“I beg your pardon,” Owen said tersely. He picked up one of the fallen bags and tossed it to Thomas before turning for the other one. Then he froze upon seeing the young woman grabbing that second bag, recognizing her. “You.”
The maid hastily curtseyed. “Your Grace.” She dared a glance at him and then at the stables. “I beg your pardon in return. I didn’t mean to interrupt. Perhaps I’ll just be on my way.”
Holding the bag to her chest, she moved to his right. He mirrored her movement, blocking her path.
“Beg your pardon,” she said again before darting to his left.
He mirrored her movement again. “You’re the maid. Georgiana’s maid. Joan, isn’t it? No, Jean. We haven’t exactly met.”
“We did. Once,” she added and then caught herself. “Er, Your Grace.”
“Right…” he trailed off, studying her before eyeing the bag in her hand. It was shabby and worn out. But the other bag was firmer, a little nicer and… He glanced back at Thomas to assess it. Shaped like a trunk but soft and flexible, it could mold to the contents that filled it to the brim. “She left, and she’s taking you with her.”
A small squeak escaped Jean. “I…”
At the same time, his groom mumbled something about horses and disappeared into the stables like he didn’t wish for trouble.
Owen didn’t blame him, but he had no problem with the man. The only problems he had at the moment, however, he felt could very well be solved with the assistance of the young woman standing right in front of him.
He crossed his arms and studied Jean.
The maid was loyal to her mistress, just as she should be. He hadn’t had any concerns about hiring another servant at the time, since he hadn’t been prepared to take a wife. At the time, he thought it a blessing on all of their parts for the maid to accompany the lady from one household to the other.
But now it raised a potential problem if the maid was more loyal to her mistress than the man who paid her wages.
“Go on,” he urged in a tone he meant to be friendlier, but it didn’t quite sound right. “Tell me where you were going just now with two bags.”
“Erm.” She glanced away. “Would you believe I was on my way to visit my family?”
His answer was immediate. “No.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I shouldn’t say, Your Grace. Please don’t make me answer.”
“Don’t beg me, Jean. I should be the one begging you to tell me where she is,” he amended. The softer tone finally came through. “I don’t understand what happened between Georgiana and I.”
When her gaze fixed on him next, it was such a drastic change from her meekness to a hard look that nearly made him flinch. “Are you certain about that, Your Grace?”
He hissed out a breath. “I should like the chance to explain myself instead of being falsely accused of such wrongdoings. How is it a mistake to let my cousin find love when he had the chance?”
“What?”“What?”
Furrowing her brow in confusion, Jean took a step back. She glanced beyond him. Thomas was still watching them with a bewildered look on his face.
Since he had nothing to add to the conversation, Owen turned back to the maid.
“Is that all you think this is about?” she asked carefully.
He threw his hands up in the air as his frustration flared again. “Isn’t it? Mrs. Helen said there was a letter, but I haven’t seen it. She said my wife knew about Benedict loving someone else. Perhaps I should have tried harder to keep him in London, but I never expected him to––”
“Wait,” Jean interrupted. “That’s it?”
“That’s what I just said,” he reminded her in a growl. “What more is there?”
“There’s… more!” she sputtered. Then she shoved the bag in his arms. He grabbed it instinctively and watched as she pulled it open and dug through her things. “Where did it go? I know I just had it. Must be… Here it is!”
Out came her fist with a crumpled piece of paper in it. She shoved it against his chest so hard that he stepped back and dropped the bag. As Jean let go of the papers to pick up her bag, he took the papers.
The letter was indeed ripped in two. It was rather neatly done, just like everything Georgiana did. He hurriedly pieced the two halves together to read the contents.
