Page 14 of With Good Grace
Jake roared with laughter. ‘I take it he did not believe you.’
‘I am sure Parker would make a very convincing thespian,’ Olivia said, herself laughing.
‘Ah well, I’ve done enough play-acting in his lordship’s service.’
‘Luncheon is served, madam,’ Green said from the doorway.
‘Go and get yourself something in the kitchen, Parker,’ Jake said. ‘We shall leave for Surrey after luncheon and hopefully learn more from Lady Grantley than we have managed this morning.’
?
‘Excuse me, Jake, for a moment,’ Olivia said when they had eaten luncheon. ‘I shall run up and change if we are to visit Margaret. I am covered in dust from those boxes and not fit to be seen. I shall not keep you long.’
Olivia did need to change but there was another duty that required her attention. Now was not the best time, but Olivia was too angry to countenance delay. Molly was in Olivia’s room when she entered it. She was aware that Olivia was going out for the afternoon and was waiting to help her change.
‘You were extremely impolite to Lord Torbay this morning, Molly. What is your explanation?’
‘I meant no disrespect, ma’am,’ Molly replied, looking evasive and sounding sullen.
‘And yet youweredisrespectful. Most disrespectful. I should like to know why you presume to cast judgement on my choice of friends. To the best of my knowledge, Lord Torbay has never been unkind to you.’ Molly remained mute and Olivia lost patience with her. ‘I am waiting for you to explain yourself, Molly.’
‘Since you insist upon knowing, I don’t approve of loose behaviour, madam,’ she said, her chin now jutting pugnaciously.
‘Whose loose behaviour?’ Olivia asked, holding on to her temper with extreme difficulty.
‘Yours and his lordship’s, madam.’ Molly sent Olivia a defiant look. ‘I know what happened between the two of you at Grosvenor Square a few months back and I don’t hold with sexual congress out of wedlock.’
‘You dare to criticisemybehaviour?’ She pinned the girl with a haughty look. ‘Evidently you are not satisfied with your position here. Besides, I should hate for you to be corrupted, so perhaps you should seek another.’
‘Oh no, ma’am. I like working for you, honest I do.’
Olivia was perfectly sure that she did. She had a good position; one that would not be available to her elsewhere if Olivia chose not to give her a reference—perhaps not even then.
‘But you are being corrupted beneath my roof.’
‘I…well, that is, I exceeded my position.’ Molly studied the floor and shuffled her feet. ‘I’m sorry, ma’am. It will not happen again. I was out of sorts this morning. Tom got away from Jane and it was me who found the scamp plying Lord Torbay with questions.’
‘Why did that make you out of sorts?’
‘It’s Jane’s responsibility to look after Master Tom.’
‘This is a small establishment. Your duties are notthatarduous. When you have your afternoon off, Jane fulfils your duties and when Jane needs help with Tom I expect you to step in…but if it is too much for you then perhaps you should seek a position in a larger household with a mistress who is not so lenient.’
‘I am very content here, madam. It’s just that Mr Graves says that no woman should…’
Olivia’s icy glare caused Molly’s words to stall. ‘You have presumed to discuss my affairs with Graves?’
Molly’s defiant look returned. ‘He is a man of God and God sees and judges everything.’
‘Pack up your things, Molly. You will leave this house by the end of the day.’
‘Oh no, ma’am, please reconsider.’ Molly looked to be on the point of tears. Olivia wondered why, if this position was so precious to her, she was so ready to jeopardise it. ‘You have been that good to me.’
‘I cannot, will not, have you criticise my conduct, Molly, and I will not have you discuss my business with anyone at all. I thought you were better trained than that.’
All the fight drained out of Molly and she stood before Olivia, trembling. She probably realised that she had nowhere to go. She had worked for Olivia ever since she moved to Chelsea and had given good service, until her curate had turned her head with his pious and puritanical ways. They had been walking out for some time but he clearly did not intend to marry Molly or he would have proposed by now. Olivia had never told her maid that she had seen the man on several occasions promenading in the park with a girl from of better class. And yet he dared to criticise Olivia. It beggared belief.
‘I was wrong,’ Molly said, her eyes trained on the floor. ‘I like Lord Torbay, as it happens, and it is really no business of mine.’
