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Chapter 13
“You’re getting WHAT?”
Victoria couldn’t believe it. She had to be mishearing things. She stared at Abigail, who shuffled from foot to foot as her mistress took in the news.
This couldn’t be happening. This had to be someone playing a trick on her or something.
“I’m getting married, my lady. Arthur Manning asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”
“I thought that’s what you had said. And I was really hoping that you hadn’t.” Victoria could feel anger building along with her shock. “Of all the people to fall in love with, why did it have to be him? Really, Abigail?”
“You make it sound like I planned it.”
“Well, didn’t you?”
“Of course not!” Abigail protested. “I just bumped into Arthur when he was in Robin Hood’s Bay on my afternoon off. I knew which family he worked for, but he was so sweet. When he asked to see me again, I found myself saying yes. Before I knew it, I was in love.”
Victoria felt like she had just been thrown into a brick wall. The air had been knocked out of her lungs—which could have been something to do with the corset she was still stuck in—and she sagged onto a chair.
“How…how long have you been seeing him?”
“Just over a year.”
“A year? Did Mother and Father know?”
“Nobody knew. We knew it wouldn’t be approved of.”
“You’re right about that.” Victoria stared at her. “You have to have gone mad, Abigail. He’s the most inappropriate person to fall in love with.”
“Why?”
“Because of the family he works for!”
Abigail frowned.
“Whatever happened back then doesn’t have anything to do with Arthur. He wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger on your brother.”
“No, that would be his master. My husband.” Victoria said those two words with ice dripping from them. “They are people we should be keeping away from. What were you thinking?”
“My lady….”
“Does Lord Blackmore know about this?”
Biting her lip, Abigail nodded.
“He was the one who told Arthur to propose. He gave his blessing.”
“WHAT?”
Victoria couldn’t believe this. The only person she could rely on in the house was her maid, and now she was intimate with the enemy.
“This has to be a nightmare.” Victoria got up and paced around the room. “This really has to be a nightmare. Any moment now, I’m going to wake up, and I won’t be married to that man, and my maid won’t have turned against me.”
“This is not all about you, Lady Blackmore.”
Victoria stopped suddenly at Abigail’s sharp tone. She turned, staring at the other woman.
“I beg your pardon?”
