Page 75 of The Devil of Clan Sinclair
She sniffled again. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his temper in check.
“Do it today,” he said, smiling at the maid. “Just today, and I’ll find a schedule to accommodate everyone.”
She wiped the corner of one eye, sighed dejectedly, and took herself off to the kitchen. No doubt she would whine about her new chore for as long as she had to do it.
What did she expect him to do? Lavina hadn’t died solely to upset her schedule. Trying to find a replacement for the scullery maid had been difficult. Once likely candidates learned Lavina had died of smallpox and the household was still battling the disease, they weren’t in any hurry to work at the Countess of Barrett’s home.
Virginia would survive. He’d been at her door many times over the past week, engaged in a battle with her maid.
Hannah wouldn’t allow him to see her. No matter what he promised or threatened, she refused to let him inside the room.
All he had was Hannah’s word that Virginia hadn’t been damaged by the disease.
“She only has one or two scars on her face, Paul.”
“You’re sure?”
Perhaps he should dismiss Hannah as well. The girl didn’t know her place, witness her frown just before she’d closed the door in his face.
He settled back, surveying the library, his palms smoothing over the polished arms of the chair. The desk was an attractive piece of furniture, conveying substance and power. He liked being in charge, liked the control. He’d been the force behind Lawrence, but most people hadn’t realized it.
Had he erred in suggesting Lawrence spend as much of Virginia’s fortune as possible? He’d let loose a streak of anger in Lawrence, one that had manifested in odd and disturbing ways. Even he hadn’t realized the degree of Lawrence’s retaliation until the solicitor visited the dowager countess.
Lawrence hadn’t been the agreeable invalid everyone thought. Virginia wasn’t the downcast and malleable woman people expected.
Nor was he the loyal servant.
“How is she, Hannah?” Ellice asked.
The young girl stood outside the door of Virginia’s bedroom, just as Hannah had instructed. No one was to enter the countess’s chamber for fear of being infected. Ellice, however, came every morning to ask about her sister-in-law, standing just as she was now, draped in black, her hands twisted in front of her, her face white with worry.
“She’s the same,” Hannah said.
When Ellice seemed to pale even further, Hannah reached out and patted her arm in a violation of all she’d been taught. If one was in service, one did not touch an employer.
“That’s not a bad thing,” Hannah said. “You mustn’t think it such. She’s not worsened. She’s no fever, and she’s been able to take some broth.”
Ellice nodded, seeming to take some comfort from Hannah’s words. “Mary says Elliot seems fine,” she said. “He shows no sign of the disease.”
“I’ve heard the same,” Hannah said.
Ellice had aged substantially in the last two weeks. Perhaps it was the strain of being the head of the household while her mother was incapacitated, or grief for Eudora. Regardless of the reason, she had taken on a maturity greater than her sixteen years.
“Is she truly getting better?” Ellice asked. “You’re not just saying it to keep me calm, Hannah?”
“No, I’m not,” she said. “The countess hasn’t had any new pustules for four days now.”
“You haven’t been away from her side since she became ill. I know my mother would join me in thanking you for your diligence.”
“There’s no need,” Hannah said, feeling her face warm. She didn’t like caring for the ill, but the Countess of Barrett was a different story. Not because she was any less ill, or more delicate in her sickness. But simply because she seemed so alone and friendless that Hannah could not turn her back on the woman.
How on earth did she tell Ellice the truth?
Besides, in her delirium, the countess had said too many things that would’ve caused the servants to gossip. Better she had been there, than one of the other silly girls who would’ve repeated her ramblings to anyone with ears.
“Regardless,” Ellice said, “thank you. I can only hope I inspire as much devotion as Virginia does, or someone in my service is as kind as you.”
Hannah was tired of this room, of sickness, and worrying about Virginia, the only reason why tears spiked her eyes.
