Page 51 of Maid for the Duke

Mrs Potter entered, her gait slow, her breath raspy. Immediately he stood, crossing the room to offer her his arm and leading her to a seat.

She looked as though she had aged in the time he had been away and he remembered Amelie’s warning to him before they had departed. He had ignored it, thinking she was being presumptuous, but now he could see Mrs Potter was struggling.

‘Thank you, Your Grace,’ Mrs Potter said once she was settled in a chair.

‘Are you not well, Mrs Potter?’

‘In truth I have not been well for some time. I have tried to muddle on through, but the strain is taking its toll.’ She levelled him with a forthright stare. ‘I am here to give you my notice, Your Grace. I can no longer perform my duties to the standard I am happy with.’

‘Have you seen a doctor? Perhaps there is something they can do?’

She smiled at him sadly. ‘I have. The doctor said it is likely my heart. There is no cure, just a gradual decline. In a month I will be able to do a little less than I can now and that pattern will continue.’

‘I am sorry to hear it.’ It was another blow. Mrs Potter had been his housekeeper since he had inherited Ashmead House and all his other properties. She was efficient, had exacting standards and ran everything with military precision.

‘I do not know how much time I have left, but I wish to spend a bit of time with my daughter and grandchildren.’

‘Do you plan to move to the coast?’

‘I do.’

Will paused, formulating his response. ‘I will be very sad to see you go. I think I will be lost without you, but I cannot in good conscience press you to stay. Your health must be the priority, and spending time with those you love.’

‘Thank you, Your Grace. I feel privileged to have served you all these years.’

‘I will arrange for a pension for you, in recognition of your loyalty and service.’ He frowned, wondering how long his housekeeper had left.

Mrs Potter stood, smoothing down her skirt. ‘I will of course be happy to train whoever you decide should take over. I had hoped Amelie…’ She trailed off and for a moment they were both silent. ‘She was a good girl,’ Mrs Potter said eventually. ‘Kind. I think you needed some kindness, Your Grace. I just hope she can recover from the scandal.’

‘Have you seen her?’ He felt his hopes soar. If he could see her, perhaps he could fix some of the terrible things he had said.

‘No,’ Mrs Potter said quickly. ‘I have packed her things, but she has not called to collect them.’ She chewed her lip. ‘I hope she knows I would not judge her. Hearts can be impossible to control.’

Before Will could reply Mrs Potter dipped into a curtsey and hurried out of the door. He felt another pang of loneliness. Amelie had gone, and now his faithful housekeeper was leaving.

Leaning back against his desk, he wondered where Amelie could be. She did not have many possessions here, but he would have thought she would call to collect those she did. Since she had left, he’d had no word from her; no forwarding address had been left. The only proof he had that she’d even made it back to London safely was a short note from Mrs Hampton confirming Amelie had picked up her brother and sisters. Anything could have happened to her since then. She was alone with three young children, her name notorious…and it was all because of him.

The carriage seemed to move slowly through the outskirts of London and Will had to resist the urge to jump out and spur the horses on himself. Before the wheels had even rolled to a stop he jumped down, not missing a step as he strode up the path to the front door of Tranquillity House. He was aware Amelie and her family had left Mrs Hampton’s care, but he had felt restless, in need of visiting where Amelie had been to see if she had left any sort of message for him.

‘What a pleasant surprise, Your Grace,’ Mrs Hampton said as she opened the door to him and ushered him inside.

She led him through to the tastefully decorated drawing room and offered him tea, which he declined. He was in a hurry and there was no time for social pleasantries.

‘Now then,’ she said, ‘Why have you come? And do not tell me it is to enquire after my health or any such rubbish. Do not forget I was privy to every lie you told when you were growing up.’ Her voice was firm but kind and Will was momentarily taken back to childhood. Mrs Hampton had never shouted or chastised him physically, instead always remaining calm and pushing him to explore the consequences of his actions.

Will’s throat tightened. ‘I suppose you have heard the rumours and know a little about what has happened.’

Mrs Hampton folded her hands in her lap. ‘I do not listen to gossip, but I know Amelie came back from Grantchester with a broken heart. And I know you were the one who broke it.’

The words landed hard and he flinched. Suddenly he felt an overwhelming need to explain.

‘I never meant to hurt her. I thought we could have our affair and no one would ever know. I didn’t set out to ruin her.’ He sighed, feeling the weight of his actions pressing down on him. ‘I thought I could protect her.’

‘But you couldn’t protect her from falling in love.’

He closed his eyes, taken back to the moment when she had told him she loved him. What pained him the most was that he had never said it back. He did love her; of course he did. He’d been infatuated for weeks, but as they’d grown closer that infatuation had turned into love. Now she was out there in the world and she would never know he loved her.

‘No,’ he said, his voice barely audible. ‘And then I broke her heart.’