A Midsummer Bride Read Online Free PDF Page A

America.”
    Nellie’s face fell and she busied herself with Harriet’s wardrobe. “I have been thinking. As far as I know, my parents are still alive. And I haven’t seen my brothers and sisters in over thirty years.”
    “Oh.” Harriet suddenly saw her maid in a new light. Nellie had always been there and Harriet had simply accepted her presence in their lives as if she belonged to their family. But she didn’t. She belonged to another family, one she had left so many years ago.
    “Come here, poppet,” said Nellie and sat on the foot of the bed. Harriet joined her like they used to when she was young and Nellie was bandaging a scraped knee or a cut finger. With four elder brothers, Harriet had always been an active child.
    “I have not set foot in this house since the night we ran away,” began Nellie. “Being here brings it all back. Your mother was seventeen and I was nineteen. It seems so young now, but we thought ourselves very mature. Lord Langley was pressing Beatrice to marry a Lord Ashcroft—very old and very rich. Beatrice refused and they had a terrible row, which ended with him saying he would lock her away for madness and her saying she wished he was dead. Oh yes, the servants heard it all!”
    “Sounds very dramatic.” Harriet had difficulty seeing her calm, poised mother in this explosive light.
    “It was! I caught her sneaking out of the house and she declared she was running away with an American sea captain. Well, I thought she might really be mad! Oh, I tried to talk her out of it, I don’t mind saying. I didn’t know your father as I do now or I wouldn’t have wasted my breath. But in the end, she was resolute and I had a choice to make. I could alert her father, I could go back to bed and pretend I saw nothing, or I could go with her and make sure she was looked after.”
    “You chose to take care of my mum.”
    “Yes. Though I had no idea I would stay away so long.”
    Harriet had a pang of guilt for never once considering what a sacrifice Nellie had made to stay true to her mother. “Of course you would like to visit your family,” said Harriet. “How silly of me not to think of it. I think of you as so much a part of my family that I forgot you had one of your own.”
    “Truth is…” Nellie shifted a bit and took a deep breath. “Truth is, I was happy in America and had not thought to leave it, but now that I’m here, I would like to go home.”
    “Oh. I see.” All the air in Harriet’s lungs suddenly deflated. “You want to stay here.”
    “Yes, dear, I do.” Nellie patted her hand in an apologetic manner. “But of course I will stay with you until you are ready to sail and we shall find you a nice lady’s maid to travel with you. I’m sure your grandfather will likely send an escort with you too.”
    “Yes, yes, that would be fine.” Harriet’s mind whirled. In all her visions of the future, Nellie had always been by her side, the way she always was. And now she would be alone. It was not fine. Not at all. And yet…
    “You should go visit your family now,” blurted Harriet before she lost her courage. “You must wish to see them.”
    “I confess I do, but I would not leave you unprotected.”
    “I have my grandfather now, such as he is, and I believe you have done enough to protect the ladies of this family. It is high time you take care of yourself.” Harriet felt a rush of pride for having voiced what she knew to be right, followed by despair when Nellie happily accepted her offer and began to pack her bag.
    Harriet plastered a smile on her face as she hugged her maid, her friend and surrogate mother, good-bye. She snuck one of her leather pouches of gold into the maid’s bag when Nellie was not attending and packed her off in a hack for the ride across town to where Nellie’s relatives lived.
    Harriet waved and smiled and was immensely pleased that the tears did not begin to fall until the carriage was well out of sight. She turned to go back in