“May I help you, milady?” said an unfamiliar voice. The woman sounded older, but respectful. “Are ye lost?”
“No, I am not lost. I regret I could not inform you in advance, but I’m Mrs. Martin Blake, and I’ve come to take up residence.”
There was a stark silence, and Audrey reminded herself that it was a shock. The woman was probably worrying about the state of the house, with bedrooms not aired and not enough foodstuffs in the pantry.
“Are you Mrs. Sanford?” Audrey asked gently.
The woman cleared her throat. “Aye, ma’am, I am. Do forgive me.”
“May I present the Earl of Knightsbridge,” Audrey said.
“Milord!” the woman said, sounding a bit breathless now.
Had she curtsied? Audrey barely held back a smile, wondering if it had been difficult at her age, or if she was a spry woman. “Fear not, Mrs. Sanford, his lordship will not be a guest, since he lives nearby.”
“He’s her betrothed,” Molly suddenly announced.
There was another silence as the housekeeper took that in. Audrey imagined it changed everything about how the servants might treat her—and she didn’t like it. But she had no choice for now.
“And this is my lady’s maid, Molly,” Audrey said dryly, “she who speaks before thinking.”
“I’m sorry, miss,” Molly said, not sounding sorry at all. “Shall I lead you inside?”
“Of course. Mrs. Sanford, you would soon realize it, but I find it’s only fair to inform you that I’m blind.”
9
Robert saw the astonishment that Mrs. Sanford could not momentarily hide, but then she merely nodded, realized her mistake, and said, “Aye, ma’am, thank you for tellin’ me.”
He almost felt sorry for the woman. She’d received one shock after another. She was tall and robust, with gray hair pulled back in a simple bun, spectacles perched on her nose. She wore an apron tied at the waist of a plain black gown that did not quite hide her broad, working-class shoulders. Hopefully she kept house as if she always expected the mistress any moment, the way all competent servants should. They would soon find out.
And could she cook? His stomach rumbled at the thought. Their dawn breakfast had been many hours ago, and he still had at least an hour’s journey home by horse. He needed fortification.
But Audrey could barely contain her excitement, and he knew food was last on her list. Her expressions were so changeable now that she’d relaxed her guard around him. He’d practically been able to see her processing every part of the village as he’d listed the buildings, probably creating her own map in her head.
She traveled a few villages away from home, and it was as if her own world had opened up for her.
“Please come inside, Mrs. Blake,” the housekeeper was saying. “There are three steps up.”
“Thank you. You will find that I learn quickly, so you will not have to continually explain such things to me.”
“My fiancée moved so comfortably around her home,” Robert offered, “that I had to be told she was blind.”
Audrey gave another of those pretty blushes that set off her golden eyes.
He told the coachman to take the carriage to the stable for help unloading, and to come into the kitchens for a meal and the last payment when he was done.
Once they’d stepped inside the hall, a young man came forward and bowed. Tall like his mother, he wore plain livery of a dark jacket, starched white shirt, and trousers. His blond hair was a riot of curls, and his eyes lively as he glanced curiously at the housekeeper.
Mrs. Sanford gave a brief smile. “My son, Francis, is our footman.”
“So I’ve been told by my land agent,” Audrey said.
“Francis, this is our mistress, Mrs. Blake.”
Audrey smiled as she chose a direction, but it was the wrong one, and Robert watched the young man send his mother a confused glance as he said, “Pleased to meet ye, ma’am.”
Both servants looked fearful, but Audrey only adjusted the direction of her body. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Francis. I understand your sister is the maid here.”
