Page 32 of A Marquess' Season of Secrets
“I was now making provision for my going to England. After having settled my plantation in such hands as was fully to my satisfaction, my first work was to furnish myself with such a stock of goods and money as might be sufficient for my occasions abroad ...”
Juliana continued to read, pausing when she realised she was on page ten. Why had the duke not stopped her? She looked up and was momentarily taken aback by the look of wonder and excitement upon his face. Did his expression have anything to do with her?
“I have passed page five, Your Grace,” she said unnecessarily.
“Yes, I know. I must say that I am impressed, Isabella. You read that fluently and with expression. May I try another book?”
He is impressed? Frankly, I find myself impressed. I read several pages without thinking— the words simply flowed.Oddly, I think I recall reading Captain Jack. It seems familiar to me.
“Of course, Your Grace,” she replied.
The duke took the book from her hands and replaced it on the bookshelf. He took another book, his smile anticipatory as he handed her the next one.
“I rather liked this one as a younger man. Perhaps you might find it interesting.”
Juliana read the front of it, recognising the language. “Lettres Persanes. It’s French, Your Grace.”
“Yes, it is. If you can read well in English, why not try another language?”
Nodding, Juliana opened to a random page. She had read the title easily enough, but could she indeed read French?
“Trois vaisseaux sont arrivés ici sans m’avoir apporté de tes nouvelles. Es-tu malade? Ou te plais-tu à m’inquiéter?”
“That is enough, thank you,” the duke said. “Well, you have surprised me immensely. You are an educated woman, Isabella, and possibly not a mere commoner. Of course, there is no certainty to what I think, but it’s safe to say that you are not an ordinary maid— if, indeed, you were a maid before your memory was lost.”
Juliana did not know what to say to the duke, but she rather liked that he believed she wasn’t ordinary. He might as well have said that she was special! Biting her lip to contain her grin, Juliana waited for the duke’s following instructions.
“I have one more thing to ask of you,” the duke said.
“Yes, Your Grace?”
“If four yards of cloth cost twelve shillings, what will six yards cost at that rate? I would like to hear how you would solve that.”
He had given her a maths question, but it wasn’t a hard one to solve. Juliana gave herself a moment to see the numbers float in her head before she gave her answer.
“Well, if I multiply the second number by the third and divide the product thereof by the first ...”
Juliana jerked when the duke slapped the armrests of his chair, giving a cheerful chuckle that warmed her belly. This was the most animated she had ever seen the duke.
“My suspicions are never wrong!” he said more to himself. “What an odd turn of events? What do I do now?”
What did he mean by that? The warm feelings in her belly disappeared and were replaced by anxiety.
“Should I continue, Your Grace?” she asked hesitantly.
“No, there is no need. It seems that putting you to work as a housemaid is not the best use of your skills. Not only can you fluently read English and French, but you can do basic arithmetic. Those are not skills associated with a maid.”
Juliana waited with bated breath to hear what the duke would say next. She offered up a fervent prayer to the heavens that he wouldn’t think her too skilled to work in his house. Juliana didn’t mind doing manual work and would gladly claim stupidity if she could just stay in the duke’s household.
“I shall speak to Mrs Black to take you under her wing until further notice,” the duke decided. “You will help her keep track of household expenses and such, and when you are well enough, we’ll see about whether we’ll add manual work to that list or ...”
Or? Heavens, please let that “or” not be what I think it is!
“I suppose we’ll just have to see,” the duke finished.
Juliana didn’t know whether to be relieved or continue to feel anxious. Fortunately, she had a job for now, but there was no telling what the duke might decide for her future. That was enough to strike fear into her very soul.
Chapter 7
