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She was positively lost in his eyes and feared that her knees might go weak again. Laura cleared her throat and hastily fled the room, making her way to the kitchen. The pounding in her heart would not cease. She had spoken to a lord. She had been seen and heard.
The mortification was too great. Then, she was discovered in a room alone with him. Rumour spread fast at Sage Brook, and Laura was convinced that she’d catch wind of the gossip soon enough.
Entering the kitchen, Laura spoke frantically. “I need tea.”
The kitchen staff turned to her. Everyone looked perplexed. Finally, one female servant got to work, preparing everything while Laura nervously waited. Should she deliver the tea herself? Percival had given her the command. She’d never served tea to the duke before, and Laura feared that her hands might be unsteady. Once the servant handed Laura the tray, she slowly turned to make her way down the hall.
It was like time stood still as she carried it. Laura could hear the cups and saucers tinkling as she stepped. She focused on remaining steady and successfully arrived at the door to the library, which she was grateful was ajar. Entering the library, she was met with silence as she crossed the room, spotting a place where she would put the tray down.
The Duke of Bancroft spoke. “Not over there.” He pointed to a separate table. “Over there.”
Laura’s mouth went dry as she changed course, making her way to the other table. Once the tray was successfully and gently placed on that table, Laura sighed. The situation could have been far worse, but considering the interaction she’d had with Edward, how much worse could the day get? Laura felt eyes on her back, and she slowly turned. She daren’t look at Edward, and instead, she curtsied towards Norman. “I’ll be going.”
Norman put up a hand. “You may serve us the tea.”
“Very well.”
Laura turned back towards the tea set and began to pour. Just when she thought she was in the clear, there was more to do, and so much that could go wrong. The first cup of tea she poured for Norman and walked over to hand it to him. His gaze was placid. Why was there so much silence? Next, she poured a cup for Edward, and as she handed it to him, flushed crimson red. She’d forgotten to ask if he took cream or sugar.
Once again, she met Edward’s gaze, no less mesmerizing than the first time, and Edward warmly smiled. “Thank you, Laura.”
Oh, heavens, he said her name! Should she be ashamed or flattered? It seemed ridiculous that she should even be asking herself such questions. Her job being done, Laura curtsied once more before exiting the room with as much composure as she could muster. As she left, she heard the duke’s words.
“How do you know her name?”
“I had an encounter with her in the parlour.”
Laura closed the door and pressed her back to it, willing herself to breathe. Now the Duke of Bancroft knew of the encounter. There was no chance she could keep her job.
“Laura, what on earth?”
She looked across the hall to discover Diana approaching her. Laura brought a hand to her chest and spoke in a whisper. “I’m impossibly daft.”
“What has happened?”
Laura took Diana by the arm and led her away. “I’ve made a fool of myself.”
“How?”
“First, I dropped a teacup in Edward Pembroke’s presence.”
“He’s here?”
“Indeed. Then I was asked to serve tea and forgot to mention cream and sugar.”
Diana let out a giggle. “None of that sounds so horrible.”
“You don’t understand. I spoke with Edward Pembroke! He looked into my eyes.”
“Then I can tell you for sure that you’ll never be the same again. Edward Pembroke is the most notorious bachelor in all of England.”
“You didn’t tell me he was so handsome. But why should that even matter? I had no business speaking to him in the first place.”
“I told you what a kind man he is. I’m not surprised in the least that he conversed with you.”
Laura and Diana finally made it to the window overlooking the garden. The rain was gentle now, and the night sky blanketed the garden. Laura heaved a sigh of relief. Maybe everything Diana was saying was true. Maybe she shouldn’t worry about it quite so much.
Diana said, “We best go and prepare for supper. Percival says that he needs ‘all hands on deck.’”
