Clarendon Estate (The Sinclair Society, Book Three) Rough Draft

Chapter Eight

In the hallways just outside my room, Miss Hanson stepped in front of me, her arms crossed. "Trouble, Miss Nelson?" she asked, her tone sweeter than she'd ever used with me before.

"Trouble? No. What would give you that impression, Miss Hanson?" I asked, hiding my hand against the skirt of my gown. If she saw the papers, she would be sure to ask about them and I did not have a ready excuse.

"You rushed from Lady Leith's sitting room in such a hurry and now you come running back with equal speed," she said, her eyes bright with curiosity. "Is her ladyship unwell? Perhaps I ought to go with you as I do have more experience with these things."

What was she trying to imply? Or was she trying to bait me into giving something away? "What exactly are you referring to?"

"Why, I have no idea," she said, her eyes widening. She lowered her voice and leaned forward. "The Dowager has begun to suspect Lady Leith might be with child, but is too delicate to suggest it, of course."

So she was trying to get information from me. Resisting the urge to scoff, I shook my head. "Lady Leith has not confided such momentous news to me," I said, keeping my tone as sweet as her's. "I'm sure if such is the case, she is keeping the news for when her husband arrives and then the rest of the household shall be informed. Is that not the case with 'these things?'"

Miss Hanson's chin rose. "Well, what else is it that sends you rushing about for Lady Leith? Such haste is unseemly and causes all who see it to wonder what has gone wrong."

"That is between my lady and myself," I said, stepping to go around her. "The Dowager will be rising from her nap any minute now, will she not? Surely she will require your assistance in some manner?"

The woman straightened her shoulders. "I do not need one such as you to remind me of what my duties are. Might I remind you that I have been at this longer than you have been alive?"

I couldn't keep back a laugh. "I doubt the age difference between us is as extreme as that, Miss Hanson. You do yourself no favors making that sort of claim. Why, someone might expect you to retire in seclusion any day!"

She gasped and took a step back. For a moment, she stared at me, no sound coming from her throat. She then spun on her heel and strode away. Her hands clenched and unclenched as she matched along.

Breathing out a sigh, I hurried on my way to the sitting room. Lady Leith was only a few steps away from the door when I slipped in. "You were taking so long," she said, her tone worried. "Did someone detain you?"

"I ran into the Dowager's maid, Miss Hanson," I explained as I closed the door. "I believe she has been spying on me for her mistress. She thinks there is something afoot, but I think I put her off for a while."

"If there is one thing Hanson takes pleasure in, it is searching out any bit of gossip for the Dowager." Lady Leith shook her head. "Did she try to follow you here or did you manage to chase her off? I cannot count the times she has tried to push her way into something happening, claiming to have the experience to handle any problem"

"She tried to convince me that since her years as a maid exceed my years alive, she would be better able to assist you," I said, trying to hold back my amusement. "However, Miss Hanson took offense when I pointed out that using her age in such a way might not be beneficial to her."

Lady Leith let out a giggle, but whether it was from genuine amusement or from nerves was a mystery. "She does not like to be reminded that she is long past the bloom of youth." Her expression became troubled. "If she suspects we are conspiring, she will watch us even more than before."

Which was exactly what I was afraid of. "With the arrival of your guests in a few days, I think she will soon be distracted."

"What clue do you have to show me?" she asked, changing the subject.