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Leda’s face lit up and she rushed to her sister to hug her. “I knew you would come around.”
Ariadne patted her on her back. “All right, there’s enough of that. You won’t be having fun when you’re toiling away in the kitchen.”
Leda made a face. “I know that.”
* * *
Two days later, Leda and Ariadne stood in front of Lord Brexley’s townhouse. Ariadne looked around. She had never seen cleaner streets in her life. She had the faint memory of coming to this neighborhood with her father to see his aging mother who refused to come down to their home. Now that memory tickled her at the back of her head as she followed Leda down the narrow entryway that would lead to the servant’s quarters. They wouldn’t be allowed to go in through the front door anyway.
When they entered the kitchen, there was a bustle of servants going around and the preparations for the ball were in full swing. Ariadne walked up to one of the older women who was taking something out of the larder.
“Excuse me? We are hired to help for tonight,” she said. The woman looked down at her appraisingly. “The master of the house has employed us for the evening,” Ariadne said, just in case the woman wouldn’t believe them.
She finally nodded. “Fine, you may stay. The pay is ten copper coins each and dinner is provided at the end of the ball, provided you stay back for cleaning.”
Before Ariadne could reply, Leda did. “Yes, that’s fine.”
Ariadne looked around in the crowded kitchen. She was already regretting agreeing with Leda. She wasn’t the kind of person who did well with people, so many people. Ariadne liked peace and quiet and she would rather work alone. They were provided with aprons to wear over their skirts.
“Do you think we’ll be able to see the ballroom at the end of the night?” Leda asked. “I wouldn’t mind cleaning up if we did.”
“This isn’t the place to gossip,” a woman said walking up to them. She was about to retort when Leda stopped her and shook her head. “That’s the housekeeper We should stay in her good graces.”
Ariadne nodded reluctantly, glaring at the woman’s back as she went around bossing people around. Unfortunately, the sisters were assigned separate jobs and had to work on different sides of the kitchen. Leda kneaded the dough while Ariadne was cutting vegetables. After a while of working, her arms began to ache, and just when she couldn’t go on, one of the younger girls in the kitchen scurried up to her with a tray of sweets.
“Pass this to the footman at the top of the stairs. There has been a shortage of sweets, so hurry before the guests begin to complain,” she said. Ariadne blinked at her. “Are you daft or slow? Here take this.” The maid thrust the tray in Ariadne’s arms and left before she could protest.
Ariadne had no choice. The tray was quite heavy but she managed to carry it out of the kitchen and down the empty corridor. It took her a while to figure the way out before she finally climbed the set of stairs. She looked down at the plate she was carrying and her mouth watered at the sight of the sweets. Ariadne had a bit of a sweet tooth and she had finished the chocolate box Edward had given to her within two days.
Averting her gaze, she looked both ways but saw no one. “Hello?” she called out but there was no answer. There was definitely no footman here. She started to walk around, trying to locate the man when there was a shout behind her. She turned around to see a man in a servant’s uniform hurrying toward her.
“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for these.” He sent her an accusatory glance as if she was tardy on purpose. Ariadne didn’t feel like apologizing to him. The man left, hurrying toward the opposite side. The faint strains of music drifted toward her and she guessed there was where the ball was. Curiosity got the better of her and she followed the footman, knowing that she shouldn’t be there in the first place. But that made it all the more thrilling.
Ariadne was careful to remain away from the balustrade from where she could be easily spotted. She could only imagine what would happen if she was found wandering around. In the distance, she could hear the distinct sound of people conversing and the slow, lilting sound of music.
Voices drifted closer to her, stopping her dead in her tracks.
Someone was coming down the corridor.
Quickly, she hid behind one of the pillars. The voices seemed familiar for a reason and Ariadne almost gasped when she saw who they were.
“I rarely venture out to a ball these days,” one of them said. She recognized both of them almost immediately just as soon as they stepped into the light of the closest lamp. It was Edward’s father, the Duke, and her Uncle—
The men were discussing something but Ariadne had such a bad taste in her mouth at her Uncle’s sight that she could barely pay attention. He had refused to even come to her father’s funeral though she had written to him. “And how’s your son?” her uncle, the Earl of Jenson asked.
“He’s doing mighty fine. In fact, he’s at the event tonight. I will introduce you to him,” the Duke replied. Ariadne could barely contain her gasp. Edward was here? Stupid, stupid her. Of course, he would be. He knew Lord Brexley—everyone in the ton did and everyone who was important would be here tonight.
Ariadne fell sick to her stomach. This was not how she had imagined her night would go. Coming here was nothing short of a disaster and she was reminded, almost painfully how it was better if she stayed far, far away from the Mayfair crowd.
She didn’t even realize when she groaned until the Duke said, “Who’s there?”
Panic set in. If they discovered her here, there would be hell to pay. She could already imagine the embarrassment and humiliation that would follow if her Uncle saw her there. Praying that they couldn’t see her from behind the stout pillar, she slunk away alongside the wall and when she was far enough, she increased her pace. She had at least hoped to run into Lord Brexley tonight. She was there because of his sake after all.
As she climbed down a staircase, hoping it would lead her back to the kitchen, someone called her name from behind. For one moment, she was afraid that her uncle had discovered her but when she turned around, she was shocked to see that it was Edward.
“Ariadne? I thought that was you. I would recognize your silhouette anywhere in the world. But what are you doing here?” Even though he was more than a few feet away, she could see the frown on his face.
Before she could reply, however, a woman came walking up to him. “My Lord, there you are,” she said as she came to a stop beside him. “What are you doing here?”
Edward wasn’t looking at the woman, however. He was looking straight at her. He didn’t answer the woman’s question.
The woman spoke again, trying to get his attention. “I was trying to seek you out. We barely had a moment to ourselves,” she said looking up at Edward with obvious adoration. Ariadne’s heart ached when she saw them together. Who was this woman? They seemed to know each other intimately. Ariadne wanted to march up to him and demand answers about her identity. The girl was stunning in her pale-yellow dress that clung to her curves in all the right places, curves Ariadne didn’t have. She couldn’t ever hope to be half as pretty as her.
The woman’s gaze finally fell to her. “Who are you?” she asked and hid her face behind her fan as if Ariadne had somehow stumbled upon their private conversation. She was the one intruding.
“Are you one of the servants?” she prompted when Ariadne didn’t reply. That was right. She was a servant. Ariadne nodded because while it wasn’t the truth, it wasn’t a lie either.
Edward didn’t acknowledge her either, nor did he bother introducing her to this girl. And what would he say? She was not his friend here, in the glittering seat of high society. The only place someone like Ariadne had in Edward’s world was as a servant. The gravity of their differences didn’t sink into her until this moment. And it left a hollow aching pain in its wake.
“My Lord, my Lady,” she said bowing to get their dismissal. Edward didn’t move or speak. He continued to stare at her dumbfounded. Ariadne made the decision easier for him. She turned around and walked away.
