Chapter 4
Mina was not pleased. They had been lugging vegetables, wine, flour and eggs back and forth for the past three hours and had not had a bite to eat for themselves since sneaking out of the kitchen.
"Verushka, stop for God's sake."
Verushka halted from dragging three dead chickens in a sack behind her. She hoped Madam Shiela didn't notice the dirt, but she honestly couldn't lift her arms. "What?" she called back impatiently.
"We have to stop... I'm begging here." Mina pleaded as she fell in the dirt.
Dust from the road puffed up in little clouds to thinly coat all the girls. Liara settled herself down next to Mina and uncorked the wine cask she was carrying in order to take a none too discreet swig.
Verushka rolled her eyes and succumbed to the sweet bliss of rest. "Come on girls," she said as she propped her head on one hand. "I'd like nothing better than to curl up behind the bread oven... it's warm steam and sweet swell wafting through the air," she smiled losing herself in the fantasy, "but, we have work to do and as soon as we get it done the quicker we get to hide from Madam Shiela and go back to enjoying our day."
Her friends seated on the side of the road did not look convinced as they partook of their share of the noble family's evening meal.
"Look," Verushka coaxed, "If we finish all of our chores Mina, you can go out and climb the apple tree that's just bloomed and Liara you can find out all the gossip about the young duke, which I know you've been aching to do."
Liara raised an eyebrow, "and what will you be doing Verushka dear...," Liara shared a knowing look with Mina and continued, "climbing into bed with the Duke again?" she finished sweetly.
Verushka scowled, after all it wasn't her fault she fell into the bed of a Rake. "I'm not interested in the Duke, Liara," she said, sitting up very straight dusting some dirt and soot off her cheeks. "He is a notorious Rake who I'm sure will sleep with the whole maid population of Bexley House before he moves into his new bachelor residence - but he will NOT seduce me!"
Liara looked at Mina with a smirk, "Does it not sound like our dearest friend is protesting too much, which most certainly means she does want the newest Duke in Britain to seduce her."
Mina scrunched up her nose and said "Why would you want a man from Britain when you can have one from England?"
Both Liara and Verushka frowned in unison, clearly perplexed.
"Umm..." Verushka finally spoke, "Sweetie, England IS in Britain."
Mina bit her lower lip. "What? I mean yes... I knew that - what I meant to say was Scotland, why have a British man when you can have a Highlander."
Verushka shook her head slightly with a disbelieving grin.
Liara took another swig from the wine cask and decided to state the obvious, "As much as it pains me to say this we don't exactly have our pick of Dukes, Rakes and Rogues whether they be English or Scottish. Here sit three eligible maids covered in road dust and our only options at present are the stable boys, the farm hands, and if we are very lucky - the upper level footmen."
All three girls sighed in unison.
"It's nice to dream though," Verushka admitted as she traced patterns in the dirt with the toe of her boot. "Could you imagine, gilded carriages, evening gowns of silk threaded with silver, brooches and bracelets of emerald and sapphire," she continued.
Mina smiled and added, "Men who open doors for you, who fetch punch for you, who fight duels and win for you..."
Liara continued, "and what about dancing in the finest London ballrooms and the secret stolen moments in the garden on a warm May eve..."
"where the jasmine blooms..." Verushka trailed.
"and the music lingers from the orchestra inside" Mina added.
For a few moments they shared a companionable silence in a world of pure fantasy and girlish dreams. Verushka was the first to pull herself from the futile pursuit of a make-believe mate. Standing up and dusting herself off she scolded the girls and herself, "How silly we are. The Duke has not even been back one day and already we have turned into romantic ninny's hoping to be prim misses. We wouldn't last a day as a debutant and you know it! Mina would no doubt start a fight with the nearest girl who looked at her wrong and Liara is not exactly backward in coming forward. Noblemen prefer ladies not to say a word and my dear friends we are about as far from that description as possible." Placing her hands on her hips she stared down at the girls to finish her tirade, "We bake the bread, climb the trees and make trouble all the day long, and that is not about to change no matter how many Devilish Dukes come waltzing into Bexley House!" She finished with aplomb and would have been filled with a sense of self satisfaction that only comes from total confidence in oneself and ones situation- which was most likely feigned from telling a very convincing lie to all and sundry.
However, it was at that moment that Verushka, pastry maid of Bexley House, standing in the ditch with a bag of dead chickens, a now half empty wine cask, an armload of vegetables and two squatting friends in the dirt, saw the Duke of Bexley crossing the street towards her.
***********************
Scot had spent a good three quarters of an hour being measured, poked and prodded while listening to friendly mocking. By the end of which, he was more than eager to escape the confines of the tailors' store and stretch his legs in the warm sunshine. When his first footstep hit the gravel he felt infinitely better and placed his hands in both pockets, smiling softly and counted himself lucky to be enjoying the meek English sunshine.
Jay walked at his side, casually surveying the scene as they crossed the street. The late morning traffic in Grosvenor Square was hectic as usual with so many of the London peerage late risers and even later sleepers what with all the balls, operas and midnight trysts.
Scot noticed Jay's lips twitch in a grimace as he watched a young girl exit a carriage, and tilted his head questioningly.
"Your mother isn't having a debutant ball tonight is she?" Jay grimaced. "I mean, you are not luring me with the promise of apple pie and instead have your mother try to land me a puerile infant?"
Scot's eyes widened in horror, "Oh God, I hadn't thought of that, although she is more likely to launch me on society rather than you. And I believe those infants are called debutants." Scots frown deepened, "and wasn't it treacle pudding, not apple pie?"
"That's the important message you're taking away from this?" Jay cocked an eyebrow exasperated. "What you fail to realise, my dear friend, is that you are one of the most eligible bachelors in all of England and I follow a close second. With the two of us together again Society Mama's and their delinquent daughters will be everywhere we look," he continued.
"Ah, but what about the daring daughters, the debonair daughters or heaven forbid the debaucherous daughters?" Scot mocked.
"I fail to see how this is funny." Jay strode off leaving behind soft laughter.
"Jay, wait!" Scot called out- and then he saw her.
She was a vision, an ethereal goddess rising from the dirt; his own Aphrodite. She wore a brown cotton threadbare dress to her ankles with sturdy boots peeping out and a small hole peering through the right one. Her cheeks were smudged with soil and flour, her apron askew and both arms akimbo. A delicate frown creased her forehead as she stared at him.
Scot stopped in the middle of the street. He could have kicked himself as his brain started up again. It was just the maid from this morning, not some virginal water nymph.
And yet her eyes...
Scot mentally prodded himself again. What on earth was he doing staring at the maid, and why was she on the main street anyway? Scot started forward to go and question the young girl when a firm hand grasped his shoulder.
"And what do you think you're doing?" Jay asked with the barest hint of a smile.
Scot stepped back on the pavement to let a carriage pass and shrugged. "That is my maid, the one I mentioned from this morning. I just.... I thought.... maybe she..." Scot stumbled and realised he didn't exactly have a good reason to speak with her other than that he wanted to.
Dukes did not go around conversing with the 'help' on public roads.
Ah, there was his loophole.
"I am concerned as to why a member of my house staff is waltzing down this road. You know as well as I do that lower servants must keep to the alleys in this part of London."
Jay had an excellent memory, a mind with the speed of a Thoroughbred and the accuracy of a trained archer. Scot had divulged no story about a maid.
Jay glanced over at the short young maid with a horrified expression on her face. On either side of her squatted two other servant girls who looked perplexed as they ate and drank from their burden to carry. The one on the right especially, with her long dark hair in a severe plait and her hand halfway to her mouth with a large chunk of fresh bread, caught his eye. For some reason, he wouldn't mind passing the next few minutes in her company. After all, she had food and Jay was a little peckish.
"Alright," he acquiesced, "You make a good point," -although Scot really hadn't. "Let us go and reprimand your maid who you have apparently take a very keen interest in."
Scot's lips tightened and then whispered as he crossed the street, "I'm not going to yell at the child. I just want to check on her."
"Really?" Jay raised both eyebrows. ".... interesting." And, then just two feet from the girls Jay continued, "then she must be excellent in bed."
*******
Verushka's heart leapt in her chest and her palms grew damp.
Dear God. Verushka thought. I am in so much trouble!
And yet the kind of fear she was feeling was not entirely unpleasant. Her eyes roved over the Duke - his green eyes flashing like emeralds as the dappled sunlight caressed the contours of his face. In a perfect morning suit of charcoal with a jade cravat tied with the utmost care at his throat, Verushka thought she may swoon... and that would be a first.
His long legs ate up the distance in no time and within moments the Duke was standing before her as Verushka's eyes opened wide. The larger they opened the smaller she felt... so she really felt quite small and insignificant as he glared at her.
Think, THINK Verushka! She demanded of herself, and had the presence of mind to drop into a low curtsy just as the Duke arrived not one foot in front of her.
"My Lord," Verushka uttered with just enough deference to sound sincere.
Mina and Liara manages to scramble to their feet to also bow low to the dirt they were so well acquainted with.
"Ah, hem," The Duke of Bexley cleared his throat and looked a little less composed to Verushka's eye; although who was she to judge social niceties while she conversed with a Duke in the street holding three now, most likely, decaying chickens.
"You are a maid in the Bexley family town house, are you not?" The Duke continued abruptly while looking at her with a somewhat peculiar gaze.
"Yes your Grace." Verushka rose from her curtsy although she had been given no leave to do so.
"You are the maid from my chamber this morning."
"Yes, your Grace, " she repeated.
Clearly her grasp of the English language was not something to recommend her and yet Scot found himself rapt. This maids voice was not the soft ring of delicate bells he heard in so many ballrooms. It was husky and a little dry like she knew the value of a good laugh or scream... and Lord he would like to make her scream.
Oh God, where had that thought come from?
Scot cleared his throat again
"I recognised you. What is your name?"
"Verushka," she replied obediently, her eyes far from downcast with demure grace. She stood tall and met him eye to eye. Well, he was a good head taller but the young, sweet maid managed.
"Well, Verushka" Scot continued, his deep voice caught between Lotharian charm and concerned employer, "why is it that a young maid like yourself is so far from the servants alleys? Not that I mind seeing you again."
Her eyes widened, although he had not thought an increase in diameter was possible.
She started to stammer and stutter. "Oh, I'm so sorry my Lord. It's just that we had so many trips to make to the markets and this was the quickest route and we, I mean my friends and I- we were so tired. I'm so sorry. It won't happen again...please... please don't tell Madam Shiela," she finished with a plea and stared up at him with wide grey eyes like a stray kitten.
Scots heart clenched in his chest. He had no idea who this Madam Shiela was but if she was tanning the hides of his staff he would have no hesitation in throwing her out on the streets. His gaze grew stern as he watched Verushka self consciously brush dirt from her cheeks and apron. He caught himself smiling softly and wondered what this feeling was blooming in his chest. Opera singers and actresses of healthy proportions were his staple diet but something in this waif of a girl was calling out to something primal in him to take care of her.
There was a palpable tension in the air amidst the smells of horse dung from the passing carriages. Scots eyes were searing Verushka with a heat entirely uncommon for a country so far north of the tropics. Liara watched the Dukes fingertips twitch as if a moment away from reaching out to her friend. Mina held her breath noticing the same and knew that at least that would never happen. She may be a servant, but even she knew it was beyond improper.
Scot managed to take deep cleansing breaths, steadying his pulse, but before he could say another word Verushka stared up at him with the oddest expression he had ever seen and then she started to raise her roughened hand toward him.
Verushka considered herself extremely diligent when she finally listened to her own internal dialogue and stopped staring into the Dukes emerald eyes. Unfortunately her gaze then landed on his left eyebrow and on that perfect arch, which matched his other perfect features was a small ring. An eyebrow ring. It looked so strange. She had never seen anything like it and yet she was fascinated, intrigued and if she had to admit it, maybe even a little flustered.
Then Verushka, who never particularly has any control of her vices whether it be sleeping in the pantry, or her lack of social understanding, couldn't stop herself from raising her right hand to touch the dukes Grecian profile and that small ring of silver.
Perhaps 'couldn't' was the wrong term- Verushka didn't see anything wrong with the gesture. Later, Mina and Liara would have to explain the subtext of the whole situation. Emotion by emotion. But for now all the young maid knew was that the Duke remembered her, actually remembered her, and stopped his late morning stroll to speak to her. If any of her friends had such a fascinating piece of jewellery she would have been equally as enthralled- at least that's what she told herself as her fingertips swept over the Dukes brow.
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