Page 78 of A Marquess' Season of Secrets
“How stubborn you are, gentle lady, but I must be on my way if I am to make it to the end of my journey. Please, take this book so I may go. Please.”
Sighing, Juliana nodded. “Thank you kindly, Tobias, but I ask you not to make this a habit. I will buy your wares when I next see you.”
They bid each other farewell and separated, each returning to their work. Juliana had promised to help Kitty pack away all the freshly laundered and ironed linen before evening arrived. It was no small feat as there were piles and piles to work through, but cleaning them was undoubtedly more laborious.
The laundry maids spent hours, sometimes days, treating clothing for stains, separating delicate pieces like silks and muslin, and keeping track of all the handkerchiefs, socks, towels, table linens, and the like lest something go missing and it was taken out of one’s wages.
One of the most frightful things to lose were items that came in pairs, for which Juliana had no explanation. A pair of socks might go into the dirty laundry to be cleaned, but only one would return.
“Isabella!” she heard Kitty whisper furiously, running out of the kitchen door. “Goodness! I have been looking for you all about the house. Where have you been?”
“At the gate with Tobias. Why? Has something happened?”
“Mrs Black is in an awful mood and shall scold me if I do not start on the laundry. I thought you had taken back your word and abandoned me.”
Juliana pursed her lips. “Do not be ridiculous, Kitty! When have I ever done such a thing? Come, let us get started before you accuse me of lazying about.”
“I claimed no such thing,” Kitty protested. “I was only worried that Mrs Black would start on me. Peggy received an earful of scoldings after she failed to remove a cobweb below the stairs.”
“Then let us fetch the linen from the laundry maids and get started. I also have something to share with you, so ’tis just as well that we are working together for a few hours.”
“What do you need to tell me?” asked Kitty.
“Let us fetch the linen first and take it to the cupboard. I do not wish the others to overhear us and assume I am putting on airs.”
Kitty agreed, and they both headed to the laundry room where the maids were already hard at work cleaning the linens from yesterday. Juliana and Kitty each took a pile that towered over their heads and had to look to the side to watch where they were going.
They would have to make several trips to get all the linen into the house, but they were used to walking up and down with loads in their hands.
“So, what is it you wished to tell me?” Kitty asked as they knelt in front of the first cupboard.
“I believe I have remembered my parents,” Juliana said.
“Indeed? Who are they? Where are they?”
Juliana shrugged. “I do not know. I had a memory of two people, and my heart tells me that it is them, but I do not know more. Are they alive? Are they looking for me?”
Kitty looked disappointed. “You always have more questions than answers after a memory. What use is that?”
That was the very question Juliana asked herself at least once a day. She was glad to finally recall the two most important people in her life but knowing nothing but their faces was bittersweet.
“I recalled something else, but it left me rattled,” Juliana confided in her friend. “I am glad it wasn’t as clear as I wish my other memories to be.”
Kitty turned to her, not caring when a tablecloth unfolded on her lap. “What was it? Could it be about the day the duke found you injured on the side of the road?”
Juliana hadn’t thought about that. “I do not know, but I recall running away from a man who wished to marry me. I sensed he was not a good man, but I do not know why. I didn’t want to marry him, so I escaped in the dead of night. The only thing I recall about him was his eyes.”
Juliana shivered as she recalled the coldness in the man’s eyes. If only she knew who he was!
“Well, that sounds rather frightening,” the maid replied. “I am glad you ran away from him, but do you think he could be looking for you?”
Juliana’s eyes widened. “Heavens! That never crossed my mind. If he is a bad man, then I am glad I am safely enclosed in this house and not where he can find me.”
Two things that struck Juliana about the memories were the quality of the surroundings and her parents’ clothing. They were adding to her belief that she was a genteel lady and not a commoner. However, none of these memories could be counted as evidence until she could prove them.
“What are you thinking about now?” Kitty asked. “Have you remembered something else?”
“No, but I am thinking about my background. Not one of my memories have pointed to the humble and sometimes harsh life of a commoner. I see fine clothing, expensive jewellery, grand houses ... I do not think I have ever been a maid in my life, Kitty.”
