Page 14 of Unmask Me My Love

She gazed at him, uncomprehending.

Horace frowned. “Do you not have time to yourself at all?”

Gabriella shrugged. “Mais non, monsieur. I work for Lady Chalgrove every day.” Her brows rose. “Does your master, the marquess, give you this half day off?”

He nodded, and her eyes widened.

“Each and every week?”

“Every servant in the marquess’s household gets a half day each Sunday, one evening off each week, and one whole day once a month.”

“Your master is trés généreux.” Her voice held a sense of awe.

“Gabriella, most servants receive this time off. As well as two weeks of leave once a year.” He spoke in a soft voice. “It is an accepted thing in England.”

Shock froze her to the seat. The miserable ogress had cheated Gabriella ever since she’d been employed by her. “So madame has been false with me.” She gritted her teeth, her mouth screwed into a pucker. “Femme horrible!”

“Lady Chalgrove does seem to have taken advantage of you. But perhaps we can find a way to turn the tables on her.” Monsieur Carpenter’s face had a sly smile on it. “Let me see if I can prevail on Lady Celinda’s generous nature a bit more to help you. If Lady Chalgrove allows it, will you meet me in St. James’s Park on Sunday afternoon around three o’clock?”

Angry and confused, Gabriella shook her head. “Why would I need to meet with you, monsieur? Would I not be meeting with Lady Celinda and the duke?”

“Lady Celinda hasn’t contacted the duke yet. As soon as she does, I will send word to you at Lady Hamilton’s so we can make the proper arrangements.”

“Then why do you wish to meet me on Sunday?” This meeting seemed to have nothing to do with her plight and everything to do with Monsieur Carpenter’s apparent interest in her. Of course, if she didn’t have the duke to think of, she’d actually welcome the valet’s interest. Horace Carpenter was a very kind, very handsome man.

“Because I would like to get to know you better, mademoiselle.” Horace grinned at her. “That seems like the best way for me to do so. And it will give you somewhere to go on your first half-day off.”

Gabriella’s cheeks heated under the valet’s steady gaze. She really should decline the offer. She needed to continue to plan her meeting with the duke. But the man looked so hopeful. And he was doing her an immense favor. What harm would a short meeting do? She wouldn’t mind spending a little time with the attractive servant. “Very well, monsieur. If you can arrange for me to have Sunday afternoon off, I will be happy to meet you.”

Horace beamed at her. “I will consult with Lady Celinda and send a note to you to arrange the outing. Now, what day does your lady receive callers?” He rose to stand beside her.

“Thursdays, the same as Lady Hamilton.”

“Then I believe Lady Celinda and her mother will be paying them a call this Thursday to set in motion your freedom on Sunday.” He smiled, though his eyes searched hers. “Lady Celinda asked me why you wished to meet the duke. I told her about your mother’s experience when she was young and that that has made you eager to meet one as well.” He took both her hands then thrust his head forward, peering at her so intently that she looked away. “You are simply meeting the duke to fulfill your lifelong dream, true?”

“Why would it not be true?” She couldn’t bear his scrutiny and dropped her gaze to the ground. “For a poor girl like me to meet such a great man should be the dream of a lifetime, vous ne pensez pas?” His close presence distracted her thoughts.

When his arms slid around her, she stiffened, fighting the longing she couldn’t deny then gave in and relaxed against him. She had dreamed of him last night and awakened to find her pillow damp with tears of longing. Why would she feel so about a valet she had just met when nothing could come of it? After she spoke to the duke, she could no longer dally with this man.

“Horace, we should not—”

“Shhh.” He turned her in his arms. “Why not? You are a very beautiful woman, Gabriella, more beautiful than any woman I have ever seen.” He smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear, and she shivered with desire.

“Merci, mon ami.” She cupped his face, so handsome and strong. Why would fate tempt her with him at this moment? “Vous êtes très beau, et très cher.” She swept her lips across his, a fleeting kiss that thrilled even as it tortured. “I must go, mon cher. I dare not stay here longer.” She broke through his grip, though his touch still lingered.

“You but trifle with me.” The bitterness in his voice smote her heart. “If I were instead my master, the marquess, you would not run from me.”

“Oui, non, oh sacrebleu. You cannot understand,” she wailed then dropped her voice.

They must not be discovered.

He grabbed her hand. “Then tell me.” He twined his fingers with hers, and her willpower failed. “I would swear you feel something for me beyond your little flirting smiles. When we kiss, there is something wonderful between us, I will swear to it.” He pulled her back down onto the bench. “Do you deny it?”

“I…I…” Mon Dieu, but she wanted, non, needed to deny it, to tell him instead she flirted only and felt nothing.

He gazed at her, his sharply shadowed face yearning toward her. “Gabriella, please.”

Madness seized her. She grasped his face and pressed her mouth to his, tingling from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Before she knew it, she had her arms around him, pulling him closer, never wanting to let him go.