Page 25 of The Heiress in Disguise
“Does what make me happy?”
“Your thoughtfulness, I suppose,” he said. “I’ve seen enough of the world to know that when you serve in the house of noblemen and women, the conditions of your life may vary quite wildly. I have seen some very happy servants in my time, and some very unhappy ones as well. I wondered which group you count yourself among.”
“You’re asking if the way I behave toward others impacts my happiness.”
“In part. But more than that, I simply want to know if youarehappy.”
She thought it an odd question, and a slightly forward one, but she had already determined that she liked Philip, and she found herself wanting to answer if only so that the two of them could get to know one another better.
“I am happy,” she told him. “I don’t believe happiness has much to do with the circumstances of a person’s life.”
“You don’t?”
“I’ve met some wealthy nobles who are among the most unhappy people one could ever hope to know,” she said.
“And I’ve known some servants who are nothing but joy and love. I think the poorest man in the world could be happy in his life as long as he had the basic necessities—enough food to eat, a place to sleep at night—and as long as he kept his mind right and did his best to foster a good attitude about everything that came his way. I prefer to turn my mind toward happy things. So yes, I am a happy person.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said softly.
“How about you?” she asked him.
“Me?”
“Well, if you can ask the question, I can too. Are you happy?”
He hesitated. “I’m happy today,” he said.
“Just today?”
“Something I’d been worrying about for a while has been resolved. At least, partly resolved.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” she said. “What was it?”
“I was trying to get in touch with an old friend, and I was able to do that.”
“That’s wonderful,” she said. “I can see why that would make you especially happy.”
“Yes—but my friend is still in a bit of trouble, and I won’t be truly happy until I’ve helped to alleviate that trouble.”
“Your friend is lucky to have you,” Angelique said.
“Thank you,” Philip murmured.
The sun was high overhead. Angelique would have liked to linger—she was enjoying speaking with him—but she didn’t dare to stay away from the house any longer. If the servants who were loyal to her aunt noticed that she had been missing, they would certainly report her, and she would be punished for her transgression.
“It was a pleasure seeing you again,” she told Philip. “I have to go inside now.”
“Perhaps we’ll see each other in the future.”
Angelique wished she could believe in that. But her family wouldn’t be in London much longer, and the chances were going to run out before long.
She was so caught up in her thoughts about the encounter with Philip, that she almost didn’t register the strange object on her bed—a basket, right where the package of gifts had been earliertoday. She opened it up and found it full of meats, cheeses, and fruits—and there was another note sitting on top. She opened it with trembling hands.
A meal fit for the lady you are, from your Fairy Godmother.
Chapter 11
“You’d better not linger here,” Jane said warningly.
