Page 1 of Beneath the Beastly Duke's Mask
Chapter 1
Euston Estate
With her hands on her hips, Arabella looked around the area. It seemed ridiculous for one person to own an entire village, but Euston was such a place. The tales about the duke were rather contradictory as well, with some calling him a kind and generous man while others spread horrifying stories about his beastly appearance.
This was why she was here. Arabella wanted to know more about the beastly duke, which had led her to take a chance and step into the unknown. There was no guarantee she would find employment as a maid, but she was willing to try.
Using a footpath instead of the wider dirt road, Arabella ran her hands through a few wildflowers, snagging one with her fingers. She snapped the stem shorter and looked for little insects before placing it in her hair. She hadn't bothered putting up her black curls into the usual fashionable style but left it as one long braid down her back. She usually wore it loose at home, but she no longer had a home.
It was just a house filled with furniture and memories. Arabella would much rather have her parents and live in a hovel than an empty, spacious house. Having her mother die of consumption two months earlier, followed by her father's death by a broken heart only a month later, had been harsh and unnecessary. No one deserved that much misfortune.
It had been a difficult time for Arabella, but her mother's death had been somewhat easier to bear. Her mother had been ill for so long that death had finally brought her much-needed peace, but her father's death had left her devastated, and questioning God's existence. Arabella's father's health deteriorated quickly after her mother's death, but he wasn't ill.
He had simply lost the will to live, and nothing she had done could snap him out of his self-destructive state. Truthfully, she had been angry with him immediately after his death, though she eventually accepted it, choosing to understand her father rather than judge him for leaving her alone. Arabella's parents had been soul mates and unable to live without each other. She couldn't and wouldn't be angry about that.
She stepped over a rock and paused briefly, raising her head and squinting into the distance. Arabella could just about see Euston Hall, the duke's residence. Stories about the Duke of Richmond had fascinated Arabella since she was a little girl. One version claimed the duke was born beastly-looking and hidden away by the old duke until he felt guilty enough to bring him into the house.
It sounded more like a fairy tale, but Arabella was open to believing it if there was proof. Everyone loved a bit of mystery, especially when it concerned the most prominent family in the area. There were so many mysteries surrounding the duke, giving Arabella the purpose she needed to move on from her tragedies and embrace life.
Arabella wanted to live life to the fullest, and that meant not settling for what others believed was the correct course for her life. She spent months nursing her mother before she succumbed to her illness, only to spend her days watching her father deteriorate because he couldn't live without his wife. She had willingly put her life on hold for her parents, not wanting to be anywhere else but with them.
It had been just the three of them all her life, and then she woke up one day and felt like she had lost everything worth living for. Arabella needed to find purpose to continue living, deciding that an ordinary life was not for her. Instead of accepting her relatives' wish for her to live with them, she took a leap of faith to live life on her terms, even if that meant becoming a maid.
Drawing in a deep breath, Arabella exhaled it slowly and continued walking. She was stepping into a new adventure—she could feel it. Even the day seemed to indicate it, with its sunshine and cloudless skies. However, Arabella likely still would have seen the bright side to the day even if the weather was miserable.
Nothing could deter her from the excitement coursing through her body. She was going to seek employment at Euston Hall and find out for herself if there was any truth to the stories surrounding the duke. It had nothing to do with ridiculing the duke. Arabella was sincerely curious about him in the best way possible.
Both her father and grandfather had been well-known physicians, treating the wealthy and poor. However, her grandfather had the best stories concerning all the people he had treated throughout his life, but none as captivating as the one about the old duke and his wife.
Arabella's grandfather treated the pair for years and, during his maudlin years, had shared stories with her about their interesting lives, but none of them made her as curious as the incident that supposedly changed the course of the old duke's life. Her grandfather had always told her everything, but he had not shared any significant details about the incident, fueling her curiosity.
His reluctance to say much had led her to create all kinds of interesting stories, her favorite one being that the old duke and duchess were fae people living as humans to escape persecution in their own realm. Perhaps they had hidden their son away for as long as they could, but he was injured when the enemy caught him, wounding him terribly. Now, the current duke was scarred and hiding away in his estate to avoid being caught again.
Chuckling at her imagination, she patted the flower in her hair, ensuring it was still there. If she had a little more time, she would make a wreath of wildflowers and perhaps gift it to the first little girl she met. Arabella had yet to find a girl who didn't like a crown of flowers.
She nodded respectfully at a few people who stopped to look at her, smiling cheerfully as she went her way. A sincere smile was mostly infectious, so most returned the greeting without thinking, only frowning when they realized they didn't know who she was.
“Good morning, sir,” she said to a man watching over a herd of sheep. “Might I trouble you for just a moment?”
The older man flicked his hat further up, revealing a kind, weathered face. This was a man who had worked for most of his life and would most likely continue doing so until his body gave up on him. People like him had no other choice unless they had children willing to look after them in their old age.
“How can I help you, young lady?” he asked, shifting his position on the low stonewall.
“Would you please direct me to the housekeeper?” she said. “I know to continue to the house, but should I go to the house directly or wait elsewhere? I'm afraid I'm not certain about what one should do when seeking employment.”
The man's bushy gray eyebrows rose. "You wish to work here?" He gave her a once over. "There is no post for a governess as there are no children. You cannot be a lady's maid because the master is unmarried and has no missus. I think you came to the wrong place, miss."
Arabella smiled. “I have come to find work as a maid, kind sir. I am sure a grand estate such as this can never have too many maids.”
"A maid?" he repeated, frowning. "Why would a lady like you wish to be a maid? You do not strike me as someone who does such manual work. Are you certain you wish to be a maid here? Someone so well-spoken, well-dressed, and with your manners has no business working as a maid."
Arabella inwardly sighed. Aunt Beatrice had warned her it would be difficult for anyone to believe she could work as a maid. Arabella's mother had been a disowned baron's daughter and raised her to be a lady. They might have lived as commoners as her father was a mere physician and not even part of the coveted gentry. However, her mother had ensured she had a proper education and knew how to carry herself no matter the situation.
“I'm a commoner like you are, sir,” she pointed out. “Do not be misled by my mannerisms. My father was a physician, and my mother a devoted wife and mother.”
“That doesn't explain why you carry yourself like a lady,” the old man said, tilting his head to the side. “A man my age has lived and seen many things in his lifetime. You are no commoner, miss.”
“What should I do to behave more like a commoner?” she asked rather than argue. “I wouldn't want to offend anyone. Some might believe I assume I'm better than them, but that couldn't be further from the truth.”
