Page 18 of The Heiress in Disguise
“That sounds like a good plan.”
“Of course, it leaves me with the problem of how to help Angelique in the meantime,” Antoine said. “I can’t stand to see her like that. Wearing a dirty old dress and obeying her aunt’s every whim! I have to do something to make her life a bit better. But at the same time, how can I without tipping my hand?”
He pondered for a moment. Then he spotted his housekeeper passing through the foyer, and an idea came to him. “Mrs. Godfrey, come here, please.”
Mrs. Godfrey was a woman in her fifties with steel-gray hair and a kind smile. She came into the sitting room now. “May I help you, Lord Exeter?”
“Yes, you can,” Antoine said. “I wish to send a gift to one of the maids next door. But I don’t want her to know where it came from, and I would like everything to be handled discreetly so the family won’t be aware of the gift at all.”
“I see,” Mrs. Godfrey said, frowning. “This is an odd request.”
“It is, yes. Do you think you’d be able to do it?”
“I can manage, I think,” Mrs. Godfrey said. “I can work with members of the staff next door to get the gift to the girl in question.”
“Her name is Ella.” It frustrated Antoine to say that—her name wasnotElla—but he knew he had to go along with the public story for now, and not let anyone see that he knew the truth. Only George could know.”
“What do you wish to send to her?” Mrs. Godfrey asked.
“I’d like to give her some basic things a young lady might need to be comfortable,” Antoine said.
“I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for. Nothing flashy—nothing that’s going to stand out. Some simple cosmetics, maybe. Fine socks. Good soap. Decent shoes. Anything you can think of that might meet the needs of a young lady who isn’t capable of providing essentials for herself—but again, nothing flashy, because I don’t want the family to know that I’ve sent her anything at all.”
“I understand,” Mrs. Godfrey said. “I’ll get to work right away.”
“And you think you’ll be able to get the gifts to her discreetly?”
“Yes. I understand what you need from me here, Lord Exeter. You’ve nothing to worry about. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Godfrey.” He had always liked her and had always appreciated the fact that she didn’t ask too many questions. He’d known as soon as he saw her that he could count on her to do this without requiring him to explain why.
Mrs. Godfrey hurried off. Antoine knew that everything was sure to be taken care of quickly, so that was one thing, at least, that he didn’t have to worry about.
“That’s kind of you, My Lord,” George said, watching Mrs. Godfrey go. “And a bit risky. You know that it’s possible LadyAngelique’s familywilldiscover these gifts, and then she’ll have to explain where they came from.”
“I trust she’ll be able to keep them hidden until the time comes for all to be revealed,” Antoine said. “I’ll be moving as quickly as I can to rescue her from those people. After all, I cannot tolerate the thought of leaving her there.”
“I’m sure you’ll discover something at the masquerade that will tell you what your next step ought to be,” George said.
“Yes,” Antoine said. “But in the meantime, I think I should go write to my mother.”
“Are you going to tell her that you’ve discovered what happened to Lady Angelique?”
“No. I think it would make her too sad to hear it,” Antoine said. “She’ll have to know eventually, but I think it’s best if she isn’t told until we have Angelique safely away. For now, I’ll simply tell my mother not to bother coming to London. I know she meant to bring my sister, but for now it’s best if the two of them stay away.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” George agreed. “It will do them no good to worry over this situation, and you’ll be better able to move without being identified if you’re on your own.”
“I’ll go and write to them right now,” Antoine said. “Thank you for your help, George. We’ll rescue Angelique if it’s the last thing we do.”
Chapter 8
Antoine was halfway through his letter to his mother when he was interrupted by a knock at the door of his study. He looked up and saw George standing in the doorway. “What is it, George?”
“Lady Gwyneth, from next door,” George explained. “She’s brought you a basket as a gift, according to the doorman.”
“Oh.” In all the excitement of discovering Angelique’s true identity, Antoine had forgotten all about the fact that Lady Gwyneth was to bring a basket. Now he realized he was facing a problem. “She can’t see me,” he said. “She already saw me. She thinks I’m Philip.”
“Shall I go down and tell her to leave?”
