Miss in a Man's World Read Online Free PDF Page B

child await him in the library… Requested, mark you.’
    â€˜Well, that do seem strange, Mr Brindle,’ the cook declared, as the butler, continuing to look perplexed himself, joined her at the table. ‘Mind, the child do have winning ways, I’ll say that for him. Perhaps hislordship has a fondness for the lad.’ She gave a sudden start. ‘Oh, my gawd! You don’t suppose…?’
    â€˜That possibility assuredly crossed my mind,’ the butler admitted, following Cook’s train of thought with little difficulty. ‘But, apart from the hair, the child bears no resemblance to his lordship from what I can see. Nor the master’s late brother, come to that. Besides which, I would have thought he was rather too old to be an offspring of his lordship’s.’
    â€˜Not only that, Mr Brindle, the master were so good natured in his youth,’ Cook reminded him. ‘Never a breath of scandal attached to his name in those days. It was only after he came back from France and discovered what Miss Charlotte had gone and done that changed him.
    â€˜A bit before your time, Mr Napes,’ she explained, when she chanced to catch him frowning down at her, looking bewildered. ‘Miss Charlotte were a close neighbour’s daughter. She and Master Benedict were childhood sweethearts, inseparable they were back in them days. His brother only wanted Master Benedict to finish his studies up at Oxford, then he were happy to give the union his blessing and set Master Benedict up in a nice little property a few miles north of Fincham Park, with a nice bit of land attached to it, too. Well, no sooner does Master Benedict finish his studies than he goes jaunting over to France to help his friend Mr Gingham rescue a cousin, or some such. Wicked goings on over there at the time, Mr Napes, murdering all their betters. Wicked it were!
    â€˜Master Ben were away quite some few weeks, I seem to remember,’ she went on, quickly returning to the point of the story, ‘and when he came back he discovered Miss Charlotte had spent some time in Londonwith an aunt or some such, and had upped and wedded Lord Wenbury.’ She shook her head sadly. ‘He were never the same after that, were he, Mr Brindle? Cold, he became, cold and distant.’
    â€˜He certainly became less approachable,’ the butler was willing to concede. Then he shook his head. ‘But that child seems to have stirred something within him again. I swore I heard him laughing earlier, shortly after I’d shown the lad where his lordship’s dressing room was located, and I was about my duties on the upper floor. I haven’t heard him laugh like that in many a long year.’
    â€˜But where did the young fellow come from, Mr Brindle, that’s what I’d like to know? Ever since he came into the title, his lordship has always trusted your judgement when it comes to hiring staff,’ Cook re minded him. ‘So I don’t think he came from any agency.’
    â€˜I’m sure he didn’t. Just as I’m convinced he’s never been engaged in service before. All I can tell you is his lordship brought him back with him yesterday. No doubt the young fellow will reveal more about himself when he comes to know us better.’
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    His lordship, seated at his desk in the library, was of a similar mind, and had decided not to bombard his unusual page with questions, but to bide his time in the hope of discovering more.
    Only just detecting the light knock on the door, he bade enter and watched the girl come shyly into the room. The glance she cast him was brief in the extreme, before she resolutely stared at the floor, her heightened colour visible even from where his lordship sat. Clearly she was still highly embarrassed over the incident in thedressing room. But it was no more than she deserved! his lordship decided, hardening his heart.
    â€˜Come in and close the door, child, I wish