Page 10 of Tempting the Earl
“It is a great opportunity for you, Emily. I am glad for you. I think it will suit you better than doing my dusting.” He tried to make light of the situation, but he knew he would miss the bright young woman and the animated discussions they had occasionally enjoyed. But this was for the best, for both of them. She would be in a position that suited her far more than housemaid, and he would be rid of her disquieting presence.
“Thank you for your gracious consideration of my needs, Emily, but I am sure we will get along just fine if you accept my mother’s offer. You may continue in your position here until she returns home, then you will accompany her,” Philip concluded imperiously.
“Thank you, my lord, I will tell her ladyship. Thank you for your time.” With that Emily departed, leaving a bemused earl staring at the empty doorway.
~~~~
Despite her anticipation over the upcoming new development in her life, Emily found herself floundering in a deep well of sadness at the thought of leaving the Earl. You are currently his maid, Emily; you have no place being interested in a lord. If only we met a year from now, but no, he will only hate me for my subterfuge. It is just silly to be sad to leave here. It will be better with her ladyship, you shall see,she argued with herself as she went in search of her ladyship to accept her kind offer.
Pushing the sadness away, Emily allowed nervous excitement to well up. She marvelled that the first nineteen years of her life had been so uneventful, but the past year had been one never-ending tumult of constant change. She would never complain of boredom again, she thought wryly. If she came out of this safely, she would never again take anything in life for granted.
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“I am so pleased you decided to accept my offer, Emily. You will love Rosemount. If you enjoy working in the gardens here, you will be amazed when you see mine. As the name suggests, we specialize in roses; I am quite proud of them.”
“I look forward to seeing it very much, my lady,” answered Emily. They were sitting together in Lady Clara’s chamber discussing the duties Emily could expect to fill when they returned to the countess’ main home.
“I hesitate to ask this, not wanting to injure your feelings, but do you have any other, more suitable clothes, Emily? You will not have need of a uniform once you take up your new duties.” Emily appreciated that the soft-hearted Lady Clara didn’t wish to injure her feelings but obviously couldn’t abide the thought of her companion being dressed in the drab uniform of one of the maidservants.
“Well, actually, my lady, this is all I have. Mrs. Simms provided me with some uniforms when I first took up residence at Yorkleigh. I did not have much with me when I arrived," Emily explained with a shy smile. "Will this not suffice?”
“No, Emily. As my companion you will receive guests with me and we shall make visits together. Don’t fret,” she continued after Emily’s gasp of dismay. “A clothing allowance will be included with your wages. Oh, it will be such fun to dress you. My modiste will be delighted.”
Emily felt a surge of anticipation at the upcoming treat. It would be such a pleasure to have pretty clothes again. After the grime of the asylum, she didn’t think she would ever be vain again, but it would be nice to dress in something other than wool. Emily’s daydreams of cotton, serge, and silk were interrupted by Lady Clara’s gentle question.
“Emily, I have been meaning to ask you, have you heard any of the staff speaking about Lady Maude?”
“No, milady, who is Lady Maude?” Emily’s curiosity was piqued by the unfamiliar name and the countess' uncharacteristic hesitance over the question.
“She is the Viscount Sedgely’s ill-tempered daughter,” was Lady Clara’s cryptic response. “I will tell you more about her another day. I am just glad she has not yet been here. Things have not yet progressed to that point thankfully.” The countess was obviously troubled about the other woman, but Emily did not press her for details despite her desire to do so. They continued their discussion about life at Rosemount and how the women would spend their days.
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Despite the original plan for Emily to remain a housemaid at Yorkleigh until the countess departed for Rosemount, Lady Clara enjoyed the younger woman's company so much that she cut back Emily's other duties and they spent more time together, getting Emily used to what her situation would be once they journeyed to Rosemount. They developed an enjoyable routine of getting together late each morning when Emily was through with her other chores and Lady Clara had finished with her breakfast and correspondence. Emily would choose a book from the library and read to the countess while that lady did her needlework. Lady Clara had confided to Emily that her physician had recommended she wear spectacles for her diminishing eyesight but the countess’ vanity had caused her to refuse, so it had been some time since she had been able to read at any length.
Emily had a deep love of reading, so it was of mutual benefit as she immersed herself in whichever book they had chosen. She couldn’t help throwing herself into the enjoyable task, involving herself with the characters, making up different voices for each one and completely losing herself in the story. Emily was a little embarrassed to note how much the other household members enjoyed their stories too. Whenever she would come to the end of a chapter, there was always a small cluster of servants lingering around the doorway. Philip would, at times, come along too. His presence would, of course, disperse the staff, who would quickly bow or curtsy to him before hurrying away to their neglected tasks.
The countess smiled up at her son when he entered the salon. "You have just missed the story, Philip," she informed him with regret.
"So I see. I heard Emily reading a moment ago," he explained while smiling pleasantly towards Emily.
"Are you staying to visit with Lady Clara, my lord?" Emily asked, standing up and placing the volume on a shelf. “I could go get you some refreshments from the kitchen,” she offered.
“Thank you, that would be most pleasant,” the earl replied as Emily left them to some privacy.
~~~~
Clara and Emily were again in the salon doing needlepoint when the countess heaved a deep sigh. “What is it, my lady? Something is obviously troubling you. Won’t you confide in me? I would really like to help you.”
“Oh, Emily, I doubt there is anything you can do. I fear my stubborn son is going to make a terrible mistake with his life. I don’t mean to sound melodramatic, but I really fear for him. Remember the other day, I asked you about Lady Maude? She is a cold, heartless, shrew of a young woman. She is well born, of course, and comes from a very wealthy family. It is said her dowry is extensive, so you can imagine how sought after she might be on the marriage mart. But despite her popularity, I have seen how she treats the other, less fortunate girls. She can be outright cruel, especially to the less assured young ladies. Lady Maude is not a diamond, but she is pretty enough, if you can look past her horrid personality.” Lady Clara paused with a sigh, glancing at the doorway to ensure they were still alone. She continued. “Philip is considering marriage with her. He does not need her dowry and does not even need any special alliances. Our estates are vast enough, and he has been shrewd about handling his investments.” The countess shook her head, appearing pained. “The reason he is interested in her is her bloodlines.” She said it rather dramatically and nodded when Emily made an appropriately shocked gasp. “It is a conceit he learned from his father: perfect bloodlines for his children. Philip’s father was so proud of how far back he can trace his ancestors and fostered that same pride in Philip. But he is taking it much further than his father ever intended.”
Lady Clara suspected this snobbery was the reason her son reacted so strangely whenever he encountered Emily. Over the weeks of her stay at Yorkleigh she had witnessed Philip’s obvious pleasure in Emily's company and then his sudden withdrawal from her whenever he realized he was enjoying her company. The countess suspected Philip was attracted to her new companion and could not reconcile that attraction with his other convictions.
She broke from her thoughts, and continued, “Philip’s father and I were so happy in our marriage; I want the same thing for my son. I am convinced he will not find that with Lady Maude. But there is nothing I can do. He is a fully-grown man and does not want to listen to his mama. The worst of it is he wants me to throw a house party with her as the guest of honour so he can spend some time getting to know her and her family before he declares himself. I can barely tolerate the selfish young woman, and her parents are little better. The thought of having her as guest of honour in my own home makes me feel slightly ill. The only good thing in the whole conundrum is the thought that maybe if he spends enough time with her he will be able to see her for what she really is. I guess I shall need to be shrewd in my selection of the other guests to show her to the least advantage since I have already agreed to be hostess for the party.”
“That sounds like a wonderfully conniving idea, my lady,” Emily praised. “I can see you have given the matter a lot of thought. You are wise to go along as much as you can. I think men will sometimes do exactly what you don’t want them to do just to spite you. You certainly wouldn’t want to cause a rift between you and your only son. I will help in any way I can,” Emily vowed in an earnest tone. “We shall be devious together.” The two women had a chuckle as they put their heads together to plot.
“I think it is high time we go home, Emily. I miss Rosemount, and we need to set our plans in motion. You need a new wardrobe, and we should get this house party planned and the invitations sent out. How long will you need to pack?”
