“I don’t see why you’re glaring at me,” Cassie said, her small hands curling into fists at her sides. “She hasn’t even listened to my side of the story.”
Miss Fairchild’s lips thinned. “There are no sides to this story, young lady. Only right and wrong.”
“That’s what you always say,” Cassie retorted. “But you’re never on my side. It’s not fair!”
“I am always on the side ofproper behavior,” Miss Fairchild said, her voice rising. “Which you have shown yourself to be entirely incapable of!”
“That’s enough,” Hudson cut in, stepping between them. He turned to Cassie. “Apologize to Miss Fairchild. Now.”
“I won’t,” Cassie said, her blue eyes flashing with anger.
“Cassie, I’m not going to ask again.”
“Then don’t,” she said, her chin jutting forward. “Because I won’t do it! It’s not fair that?—”
“That’s it.” Miss Fairchild’s voice cut across Cassie’s, hard as steel. “I have had quite enough.” She drew herself up to her full height, which wasn’t very impressive, as the top of her head barely reached Hudson’s shoulder. Still, her bearing was that of a queen pronouncing judgment. “Your Grace, I tender my resignation. Effective immediately.”
Hudson closed his eyes briefly. “Miss Fairchild?—”
“No, I have made up my mind. This is simply the last in a long line of provocations!” She began to count them off on her fingers. “There was the incident with the sausages.” She gestured at Pippin, who wagged his tail at the attention. “The ink splattered across the library curtains. The time she dressed as a stable boy and snuck out to—to fraternize with the grooms.”
The wordfraternizeemerged with the distaste usually reserved for vermin.
“That was one time, and Peter needed a hug! His grandmama had just died!” Cassie protested.
“Miss Fairchild,” Hudson offered desperately, “I understand the frustration. You will be compensated for this, and your salary will be increased to reflect the increased difficulty of the situation.”
Miss Fairchild sniffed. “Your Grace, forgive my directness, but there is not enough money in the world to keep me here. I shall pack my things and be gone by morning.”
With that, she turned on her heel and swept out of the room, her dignity intact despite the wrinkles in her gown.
In the silence that followed, Hudson turned to Cassie.
“You have reached new heights of unacceptable,” he said, his voice quieter but no less firm. “You will be confined to your room for one week. And Pippin goes to the stables until your sentence is served.”
“That’s not fair!” Cassie exclaimed, her eyes wide with outrage. “You didn’t even let me explain! Pippin didn’t do it on purpose! He was trying to warn me that Miss Fairchild was coming! He always wags his tail when he’s trying to be helpful, but he gets so excited he?—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Hudson interrupted. “The result is the same. Miss Fairchild’s gowns are ruined, and she is leaving.”
“She was going to leave anyway,” Cassie muttered. “Everyone leaves.”
An unexpected jolt of empathy hit him.
He opened his mouth to respond, to tell her that he would never leave, that he was trying his best, but before he could form the words, Cassie whirled around and bolted for the grand staircase, taking the steps two at a time.
The housekeeper moved to follow her, but Hudson shook his head. “Let her go.” His voice sounded hollow, even to his own ears.
The housekeeper hesitated, then nodded. “Shall I send a tray up to her room later, Your Grace?”
“Yes,” Hudson said. “And make sure the dog is fed as well, once you take him to the stables.”
He stood in the center of the hall, listening to the fading sound of Cassie’s footsteps on the upper landing.
What a mess.
The commotion from beneath the grand staircase pulled Hudson out of his thoughts. He’d been standing in the center of the hall, staring at nothing for at least five minutes after Cassie’s retreat. Now, he followed the sound of grunts and thuds to find two red-faced footmen in a losing battle with a very determined Newfoundland.
“His Grace said the dog goes to the stables,” the taller footman was saying through gritted teeth as he tugged at Pippin’s collar. “Not that we should play tug-of-war with him for an hour!”
