dragged into evening, leaving them to take their supper alone before retiring to their chambers near midnight, still with no word of the gentlemen. It wasn’t until morning that Charlotte had news of them.
“His Grace and the others are returned.” It was Molly, the maid who brought Charlotte her chocolate, who relayed the welcome information.
Relief loosened her muscles. “They are safe and all is well?”
“Appears so, ma’am.” Molly knelt to clean the fireplace grates. “’Tis a relief because we all think highly of His Grace.” She wiped the hearth down with water, drying it with a linen cloth. “I don’t mind telling you I was afraid to leave Lord Camryn’s employ, but all turned out well, it did.”
Charlotte’’s heart squeezed at the unexpected mention of Cam. Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she reached for her dressing gown. “You were in service at Camryn Hall?”
“Yes, miss. Her Grace wanted me and Clara, that’s her lady’s maid, to accompany her when she wed, so here we are.” The girl used a tinderbox to light the fire.
“And how was your time at Camryn Hall?”
“‘Twas very fine, miss. The old marquess, Her Grace’s sainted father, was kind enough. But Lord Camryn made some changes, he did.” Molly stood up to assess the fire before deciding to throw more wood on it. “In town, he bettered the servants’ sleeping quarters. Me being an upstairs maid, I had me an attic room. But the below stairs servants—” She shook her head.
“Go on,” she urged, desperate for any small sliver of information about the marquess.
“Their basement quarters was bad, if you excuse my saying so, miss. ‘Twas dark and you couldna even see where you was going.” Molly moved to open the curtains. “And the smoke, bless the Lord, it was so smoky from the candles and oil lamps. Hard to breathe, it was.”
Sipping the warm chocolate, Charlotte took a chair by the kindling fire and folded her legs beneath her. The conditions Molly described were not unusual for servants in town, whose basement quarters were known for their darkness and lack of ventilation. Many had rounded corners so servants wouldn’t injure themselves as they rushed to serve their masters.
“And Lord Camryn rectified the situation?” Charlotte prompted over the rim of her cup.
“Yes, miss. Shocked he was to see how things was down below.” Molly moved about the room, straightening up. “Most masters don’t bother to visit the servants’ quarters, but my lord did. He made a special place over the mews so the below stairs could sleep with the grooms. Now they have fresh air to breathe.”
“Commendable,” she murmured, sipping her drink, its sweet heat sliding down her throat and warming her insides. So Camryn was not quite the autocrat he appeared to be.
“And the wages, miss, he said we was past time for an increase.”
“Did he?”
“Yes, miss. We all of us got an increase and not just the senior servants. Raised me pay a good ten pounds per annum. And even the junior housemaids got an extra five pounds.”
“How generous.” A smile tugged at her lips. “Are you just as well taken care of here?”
“Oh yes, miss, Lady Willa…begging your pardon…I mean Her Grace…promised me wages and bonus would keep to the same here at Fairview. And I don’t have me any family in the village at Camryn Hall, so here I am.”
Later, Charlotte found herself humming as she dressed, buoyed by Molly’s revelations about Cam’s quiet generosity to his servants. However, her high spirits were dampened at breakfast once she learned why the men had been called away.
“Machine wreckers attacked the mill,” the duke told them as they ate. “Some of the looms are badly damaged.”
“Pardon me for saying, ladies, but it’s those deuced Luddites.” Hugh swallowed a bite of kidney pie. “The crown must send more troops to quell the risings before it’s too late.”
A chill ran through her. A
“His Grace and the others are returned.” It was Molly, the maid who brought Charlotte her chocolate, who relayed the welcome information.
Relief loosened her muscles. “They are safe and all is well?”
“Appears so, ma’am.” Molly knelt to clean the fireplace grates. “’Tis a relief because we all think highly of His Grace.” She wiped the hearth down with water, drying it with a linen cloth. “I don’t mind telling you I was afraid to leave Lord Camryn’s employ, but all turned out well, it did.”
Charlotte’’s heart squeezed at the unexpected mention of Cam. Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she reached for her dressing gown. “You were in service at Camryn Hall?”
“Yes, miss. Her Grace wanted me and Clara, that’s her lady’s maid, to accompany her when she wed, so here we are.” The girl used a tinderbox to light the fire.
“And how was your time at Camryn Hall?”
“‘Twas very fine, miss. The old marquess, Her Grace’s sainted father, was kind enough. But Lord Camryn made some changes, he did.” Molly stood up to assess the fire before deciding to throw more wood on it. “In town, he bettered the servants’ sleeping quarters. Me being an upstairs maid, I had me an attic room. But the below stairs servants—” She shook her head.
“Go on,” she urged, desperate for any small sliver of information about the marquess.
“Their basement quarters was bad, if you excuse my saying so, miss. ‘Twas dark and you couldna even see where you was going.” Molly moved to open the curtains. “And the smoke, bless the Lord, it was so smoky from the candles and oil lamps. Hard to breathe, it was.”
Sipping the warm chocolate, Charlotte took a chair by the kindling fire and folded her legs beneath her. The conditions Molly described were not unusual for servants in town, whose basement quarters were known for their darkness and lack of ventilation. Many had rounded corners so servants wouldn’t injure themselves as they rushed to serve their masters.
“And Lord Camryn rectified the situation?” Charlotte prompted over the rim of her cup.
“Yes, miss. Shocked he was to see how things was down below.” Molly moved about the room, straightening up. “Most masters don’t bother to visit the servants’ quarters, but my lord did. He made a special place over the mews so the below stairs could sleep with the grooms. Now they have fresh air to breathe.”
“Commendable,” she murmured, sipping her drink, its sweet heat sliding down her throat and warming her insides. So Camryn was not quite the autocrat he appeared to be.
“And the wages, miss, he said we was past time for an increase.”
“Did he?”
“Yes, miss. We all of us got an increase and not just the senior servants. Raised me pay a good ten pounds per annum. And even the junior housemaids got an extra five pounds.”
“How generous.” A smile tugged at her lips. “Are you just as well taken care of here?”
“Oh yes, miss, Lady Willa…begging your pardon…I mean Her Grace…promised me wages and bonus would keep to the same here at Fairview. And I don’t have me any family in the village at Camryn Hall, so here I am.”
Later, Charlotte found herself humming as she dressed, buoyed by Molly’s revelations about Cam’s quiet generosity to his servants. However, her high spirits were dampened at breakfast once she learned why the men had been called away.
“Machine wreckers attacked the mill,” the duke told them as they ate. “Some of the looms are badly damaged.”
“Pardon me for saying, ladies, but it’s those deuced Luddites.” Hugh swallowed a bite of kidney pie. “The crown must send more troops to quell the risings before it’s too late.”
A chill ran through her. A
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