Hinterlands Read Online Free PDF Page B

Her grip had been gentle and
encouraging, almost sensual, like one friend leading another. This confused
Amelia greatly.   Enza was beautiful,
fierce and powerful and Amelia was almost certain that she must despise her yet
she had kissed her so passionately behind the curtain.   Amelia had fought her hard, but she was
also concerned that she hadn’t fought her hard enough .   What truly frightened Amelia was her own
lack of will. She was all but certain that if Enza had wanted her to, she would
have continued to kiss her. Even while Lord Dunmoore had taken Enza,
positioning her this way and that, she seemed to still be running the
situation. Amelia was too exhausted to consider this anymore. Enza brought them
to their room quietly so as not to awaken Kitt, and motioned for her to get
into bed.   She felt self-conscious
changing into her nightgown in the darkness, knowing that Enza was mere feet
away. Yet as soon as her head hit the pillow she had fallen directly into
slumber.

 
    Amelia
awoke from an exhausting sleep in the dim lantern light, the events of the
previous night continuing to spin through her mind. They seemed strange and
dreamlike now as she lay in the darkness, contemplating the work that lay ahead
of her.   Enza was already gone and
her bed was made. Kitt had explained that each day they would rise before the
sun, donning their morning work dresses in this little room. Amelia was
discouraged to see that these dresses too were very immodest outfits, even if
they were somewhat more fit for work.   They consisted of a short white muslin skirt, gathered tightly about the
waist, and a pair of stockings that ended high up on the thigh.   The length of the skirt was longer than
the evening dress, coming to a conclusion just above the knee, and the top
portion was a black, frilly, sleeveless shirt that cinched tightly below the
bosom with a series of small ropes that tied in the back.   It simply wasn’t possible to get into
the dress without assistance, and Amelia was glad that Kitt was there to help
her tie the strings. After lacing her leather boots, Amelia pinned her hair
into a tight bun, and admired her slender neck in the small mirror that hung on
the wall.
    She
had always been very pretty, and her mother had warned her that this would
cause problems while she was in service.
    “You
mustn’t draw attention to yourself, under any circumstance!” she had urged
while brushing Amelia’s wild blonde hair.   “If your master decides he wants you for more than just changing the
pot, you’ll be in trouble”.
    “What
do you mean mum?” she had asked, innocently enough.
    “Don’t
you worry about it, you here?   Just
serve your master and mistress well, and you’ll do fine.”
           After last
night, serving one’s master now meant something entirely different than
she had previously imagined. Amelia was not looking forward to the day ahead,
but she was determined to perform her job perfectly, and not draw attention to
herself. That was of course unless it was for the handsome Lord Dunmoor. For
his attention she imagined she would do anything-though the thought of seeing
him terrified her. She had never been so aroused by a man before, so attracted
and fearful.   She also dreaded
running into Enza again.   She felt
powerless and intimidated around the girl, and knew she wouldn’t be able to
look her in the eye.
    After
meeting Mr. Steven’s briefly in the mad tumult of the kitchens and being
reprimanded for her appearance, she joined all of the other serving girls who
gathered around a long table to nibble bread and butter and to sip warm tea
before they dispersed to the various duties around the manor. Amelia hadn’t
eaten anything since early yesterday and as she eagerly placed the first crusty
piece of bread into her mouth and washed it down with bitter tea, a warm
sensation spread slowly in her tummy. For the first time she had a chance to
really take notice of the other serving