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“A humble beginning to the day.”
“He is frugal in his tastes.”
“Perhaps that’s all he is frugal in.”
Stanley cleared his throat and returned to the stove, pretending not to hear what Edward just said. Edward walked over to a block of cheese with a knife in it. He found himself surprisingly hungry after all that he had been through the night before. Edward cut himself off a piece and tore away a piece of bread. The servants looked at him in fascination, but Edward merely smiled.
“This is quite rude of me, I know.”
One of the servants replied, “Anything you like, Your Grace. Can we bring you up a plate to your room?”
“I suppose that would be more civil. Some tea as well. Thank you.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Edward made his way to the third floor of Sage Brook, where he knew the corner room to be, looking over the garden. He’d eat and then sleep. There was still much on his mind. Opening the door to the room, Edward was struck by the beauty of it. Although it was dated, still the grandeur that his mother cherished so much was apparent. Edward sat at his desk and loosened his collar. He took off his jacket and placed it on the back of the chair. Then he unbuttoned several buttons of his shirt.
There was a knock on the door, and Edward called out for the servant to come in. Once more, he was disappointed to see that it wasn’t Laura. It was a rather nervous girl, a bit on the plump side. She whisked across the room with her tray and placed it down. For a moment, she stood there, eyes wide, staring at him. What was the girl staring at? Edward looked down and reminded himself that he had exposed his chest. The girl was dumbstruck.
“I apologize,” he said, not bothering to button up his shirt.
“Eh … uh …” The girl struggled to find her words before curtsying and leaving the room in haste.
Edward had to laugh to himself. It wasn’t his intention to have that effect on women. But was it his intention to have that effect on Laura?
***
There was a knock on Laura’s door. What time was it? The sun was shining outside, and Laura feared that she had slept in too late. The fear got the best of her, and she sprang out of bed, wrapping herself in a shawl. She hoped that the person on the other side of the door was Diana, but sadly, it was Percival. Was he here to scold her? Banish her from Sage Brook?
“Yes, sir?”
“Laura, I need to speak with you.”
“What has happened?”
“May I come in?”
“Of course.”
Laura backed away from the door, and Percival stepped in, closing the door behind him. This couldn’t possibly be good. Something was amiss. Laura felt it in the marrow of her bones.
“Please sit down, Laura.”
She did as she was told and took a seat at her little desk. Percival stepped in further and hit his head upon the slanted roof. Laura was too petrified to laugh.
“It takes some getting used to.”
“Never mind.” Percival rubbed his head. “There’s an important matter that we need to discuss.”
“If it’s about the duke’s brother and the teacup, I must apologize—”
“Yes, it’s about that. But not what you think. It appears that you’ve had some kind of sway over Edward Pembroke.”
“Sway?” What was Percival implying?
“Yes, he’d like to offer you employment at his estate.”
Laura was struck dumb. Surely, there was some kind of mistake, or Percival was teasing her to merely see what her response might be. There was no chance that Edward Pembroke said such a thing.
