Gentleman's Guide 02 - His Contrary Bride) (2 page)

“I am sure he is referring to his sister,
Lady Sandlin.” Dillon chuckled.

“Lord Sandlin’s wife?” .

Sandlin came up from behind. “Did I hear my
wife mentioned?”

Marius turned toward him. “Felding was just
remarking how we do know one particular lady who would retrieve a
bird’s nest from a chimney.”

Sandlin groaned. “I have no doubt. However,
let’s keep this particular instance to ourselves as I don’t want to
give my wife any ideas.”

The smiles fell from the young women’s faces
and they exchanged looks of confusion. Marius was not about to
enlighten them to the reckless nature of Lady Sandlin.

“I have come to retrieve you,” Sandlin
announced. “Prinny is ready to leave.”

Marius wanted to scream and beg them to not
leave him alone. Instead, he politely escorted Lady Millicent back
into the house and bid farewell to the prince and his
companions.

*

Marius leaned against the doorjamb and
studied her in silence. The maid knelt on the floor and leaned into
the hearth. A shapely ankle stuck out from beneath the pale blue,
muslin skirt. He had only observed her for a short time earlier,
while she stood to receive her instructions from Lady Davies and
had been intrigued then. Clearly Cinderella was a servant, but she
held herself and had the mannerisms of a lady. While his hostess
talked down to her, Cinderella had kept her chin high, back rigid,
yet respectful to her employer. Though she had been dirty from her
chores, for one couldn’t miss the dirt smudged at the end of her
pert nose, nor the cobwebs in her russet hair, she was far from a
filthy scullery maid. Beneath the dirt were rounded, rosy cheeks,
full, equally rosy lips and dark blue eyes, fringed with dark
lashes. Her figure on the other hand was completely concealed by
the large dress that resembled a sack. Only the full apron, tied
behind her back gave any hint that Cinderella was concealing a
rounded, shapely figure. The type of figure he always found himself
attracted to over the slimmer ones.

That name. It couldn’t be. He had to know.
“Surely your name isn’t really Cinderella?” He tried to hide his
humor, if indeed that was her christened name.

She jumped at his voice and hit her head on
the bricks above. “Ouch!” she yelped. With a hand rubbing the back
of her head, she settled back on her heels.

Marius immediately kneeled beside her. “I am
so sorry.” He certainly hadn’t meant to startle her. Lifting his
hand, he felt behind her head where her hand had rubbed, brushing
his warm fingers against hers.

For an instant their eyes locked. She pulled
away first. Standing, she straightened her gown and finally smiled
at him. “I am fine.” She laughed softly.

Her smile was beautiful, dimples on either
side of her mouth. No, not beautiful. Adorable, Marius thought
before remembering his place. He tried to forget the instantaneous
emotion, or perhaps it was desire, that shot through him when her
dark blue eyes looked into his at the same moment their fingers
brushed together.

He wondered if she felt the same instant
attraction. “Is your name truly Cinderella?”

“Only if you are my fairy godmother.”

Marius returned her smile. “If I were?”

Her eyes sparkled with amusement. Tapping
her fingernail against her chin, oblivious to the black, greasy
spots on the back of her hands, she seemed to consider the
question. “Well, I do have a rather large pumpkin in the garden. I
am sure I could find some mice in the barn. I don’t have any rats
though. Do you suppose birds would do?” She asked in all
seriousness, tilted her head to the side, and looked at Marius for
an answer.

“I am not sure,” he returned, trying to
remain as serious as she. “I will have to give it some
thought.”

Cinderella sighed. “Of course, unless you
know of some
young
, handsome prince having a ball, there is
really no need.”

Marius was intrigued by this adorable woman.
“Alas, my dear lady I know of no ball.”

“Then I suppose I’ll leave you to your
privacy and return to the house.” She curtseyed. “Please let me
know if you need anything Mr. Parker.” She picked up her cleaning
items, and started for the door.

“There is one thing, miss.”

She turned toward him. “Yes?”

“Your name. What is it?”

She smiled, revealing her dimples once
again. “Sabrina,” she answered with another quick curtsey before
leaving the cottage.

Marius strolled to the main house for
breakfast, in no real hurry to spend time with Lady Davies and the
young women. He had checked on the horse and learned that it would
be at least another day before the animal could walk any distance.
Perhaps even more before it could hold a rider. If that were the
case, Marius would consider another means of transportation for
himself and find a cart for the horse if necessary.

Not far from the stables a garden had been
planted. Most of the vegetables had already been harvested, yet
Sabrina stood toward the back with a basket hooked over her arm.
Once again he admired the view of her backside as she bent over. He
called out a greeting and waited for her to respond.

Sabrina stood, smiled and waved. Her smile
grew and after signaling him to wait for a moment, she skipped over
two rows.

Marius grinned and wondered what she was up
to. This time she bent over and lifted a cumbersome pumpkin. “Will
this do?” She asked with a laugh.

Marius returned her laugh. “A very fine
pumpkin indeed. I will keep my ears open for news of that special
ball.”

She set the pumpkin back on the ground and
curtseyed. “Thank you, kind sir.”

They did not speak for the rest of the day
or evening. The young ladies of the academy took it upon themselves
to keep Marius properly entertained. He did however see Sabrina
often, usually when one of the girls was in need of something
minor. When Sabrina wasn’t fetching a parasol or cloak, she was
dutifully working, both inside the house and out. She was intent on
her tasks and gave no notice to the others. On the few occasions
when their eyes did meet, she smiled.

The others spoke down to her, which hadn’t
surprised him. It was as if the girls went out of their way to
disrupt Sabrina as much as possible simply to remind her of her
lower status. Without being disrespectful, Sabrina saw to the
requested tasks, as if these small matters were of no consequence.
It was impossible not to admire the young servant given the rude
and haughty manner in which she was treated.

It was past dark when Marius was finally
able to escape to the cottage. He longed to leave the following
day, to be away from the household of young ladies. On the other
hand, he was reluctant to part from Sabrina so soon. He could make
no sense of his desire as he barely knew her. Her frequent smiles
were infectious. Did she allow anything to dampen her mood?

The bed had already been turned down and a
fire burned brightly. It appeared his Cinderella had already been
there and left. Marius was somewhat disappointed that he had missed
her. Out of all the young ladies present, she was the one he would
have actually enjoyed talking with.

*

As she began to ready herself for bed,
Sabrina was called to Lady Davies office. She couldn’t help but
wonder what she had done now and stood before the desk waiting.

“It appears you are quite taken with our
guest,” Lady Davies observed.

Sabrina eyed her with curiosity. “I don’t
understand what you mean. He appears to be a nice gentleman.”

In anger Lady Davies rose to tower over
Sabrina. “Do not play coy with me, girl. The entire household
watched the two of you flirt throughout the day.”

Sabrina blanched. “You misunderstand.”

Lady Davies held up her hand to silence her.
“Don’t bother denying it. His taste cannot be helped,” she spit out
in disgust. “It is the reason I have called you here.”

Sabrina waited, a feeling of dread crept
into her belly. Lady Davies held the same look of anticipated
pleasure she always held before assigning Sabrina some disgusting
chore.

“As he is our guest, and a personal friend
of the Prince Regent, it is your duty to see to his every comfort,
and need.”

“I have already seen that the cottage is
comfortable and he has everything he needs.”

A small, cruel smile came to the older
woman’s face. “I am speaking of his other comforts. Go to him and
make yourself available,” she said, with a gleam in her eye. “My
school could only benefit if Mr. Parker leaves having enjoyed a
very pleasant visit. Perhaps the Prince will even return after
learning how accommodating I am to my very important guests while
still educating and sheltering the gently bred young ladies,
wealthy enough to become the wife of an aristocrat.”

Sabrina knew she paled as the meaning of
what she was being told sank in. “I will not,” she spat back.

Lady Davies’ hand cracked across her cheek
barely a second after the words had left Sabrina’s lips. “You are a
servant and will do as I say.”

Sabrina stood straighter, refusing to place
a hand on her burning cheek. “I may be your servant but I refuse to
do this.”

Lady Davies brought herself taller. “You do
realize that I could dismiss you now.”

Sabrina stood equally as straight, refusing
to be cowed and looked her employer in the eye. “Yes.”

“I’ll see to it that not one household
welcomes you into their employ. There will be nowhere to go.”

Sabrina knew the power the woman held.
Still, she would not do what was being asked. “I understand
completely.”

Lady Davies smiled again, anticipating
victory. “Then you will go to Mr. Parker now.”

Sabrina turned and walked to the door to put
as much distance between herself and Lady Davies. Before exiting,
she gave her answer. “I will not act the whore for you or anyone
else.” She closed the door and hurried to her room.

For the moment, time was on her side. Lady
Davies could not force her to offer herself to Mr. Parker. Sabrina
also knew that matters would only get worse from here. She had
always known the time would come when she would have to leave the
academy with no character reference. It appeared her employment
would end tonight. If she waited to be officially dismissed, Lady
Davies would not allow her to take anything with her. By leaving
now, Sabrina would be allowed to take the few remaining possessions
she could call her own.

Anticipating the cooler temperatures, she
wore two extra dresses, as well as her cloak. All were far too
large for her so making everything fit was not an issue. She
stuffed the remaining clothing and personal items into a satchel
and waited until the house grew quiet and she was assured all were
asleep. Quietly, she let herself from the house and allowed one
backward glance before beginning her walk toward the road to
London.

She had a few funds and wasn’t about to
waste them on a coach. It should only take her a couple of days, at
the most, to reach London. She hoped there were some inexpensive
inns on the way. Tonight however, there would be no rest. She
needed to put as much distance between herself and the academy as
possible.

*

As the day was breaking, Marius checked on
the horse, anxious to be on his way. The decision to leave had come
in the early morning hours after awakening from a dream involving
Sabrina. There was no future here and it was best to leave before
he found himself breaking one of his own rules about dallying with
servants.

Thompson assured him the horse could be
ridden, but only a short distance. With no rider, and at an easy
pace, the horse could make the journey to London. From Thompson he
also learned where he could hire a coach or horse in the nearby
town. With his mind made up, Marius set his course and made his way
to the house to advise Lady Davies of his plans before
breakfast.

Luck was on his side. The woman he sought
was descending the stairs.

“How was your night, Mr. Parker?”

“It was pleasant. Thank you.”

The woman had a strange smile on her face.
Almost one of anticipation. “And have you enjoyed your stay? Have
you been provided with everything you need?”

“Yes, it has been most pleasant indeed.” He
held the chair in the dining room out for her. “However, I must
bring it to an end.”

The smile fell from her face. “Has something
not pleased you?”

“No, as I said, this has been a pleasant
stay, but I wish to return to my own home and the horse can now
travel.”

One by one the young ladies began to wander
into the room, The first stopped and offered an apology for her
tardiness. Those who followed did the same. Finally, as Lady
Millicent entered, apologizing as well, Madame Davies questioned
her charges. “May I ask why each of you is tardy this morning?”

“Sabrina did not wake us.” Lady Millicent
answered.

Displeased, Lady Davies looked at each young
woman, who nodded in agreement. She turned her eyes to Marius. “Mr.
Parker, have you seen Sabrina this morning?”

He shook his head. “No, I have not seen her
since yesterday afternoon.”

Lady Davies’ lips pursed together in
irritation. She stood and placed her napkin on the table. “Please
excuse me.”

The room was strangely quiet with the
woman’s departure. Each girl sat silent, not touching the food on
their plate. After a few moments Lady Davies returned, her anger
evident. “Sabrina will not be available today.” Her statement left
no option for questions or discussions. After sharing speculative
looks, the girls turned their attention to their meal.

*

No wonder this particular parish seemed to
prosper, they were mercenary in their trade. After speaking with no
less than five men, he finally purchased transportation back to
London. Not one of them had a horse for lent or sale. The only item
available to him was a curricle an older man wanted to be rid of.
Though Marius was refused a horse originally, he was gladly sold
two to pull the conveyance. Finally accepting the offer and needing
to be on his way, Marius paid far more than the transportation was
worth. He didn’t want to think about the profit the older man had
made. Still, he would find a use for the curricle and horses. If
not, he would sell them in London, most certainly suffering a
financial loss.