Page 13 of Beneath the Beastly Duke's Mask
The man was a saint. “I sincerely admire you, Your Grace,” she said, smiling at him.
To her surprise, his face turned bright pink, all the way to the tips of his ears. “There's really nothing to admire, Miss Lockhart,” he insisted.
“Please call me Arabella, Your Grace,” she said. “Everyone does, from babies to the elderly. Well, babies who can talk and the elderly who can still recall my name.”
The duke nodded, scratching the back of his head as though he were unsure of himself. “Very well,” he said. “I need to deal with a matter I forgot about,” he told her. “Please, excuse me.”
She frowned as he left the room quickly, as though he were running away from something. They had been getting along so well, or so she thought. Something had to have happened for the sudden change. Perhaps she said something wrong and just didn't realize it, or... It slowly dawned on her what the matter could be.
This wasn't her home, and she wasn't seen as an equal. She was a maid talking to her master as though they were friends, which was just about the most inappropriate thing she could do.
Arabella sighed. It would be more challenging than she thought to learn about the duke.
Tucking her hair into her cap, she resumed cleaning and thought about her interaction with the duke, particularly the part their hands had touched. Arabella had never experienced that before and wanted to know what it meant.
It wasn't the sting one got from having too much energy in one's body. She had a cousin who always seemed to shock her whenever they touched, but that hadn't happened with the duke.
“It didn't take you long, did it?”
Arabella frowned, looking behind her. She hadn't heard Mirabel enter the room. It seemed everyone in the house walked on cotton.
“I beg your pardon, Mirabel?” she said.
The maid sauntered into the room with arms crossed over her chest. “I said it didn't take you long,” she repeated.
“To do what? I'm afraid I'm confused.”
“You were trying to seduce the duke, were you not?”
Arabella's jaw dropped. “I was trying to do what?”
She knew Mirabel didn't like her for some odd reason, but really, this was just too much. The thought had never even crossed her mind before.
“Oh, do not try to deny it,” said Mirabel.
“Why would I wish to seduce the duke?” Arabella asked. “I came here to work, not seduce the master. What a silly thing to say. Goodness! I know you seem to have a terrible impression of me, but to accuse me of seducing the duke? Well, I never!”
Arabella was truly stunned, more so that Mirabel seemed to believe her lies. The maid was truly something else.
Mirabel scoffed. “Deny it all you want,” she said. “I know better.”
She pursed her lips and left the room, convinced of her delusion. Arabella just shook her head and continued working. The door opened and closed moments later, drawing her attention. She turned, hoping it wasn't Mirabel coming back to annoy her.
“Oh, thank goodness it's you,” she said upon seeing Jane.
Jane frowned. “Did something happen?”
“Mirabel was just here and accused me of trying to seduce the duke,” said Arabella. “Have you ever heard of such nonsense?”
Jane rolled her eyes and laughed. "She's one to talk," she said. "Mirabel tried that herself when she first started working here. It was the topic of discussion for months! Apparently, she said she'd rather be the kept mistress of the Beastly Duke than a maid. Unfortunately, the duke took no notice of her comeliness or her abundant assets."
Jane shook her bosom to indicate what assets she was talking about, making Arabella laugh.
“I see,” said Arabella. “But why accuse me of the same thing?”
"Because you're pretty, and you have abundant assets as well," Jane explained. "Truth be told, you're prettier and nicer than her. You're also far more intelligent, making you a better fit for the duke."
“But I'm not even thinking about such a thing,” said Arabella. “I find the duke intriguing, but to accuse me of seduction? I do not even know if I'm capable of such a thing!”
