, a beautiful mint green colour, which made her eyes look brighter. Her hair was brushed and left in a half-braid, just the way he liked it.

Eliza had even taken care of applying the perfume her fairy godmother had sent her. Earlier, she had gone through the pains of steeping the flowers she collected from the forest and mixing them with oil to scent her hair and skin, but she was delighted to see how much better the perfume was.

“Beth!” George’s sweet voice reached her as he called her name, and Eliza looked up at once.

To her disappointment, his hair was tied up, but despite that, he looked extremely handsome. His white shirt was left open at the top, revealing the bronzed skin underneath. Eliza had to force herself to keep staring at his face lest her gaze stray to places that might not be appropriate.

As much as she had begun to like him, she was still unsure about his feelings and had no desire to give him the wrong idea.

“George!” she shouted back as he almost ran along the tree line towards her, stopping right at the footpath where she stood.

“I didn’t know you were coming to get me.”

Eliza blushed deeply, her eyes widening at his comment, even though she knew he did not mean to embarrass her one bit.

She had simply been so caught up in the excitement of seeing him that she had decided to get him herself without thinking of how it might appear. Although, she shrugged quickly, fixing a smile on her face.

“Well, you are my guest tonight, which is why you will be getting special treatment,” she lied, trying to hide her real intentions. “Of course I had to come get you myself.”

“That was a very wise thing to do, My Lady.”

Eliza’s eyes widened as he called her my lady, suddenly remembering how the masked stranger did exactly the same thing. George blinked, his smile faltering for a second, but Eliza felt as if she was thinking too much over nothing.

George and the masked stranger were two completely different people, and she knew that because she had met both of them. She couldn’t be having any doubts about it.

Moreover, the masked stranger knew the truth about her identity, but to George, she was simply Beth.

“Should we head to the kitchen?”

“Absolutely,” he nodded, “after you.”

She quickly walked ahead, but George fell into step beside her, the two of them leisurely making their way towards the kitchen.

Eliza was certain the card game would have already started by now, considering how the servants were extremely hyped up about playing tonight, but she felt as if George didn’t mind so much. He matched her pace, even though they were walking quickly.

Eliza felt rather comfortable with him, knowing they had reached a point where being silent with him was just as comfortable as having a conversation.

“Beth?”

“Hm?” She looked up at him, realizing he had stopped walking.

“There’s a wall ahead, and you are about to walk into it.”

Eliza quickly looked ahead, finding herself facing the kitchen wall. She burst out laughing at herself, realizing how lost she had been in her thoughts.

She could not help being a little disappointed at having reached the kitchen so quickly, not wanting to share George with everyone else in the house. For some reason, she simply wanted to keep him to herself.

He opened the door for her, and she walked inside, George following in right behind her. Eliza quickly looked around, finding the card game had already started just as she had expected. The loud noise of the kitchen immediately quietened down as the pair entered, all eyes on her and George.

“Hey, everyone!” she said, beaming. “This is George from the earl’s estate. You must have seen him here before.”

To her surprise, several of the servants began to nod as if they knew George, and Ralph quickly pulled out a chair for him at the table.

Eliza was surprised as she noticed how warm everyone was when they greeted him, quickly making space for him to enter into the evening’s festivities.

She was still disappointed at not having George all for herself, but the way he meshed in with everyone filled her heart with happiness. He was definitely friendly, and everyone was simply attracted towards him.

“Well, Beth here said you wanted to participate in the game?” Lara said, resuming her position at the table.

“I did want to, yes.” He nodded quickly. “But I see you all have already begun.”

“We have room for one more, don’t you worry,” Martin, one of the head servers, added, raising his glass of beer towards George.

Everyone around the table began to nod, clearly welcoming George into the inner circle. Eliza was a little surprised to see this because she knew how much these card games were valued and enjoyed by the servants. The way they were opening up to George was heartwarming.

A part of her felt as if they were doing it for her since her friendship with George was known to all.

“It is alright.” George shook his head. “I will simply be an observer this time and definitely become a part of the game when I am here the next time.”

“Are you sure?” Ralph asked, beginning to deal the cards.

“Positive.”

He backed his chair slightly, staring at everyone as the cards were dealt amongst the players. Eliza knew he could have easily joined in still and wondered if the only reason he might not be playing was due to the fear of losing money.

She was certain he couldn’t be making much, working as a stable hand, and she did not know if he had family to support. Why had they never talked about his family? she wondered.

Amelia entered the kitchen just then, her eyes quickly falling on George, who was laughing alongside everyone else. Now that Eliza had come to see Amelia’s true side, she had pulled away from the girl she once used to consider her friend.

The two had not had a fight, but Eliza was simply maintaining her distance. If Amelia had noticed it, she still hadn’t pointed it out. For some reason, Eliza just did not like the way Amelia was staring at George, and she wanted to push her out of the kitchen.

Could it be jealousy?

“You must be George!” Eliza’s eyes widened as Amelia introduced herself, walking towards the table to stand just behind his chair.

To keep herself from staring or doing something stupid, Eliza quickly busied herself with the other maids, pulling out food from the fridge to place it on the table.

Whenever these little parties were held, the servants had a feast of their own, consuming whatever was left over or unwanted. The entire kitchen counter was laden with different kinds of bread, cheese, and ice cream. A few maids were heating up stew, and the entire kitchen wafted with the sweet scent of caramelized onions.

“I am,” she heard George’s reply, “and you are?”

Eliza tried to ignore the interest she thought she heard in George’s voice, quickly placing pitchers of lemonade and ale on the table.

“Amelia. I am Eliza’s friend.”

Eliza almost wanted to laugh at the statement, wondering if Amelia even knew what the word friendship meant. Eliza could feel how Amelia was simply using Eliza’s friendship as an excuse to find a reason to converse with George.

“Good to meet you, Amelia.” Eliza turned around, noticing how George was now out of his chair and standing in front of Amelia.

“You do not have anything to drink,” Amelia said, lightly touching his arm. Eliza felt needles prick her heart at the sight, no longer denying that she was jealous. Despite not having any reason to be jealous since she and George were supposed to just be friends, the emotions were very much alive in her heart, and she could not ignore them any longer. Amelia added, “We have been very bad hosts. I will get you something at once.”

“Oh, that is unnecessary.”

Before Amelia could come towards the counter, Eliza immediately poured ale into a tall glass and handed it to George, who was now making his way towards the counter himself. Without wasting a single second, Eliza deposited herself right in front of George, and he gratefully took the glass from her.

“He just arrived, Amelia,” Eliza said, “I am a very good host, I can assure you.”

“Of course.” Amelia must have heard the anger in Eliza’s voice because her smile completely faded, and a few other maids around them also turned to look.

Oh God. I must not make a scene.

With a deep sigh, Eliza quickly shook the anger off and poured ale for herself as well, wanting to loosen up a bit. She had never been much of a drinker, but she felt as if a little bit of drinking would not hurt her tonight.

After all, the family was not supposed to return for hours, and she could simply enjoy herself, especially now that even George was here.

“I did not know you drink,” George said, taking a sip from his glass as the pair stood by the counter.

“I don’t.” Eliza giggled, almost drinking half of her glass in one sip. “I just thought, why not?”

“I think you should slow down a little.” George took the glass back from her and gulped down the rest of it, placing it back on the counter.

Eliza suddenly felt more aware of her surroundings, realizing how closely George was standing with her. She could not help wishing to be alone with him right now, once again wanting him to herself.

She knew she should be slightly afraid of how quickly her feelings for him were growing, but for some reason, it did not feel wrong. Despite the fact that he had never once claimed to feel the same way, Eliza could not control the effect he had on her heart.

A loud noise from the table broke their stare, and they turned around as Marcus danced in his seat, collecting all the money. Both George and Eliza began to laugh at the scene and made their way towards the table.

“Guess I should be scared of you the next time I play, Marcus,” George said, raising his glass to him.

“Oh yes.” Marcus nodded, “I will take all of your money.”

Eliza felt annoyed as she noticed Amelia approaching the table to stand right beside George, laughing at the situation. The entire thing seemed completely fake since Eliza knew Amelia had never taken part in such gatherings.

Whenever the family was away, she would barge in on the gathering, take food for herself to eat in her room, and fall asleep. The simple fact that she was suddenly trying to be a part of it now that George was here was enough to tell Eliza her intentions.

“Hey, come on, Marcus,” George replied, completely ignoring Amelia, who was staring at him. “You are scaring me into never playing with you.”

Before Marcus could reply, Amelia began to laugh, lightly slapping George’s shoulder as if he had just said the funniest thing in the world. Those busy in their own conversations glanced at Amelia sceptically, but she went on laughing, even making George turn to look at her.

“Has anyone ever told you that you are very funny, George?” she said, holding eye contact with him.

Eliza felt her skin turn crimson as she was flushed with anger, wanting to do nothing more but push Amelia away from George. What angered her even more was how George did nothing to deter her but only laughed. It was evident he was trying to be polite since he hardly knew Amelia, but Eliza knew he was not dimwitted at all and could certainly sense what Amelia was trying to do.

“I am afraid no one has.” He shrugged, looking at Amelia.

You cannot create a scene, Eliza. You cannot create a scene.

“Well, then, I believe I will have to be the first.”

“Thank you so much, Amelia.” He nodded his head at her slightly, turning back towards the table. Everyone else had already returned to their conversations as well, ignoring Amelia, but Eliza could not stop herself from immediately taking hold of George’s elbow.

He must have been surprised because he immediately looked at her but did not say anything or push her away. Instead, he just leaned in closer, letting Eliza hold his arm.

To anyone staring, the two of them would clearly look like a couple, but Eliza no longer had an issue. If that were what it took to give a signal to Amelia, she would take that.

“All of you must excuse me for a moment,” George suddenly said, addressing the table and briefly glancing at Eliza. “I have had enough ale, and I must walk it off before returning. I will be back in about ten or so minutes.”

He carefully slid his hand out of her grasp, but Eliza wanted to do nothing more than to go along with him. She was very hurt that he did not ask her to come along, but it might simply have been because he had not wanted to give anyone the wrong idea.

Or perhaps he simply just wanted to be alone, and Eliza was thinking too much about it. She could have followed after him to join him on his walk, but all the other servants would notice that, and she had no desire for rumours to spread in the household about her relationship with George.

It was nothing more than friendship, no matter what her feelings were.

“Beth?” She looked up to find Lara standing in front of her.

Before Eliza could reply, Lara took hold of her arm and gently led her away from everyone else to a more secluded corner of the kitchen. Eliza almost dreaded the conversation ahead because she was certain it was going to be about George. Having known Eliza since she was just a child, Lara always understood her emotions and feelings.

“Is everything alright, Lara?” Eliza asked innocently, hoping to be wrong about the whole thing.

“You tell me that, Miss Eliza,” Lara whispered, “why are you behaving rather territorial with George?”

“I am not!”

“The anger on your face every time Amelia came close to him was not hidden from me. Is something going on between the two of you?”

Eliza blushed deeply, unsure of what to say. She was worried if Lara had noticed, could the other servants have guessed her feelings too? She did not want to be a laughingstock among everyone, her feelings on display for all to read.

“Nothing is going on between us.” She shook her head. “We are just friends.”

Lara’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, and Eliza knew she could easily read her face. Lara shrugged, a mischievous smile on her face.

“Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad after all, even if something was happening. You are almost twenty-two now, and a little romance will be good for you.”

“Don’t be silly, Lara.” Eliza’s eyes widened at the suggestion, not having expected Lara to be supportive of such a thing. However, this just showed how much Lara liked George because she would have never approved otherwise.

The door opened, and Eliza turned to look, seeing if George might have come back, but it was only Sarah, another maid in the household. However, the interest in Eliza’s eyes was not lost on Lara, who immediately began to chuckle as if she had just been proven right about something she wanted to be right about.

“I am just saying …” Lara continued chuckling, but Eliza ignored her, quickly fixing her composure.

“I am going up to my room for a moment.”

She immediately almost ran out of the kitchen, quickly taking the servants’ staircase to reach the attic. In the privacy of her own space, she finally breathed openly, realizing how eventful the past few hours had been.

Although, now that it was almost time for George to return, Eliza simply wanted to look presentable. She stared at her reflection in the mirror she kept right beside her new feather pillow and noticed the crumpled state of her hair.

“My goodness,” she whispered, immediately looking for the brush inside the side table but not finding it there.

Suddenly worried, she looked everywhere in her room, but she found the brush to be missing, which was rather curious since she remembered having it this morning.

The perfume her fairy godmother had sent her was also missing, making Eliza wonder if someone could have taken those things. Although, the only two people who knew about them were Lara and Amelia, and Eliza knew Lara would never steal from her.

Could it be Amelia?

She shook her head, not wanting to think about it. Without wasting any more time, she ran her fingers through her hair to make it look presentable and used the flower oil she had made earlier to scent her skin and hair. Feeling a little more presentable again, she took the grand staircase to come down since the family was absent from the house, wanting to reach the kitchen quickly.

“George must be back by now,” she whispered to herself, smiling at the thought of it.

Just as she was about to turn a corner to make her way towards the kitchen, she noticed a very familiar shock of brown hair and a glimpse of George’s white shirt disappearing down a passageway.

Her eyes narrowed because she knew the passageway was a secret shortcut around the house, and only someone who knew the house well would be aware of it.

“Is it George?”

Completely confused, she followed him quickly but found the passageway empty. Unperturbed, she continued to look around but found George to be nowhere, hence she made her way back to the kitchen. To her surprise, he was standing right in the middle of the little party, chatting away with Ralph and Marcus, his smile widening when his gaze fell on her.

Eliza breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she must have imagined it. What business would George have snooping around the Russel house after all?