Page 97 of Hawthorne

“Don’t mind me, girls.” He winks before heading to the counter and sitting down on one of the tools. “I love her. She’s my mother, after all, but she acts like a bitch ninety percent of the time.”

Edgar keeps looking at Mariah like a dog looks at his favourite bone, making her blush like crazy. He is blatantly eye-fuckingone of his brother’s employers with a kitchen filled with a cooking and cleaning staff.

“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, heading to the cabinets, trying to find something to keep busy while the chef and helpers take care of the menu for supper.

“Tsk tsk…” Looking at Edgar, I see he’s shaking his head disapprovingly while looking at me. “Do not judge me, miss. You wouldn’t want me to share all your secrets.”

“Go to–” He quirks his eyebrow, and I bite my tongue so hard it probably draws blood.

Looking around, I see some of the closest staff members looking at me with a surprised expression. I can’t answer him back in front of everyone else. And I shouldn’t even if we were alone.

“Go where, Camilla?” he taunts with a knowing smile.

“Keep your mother and brother company. I am sure they aim to have family time on a day like this one.” I give him a fake smile.

“Oh, believe me…” He picks a grape up and plops it in his mouth. “It’s the last place I want to be. She’s scolding him for not doing as she wishes. It may be a holiday, but for those two, there’s always time for arguing.”

“I believe the duke has enough skill to fulfil his obligations and meet the expectations everyone has,” I can’t help but blurt. “I mean, he has been an exemplary employer so far and has kept the entire staff his aunt had hired…”

With a knowing smile, Edgar answers, “You’re right, darling. But dear mummy says and I quote, ‘You can’t trust a man to do a woman’s work.’ So, she will keep on his arse until he complies with every one of her whims.”

“Are you done whining about my arse? Please let my staff prepare the food! I am starving.” Vincent’s booming voice brings an eerie silence to the kitchen.

I turn my back on them, facing the cabinets to hide the smile I can’t keep from etching its way onto my face or the blush staining my cheeks. Edgar mockingly whines about him being a party pooper while we’re left to finish the rest of the details.

The meal runs smoothly.

I made it my mission that the duke’s mother knows I wasn’t the cook tonight and that her directions of what the menu should be were followed. The food received several compliments, and I try my best to steer clear of the family’s quality time together.

Once they finish eating and I supervise that everything has been properly cleared out of the dining room, I excuse myself.

It’s past nine in the evening, and it’s time for Primrose’s night walk.

Heading back to reach one of the back corridors, which serves as a shortcut to my bedroom area, I am suddenly stopped by a harsh hold on my arm.

“Oh, my–” I exclaim but stop short as soon as I see the short woman shooting daggers at me through her eyes. “Your Grace, you scared me!”

“I’m on to you,” she sneers. “You think you can seduce my son into marrying you and becoming a duchess? You don’t have the finesse nor the blood for that.”

“Wha–”

“I am the one talking here,” she cuts me off. “You can seduce him all you want, girl. He will follow through with his responsibilities, and you’ll be left behind, so be clever and end whatever is going on between the two of you before things get too complicated for you.”

“There’s nothing–”

“Oh, spare me.” She waves a hand in front of me, coming awfully close to my face. “I see the way you look at each other, how you avoid each other physically in the presence of others but can’t help the lingering looks.”

“I can assure you, Your Grace, that–”

“You’ve been warned. If you don’t steer clear of my son’s path, I’ll make sure you will,” she cuts me off once again. “That’s all. You can go now.”

Her eyes are blazing with anger and disgust while I just stand here for a moment, unable to react. It was only a matter of time before she realised, and as much as her words hurt and remind me of the future we do not have together, I don’t think I can do as she wants.

We haven’t been able to keep our distance before…

Wordlessly, I turn and continue the short walk to my bedroom. Unaware of my grumpy mood, Primrose runs up to me in excitement, knowing her time to go for a walk has arrived. This time around, instead of keeping to the orchard, I absentmindedly extend the walk.

She follows me around happily, not even noticing my gloominess. It stretches until I find myself in the crypt where Mrs Elizabeth and Joseph are buried. They’re right next to my mother’s smaller one.

---