Page 4 of Beneath the Beastly Duke's Mask
“I must say I like your disposition, Arabella,” the housekeeper finally said. “We need more bright and cheerful people here. Perhaps you will influence the others to take more pride in their work.”
Arabella's smile widened. “I would like to try my very best.”
“However,” Mrs. Cooper added. “The final decision rests with the master. You will meet him and speak with him. If he agrees, you can begin later this week.”
So, Arabella would officially meet the very man who had been in her thoughts for many years, and she could put a face to the body she had met earlier. She was a tad nervous but mostly excited for what lay ahead. No matter what, she wouldn't regret her decision to come to Euston Hall.
Chapter 2
Leaning on the balustrade, Henry watched the woman with his housekeeper below. Knowing his land better than anyone else had ensured he could return to the house before the woman made it to the front door.
Henry had a feeling she was coming to inquire about something, but he didn't know what. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he was too intrigued by the young woman to stop staring. She was the same one from earlier, the woman who had spoken to him while he fed the mother duck and her ducklings.
Henry had wondered about the duck, having encountered her eggs some time ago. When he saw five little ducking following her, he was relieved and had his cook give him all their lettuce leaves. She had grumbled a bit, but they had plenty in the garden, so she had relented.
His cook was one of the few women who looked him straight in the face and didn't flinch. Others averted their gazes and tried their best not to be around him for too long. He didn't blame them. His scarred face was enough to put anyone off their food.
Shifting slightly, Henry leaned over the balustrade, trying to catch a little of the conversation. The young woman had taken him by surprise earlier, and he still felt rather silly for freezing in place as though his feet had been bolted to the ground. His mind had momentarily blanked, unsure of what to do. Henry had instantly known the woman wasn't one of his servants in the village—no woman willingly spoke to him outside Euston Hall.
It had been so long since anyone had dared to talk to him so casually that it had thrown him off balance. Everyone knew the 'Beastly Duke' and didn't venture into the village without some trepidation. Keeping to himself seemed best for everyone, even for his servants. Henry was most comfortable around his valet, steward, housekeeper, banker, and cook as he spent the most time around them.
His other employees served him well and respected him, but it was apparent they were uncomfortable being around him. Perhaps the stories about him being a beast had overtaken their common senses, so all they saw were his scars.
The young woman below had been refreshingly different. Of course, she hadn't seen his face, but anyone with a working mind would have seen the terrible scars on his arms and have come to a conclusion about his identity. Not many could claim so many scars on their body. He was a monster, a beastly man who once did a good deed and was rewarded with disfigurement.
How good yet shocking it was to have a woman speak to him normally. Sometimes, Henry missed the simplicity of interacting with others and wondered what could have been if he had not run away from the dark-haired beauty. Of course, she didn't see his face, so there was no telling what she would have done. Henry lightly snorted. He was lying to himself.
He knew precisely what would have happened. She would have cried in alarm and taken off running as though the hounds of Hades were after her. Still, it had been nice to hear someone speak to him without fear in their voice. Although he couldn't hear what she was saying, he could still detect the clarity in her voice and its soothing effect. She probably has a wonderful singing voice, but he would never have the honor of hearing it.
Feeling like a peeping Tom, Henry told himself to walk away before someone caught him watching. His feet wouldn't budge, not until Mrs. Cooper turned away from the young woman and headed to the stairs. Alarmed, he ran across the landing as noiselessly as possible and bolted into the parlor.
He dove for his armchair, picking up a book to read as he worked on calming his breathing. His housekeeper might not come to see him, but he still didn't want to be caught in an awkward position or have her ask why he sounded slightly out of breath. It wasn't so much the mad dash that had altered his breathing but the excitement of possibly knowing why the dark-haired woman was in his house.
Henry was calm and collected by the time Mrs. Cooper knocked on the door and entered, his expression of mild interest as he looked over his book.
"Your Grace," she said, frowning slightly at his book. "It's upside down, Your Grace," she pointed out.
Henry's cheeks warmed. “Uh, yes,” he said, clearing his throat. “I'm aware of that. I wanted to see if I could read it upside down. Just a little experiment.” He put it down. “Do you need something?”
“I was going to speak to you about this before, but we had to let go of one of our maids this past week,” she told him. "It was quietly done as the situation was of a delicate nature. I wouldn't want Leticia humiliated for succumbing to a man's empty promises."
Henry sighed, rubbing eyes. “Another one?”
Mrs. Cooper nodded. "Yes, Your Grace. Although I have my suspicions, she refuses to say who it was."
Disappointment sat heavily within him. Henry was against lords seducing maids and impregnating them, only to abandon them soon after. Leticia was comely enough to attract the roaming eyes of weak-willed men like his cousin Basil, Viscount Kersey.
He had a feeling Basil was flirting with Leticia, one of his newer maids, but he had foolishly not expected it to get to this point so quickly. Although his housekeeper didn't say it was Basil, he was almost certain it was him.
“Did you give her three months' wages to help her along?” Henry asked.
“Yes, and a place where she can go for young mothers,” Mrs. Cooper said. “Although the house can manage without her, I prefer to have an even amount of maids for each part of the house. I believe I have found a young woman who will fit in perfectly, but she needs to meet you first.”
In other words, the woman needed to pass the test given to all servants on his estate. If an employee was capable of withstanding his presence without crying out in fear and running off, they could stay and work. Henry didn't want his servants cowering in fear every time he passed them. It was one thing to be apprehensive and avoid eye contact, but another to run off in fear.
“Is the woman here?” he asked, foolishly not realizing at first that his housekeeper likely meant the woman downstairs. His eyes widened with the realization before Mrs. Cooper confirmed his thoughts.
“Yes, she is, Your Grace,” his housekeeper replied. “Shall I bring her to you?”
