Ardently |h.s|

five

"Finally." he mumbles, "That'll be enough from you, servant."

My eyes narrow to the back of his head, but I back off, standing against the wall. Liam makes eye contact with me, silently urging me to leave. I ignore him. He should know my stubborn nature and that I don't need him to fight my battles for me.

I hold the power in this situation, at least for right now. The Viscountess adores me, Liam is my brother, they would never allow a guest to be cruel to me.

"You run a tight ship here, Payne. Very impressive." the Duke compliments from across the table. Harry scoffs, and even though I can only see the back of his head, I know he's rolling his eyes.

Liam shoots daggers at Harry, ready to jump across the table and punch him into next week. I discreetly shake my head at Liam, needing him to relax.

Dinner continues and the tension between Harry, Liam and I is thick. The Viscountess can tell something is going on with the two young men from across the table. I'm currently standing behind them, Harry facing me. He keeps glaring at me, and I refuse to back down, holding the intense eye contact. His sister keeps glancing between the three of us, a nervous look on her face.

"Is something bothering you, servant?" Harry snaps at me, halting all conversation. All eyes are on me now, except Liam's.

"Do not speak to her that way!" he scolds, pointing his knife in the lord's direction. "Men!" The Viscount reprimands, glaring between the both of them. Harry's piercing green eyes are still on me. They look wild and dangerous.

Calmly, I shake my head, "Nothing is bothering me, my lord." I turn toward the Viscount, bowing my head carefully, "My deepest apologies for the disturbance, my lord."

"Nonsense, Charlotte. Why don't you be a dear and go check on dessert?" The Viscountess interjects in a soft voice. I turn to her, curtseying once before turning to exit the dining hall. As I exit, I can hear the Duke profusely apologizing to the Viscount for his son's behavior. A smirk crosses my lips as I head to the stairs, knowing I've won this round.

Later on in the night, the Duke and the Viscount have gone to the study to talk business and smoke. The Duchess and the Viscountess have disappeared with Beth to talk about furnishings and the London season. Which leaves me in the drawing room with Liam and Lord and Lady Styles.

Lady Styles is soft spoken and kind. The completely opposite of her brother. It's not surprising since men with wealth and status tend to let their superiority get to their heads. Not to mention he's beautiful, which only adds to his ego.

I stand to the side, keeping my head down. It feels as though a powder keg is about to blow. The men have been glaring at each other the past twenty minutes, and Lady Gemma seems to be searching for some way to excuse herself and join the other women.

Finally, unfortunately, Harry speaks. "Didn't know you had a thing for the help, Payne. How scandalous." He looks amused as he stares Liam down.

"Not all of us treat our employees like slaves, Styles." He retorts, not backing down. I do not want to be present for this fight, but unfortunately, all I can do is keep my head down and pray the Duke and Duchess return soon to collect their children and leave.

Harry leans back in his chair, not letting Liam's gaze out of his tight grip. "If I would have known she was just a servant girl the other night, I wouldn't have bothered with niceties." His words send chills down my spine. My only saving grace the night of the ball was my anonymity. Had he known my true identity, he would have ruined me.

His sister is visibly upset by his words, "Harry." she scolds, but he just rolls his eyes. Liam looks unhinged though. "Leave Charlotte alone. She is an honest woman." He warns.