Page 28 of Maid for the Duke

‘They are. Amelie has been working as housemaid and using her wages to pay for her two sisters and younger brother to lodge with a widow.’

‘A respectable solution,’ Mrs Hampton murmured, ‘But I take it there was some problem.’

‘Amelie came back to visit them after being away some weeks. The children are malnourished and thin, their clothes no more than rags, and the widow who is supposed to be taking care of them spends every evening in the local tavern, leaving the eldest to look after the other two even though she is still a child herself.’

‘A terrible situation,’ Mrs Hampton said, frowning. ‘Am I to understand you have rescued these children from this unsuitable environment?’

‘Yes.’

‘And now they need a place to stay?’

‘Yes.’

Will felt his heart thumping in his chest as Mrs Hampton paused, then she patted him on the knee. Even though he was a grown man, and a duke, one of the most powerful men in England, his former nanny could still make him feel like a child.

‘Of course I will help. I will nurture them and cherish them and keep them here as long as you need.’ She paused, giving him an assessing look. ‘Do I need to worry about you, Your Grace? Have you got yourself into a difficult situation with this housemaid?’

She was one of the only people in the world who would come out and ask him the question so directly. It was refreshing to find someone who spoke plainly about the important matters.

‘No, there is no difficult situation.’

Mrs Hampton regarded him for a moment longer. ‘But do you care for her?’

Will thought of the desire that had been coursing through his body these last few weeks. Every time he stepped close to Amelie it felt as if he was being driven out of his mind. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything before, ever. It was more than pure physical lust, though. He enjoyed her company and sought her out when normally he would have been content on his own. Her happiness mattered to him too. When he saw her anguish about how Mrs Creedy had been treating her sisters and brother, he had felt the pain as if it were his own.

‘I hold her in high regard,’ he said carefully.

Mrs Hampton nodded. ‘Then I am sure I will come to think the same of her. You will be careful, though?’

‘Of course.’ Nothing could happen between Amelie and him, despite their mutual attraction. In Grantchester they were almost living in a dream world, but here in London the stark reality of their different lives was apparent. It made it even clearer that there could never be a future for them.

‘Shall we fetch the little ones from the carriage? They must be exhausted. Your Amelie is welcome to stay with them overnight to get them settled, if that would suit.’

‘I think that is a marvellous idea.’

Will stood and led the way back out to the carriage, helping a sleepy Charles step down, and stopping him from stumbling on the path to the front door.

‘Welcome to Tranquillity House, my dears,’ Mrs Hampton said, her eyes raking over the three skinny children. ‘Lord Beescroft tells me you need a place to stay, and I am in need of a little company, so I think we will be perfect companions.’ She turned to Amelie and took hold of the younger woman’s hands. ‘It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear. I know you do not know me, but I promise to look after these precious children as if they were my own.’

Amelie let out a sob, a mixture of gratitude and relief, and squeezed Mrs Hampton’s hands as if she were clinging on for dear life.

‘Come now, let me get you all settled in the sitting room and see if I have some tea and cakes. I expect you are famished.’

Will watched as Amelie allowed herself to be led into the cosy sitting room and he felt a deep sense of relief. These three children would be safe for a while at least, and Amelie would not have to worry constantly about their welfare.

As Charles sat down in front of the fireplace, taking out the small tin that contained his toy soldiers, he looked up at his sister.

‘Amelie, how will Papa know where we are?’

The look of pure panic on Amelie’s face threw him. She had never told him exactly what had happened to her father, but he had assumed the man was dead, seeing as it fell to Amelie to provide for her family. Yet the expression on Amelie’s face told him his assumption was wrong.

Now was not the time to press her for the story, but as he left he felt a flicker of unease. In everything else, she had been so honest with him, so open. It was concerning that she had not felt able to tell him the truth about her father.

Chapter Fourteen

Amelie kissed each of her sisters and brother one last time before she walked out of the front door, unable to stop smiling. They had only been in Mrs Hampton’s care for two days, but she could already see the difference. Charles was talkative and exuberant, Harriet energetic and Marie had smiled more in the last day than Amelie had seen in the last year.

Will had been right when he’d assured her that Mrs Hampton was the perfect person to look after her sisters and brother. The woman was kind, caring and genuinely interested in the children. She had already made plans to take them out to buy new clothes and shoes, and when Amelie had scrabbled for her purse to give whatever spare coin she had, feeling a flush of embarrassment that it wouldn’t be enough for what Mrs Hampton had planned, the kindly ex-nanny had put her hand on Amelie’s, winked and told her the duke would be delighted to pay.