“No ‘buts’. You have a wonderful opportunity, and I know that Lady Bideford will treat you with exceptional kindness.”
Ellie pressed her lips together, then said, “I will marry well, and I will come back for you.”
“I know you will,” her mother replied, “but you must promise me that you will enjoy yourself.”
“I will try.”
Her mother cupped her cheek. “You are the most precious thing in the whole world to me,” she remarked. “You are all I have left since your father died.”
“I feel the same way about you.”
Her mother smiled tenderly. “I will help you pack your valise after breakfast.”
Ellie nodded. “I will make you proud, Mother.”
“You already have, my dear.”
2
The sun was just settingas Ellie placed her valise on the ground and stared up at the three-level, whitewashed townhouse with trepidation. She knew her life was about to change, again. She hoped her mother was right about Lady Bideford being accommodating. She would hate to travel back to Maidstone on the next mail coach.
She glanced down at her dusty gray traveling gown and let out a sigh. This is as good as it was going to get, she thought. Picking up her valise, she walked up the three steps to the main door, then lifted her hand and knocked.
She reached up and tucked several errant locks of her brown hair behind her ear as she waited. Her hair had come undone from the elaborate chignon Mrs. Webster had created earlier today, and she was forced to replace it with a tight bun at the base of her neck.
The door opened and the butler looked at her in surprise. “Whatever do you think you are doing?” he asked as his eyes perused the length of her.
“Pardon?” She tightened her hold on the handle of her valise.
He gave her an exasperated look. “The servant’s entrance is around the corner.”
“But, I—” she attempted.
Ellie didn’t have time to finish her sentence before the door was slammed shut. Unsure of what to do, she decided her only option was to go around to the servant’s entrance. She descended the stairs and walked around the corner to a flight of stairs leading to the lower level.
Reaching the servant’s door, she knocked and waited. A short time later the door opened, and she was greeted by a portly woman with white hair.
“Dear heavens, I thought I heard a knock on the door,” the woman said, ushering her in. “What can I do for you, dearie?”
Ellie stepped into the kitchen. “I was hoping to speak to Lady Bideford.”
The woman’s brow lifted as she wiped her hands on the white apron tied around her waist. “And why is that?”
“Because I believe she is expecting me.”
The woman glanced at her curiously. “Are you looking for work?”
“Heavens, no,” she replied with a shake of her head. “My mother, Lady Worthington, sent her a letter, and Lady Bideford has agreed to host me for the Season.”
“Then why didn’t you come to the front door?”
Ellie shifted the valise from one hand to the other. “The butler took one look at me and told me to go to the servant’s entrance.”
“Well, I hope you will forgive him. You really don’t look much like a lady at the moment,” the woman said, softening her words with a smile. “You appear terribly disheveled, almost as if you rolled around in dirt.”
“That is because I took the mail coach to Town.”
The woman placed a hand on her sleeve. “You have had a hard go of it,” she said. “Let’s get this sorted out, and I will start heating the water for your bath.”
