Debt of Honor Read Online Free PDF Page A

adhered with the tenacity not worthy of the cause. In her experience, these were the only vows men ever wanted to see fulfilled, conveniently forgetting about the rest of them—and their own. The memory of Walter’s demands that she prove her feelings for him, followed by hard kisses bruising her lips and gropes making her squirm with discomfort, now caused a shudder.
    “Is anything wrong with your fish?”
    She raised her head sharply.
    Sir Percival regarded her with interest.
    “I beg your pardon? Fish? No. No, it’s excellent.”
    “I’m glad,” he said. “The cook would be inconsolable if she failed to impress you tonight.”
    Letitia forced herself to smile. “I’ll make sure to tell her tomorrow how good everything was.”
    He returned her smile with a quick quirk of the corner of his mouth and returned to eating. But that small gesture relaxed for the briefest of moments his somber thoughtfulness, giving his features unexpected warmth, its tiny spark extinguished before it became the promise of a flame.
    Slater, the butler, stood at attention a few feet away, reminding her of a kind, old hawk waiting to swoop down on the empty dishes. She finished the fish, since offending the cook was not a good idea, but refused the partridges. The vows to obey and serve the man she didn’t even know seemed to have shrunk her stomach. But a second glass of claret, though mixed with water, filled her with pleasant warmth.
    “I trust your maid had enough time to make preparations for the night,” Sir Percival said, maneuvering her toward the stairs once they were out of the dining room.
    “My maid knows her duties well, sir,” she replied, feeling a little shaky inside. Obey and serve. Clearly, he had no intention of wasting time on chatting with her in the drawing room.
    “She has certainly captivated everyone’s attention,” Sir Percival remarked while they started up the stairs.
    Letitia forgot about the vows. “Are you objecting to her complexion? I warn you, sir, tell your staff to treat her with all the respect due a companion.”
    “A companion?” He seemed both surprised and amused. “Not your maid? I assumed your father brought a number of slaves to work in his household.”
    The tone of his voice held nothing but indifference. And he had said he would not have taken the plantations, even if her father had offered them. But she would never take Josie’s safety for granted.
    “ Miss Josepha Fourier is more than a maid. I had planned to talk to you about it tomorrow, but since you brought up the subject, let me explain. Firstly, she is a free woman,” Letitia said firmly. “She shall be treated with proper respect.”
    “Certainly.”
    The casual dismissal made her turn sharply in his direction. “Need I remind you, sir, that as my companion, Josepha is under your protection?”
    He frowned. “You need not, ma’am. Your companion’s safety is part of my obligations. So is not favoring some of my employees above others.”
    “She is not an employee to me. I am not asking for special favors,” she replied, still watching him. “Merely for a proper acknowledgment of her rank and position.”
    “Let me put you at ease, then. Miss Fourier will not suffer any depravation in this household on account of her skin co—”
    She should have paid attention to where she was going, instead of focusing on Sir Percival. Her foot became tangled in the hem of her dress, and Letitia nearly tripped over the last riser. But a strong arm snaked around her waist and pulled her up just when her nose came perilously close to making contact with the marble floor. Then a large hand pressed against her other side, helping her regain balance. The waves of pounding heartbeats and watered-down claret swooshed in her head. Nice show.
    Sir Percival’s face loomed in front of hers. He stood one step below her.
    “Are you hurt?” His eyes bore into her face.
    Her big toe throbbed madly inside the slipper. “Not at all,”