The Last Eligible Bachelor - Ashtyn Newbold Page 0,33

was not here for Sophia anyway. I was here for Mama. Without our positions at Sedgwick Manor, we would be even more destitute. If there was one thing that gave Papa comfort from his place is prison, it was that his family had a place to live and food to eat. I would do all I could to ensure the Roberts family had the same.

We reached the small house and I knocked softly on the door. The only way to escape Winslow House unnoticed had been to come at this hour, but it was possible that the Robertses would not yet be awake. Just when I thought they wouldn’t answer, Mrs. Roberts opened the door.

Her brow creased as she took in my appearance.

“Good morning,” I said with a smile. “I’m sorry to be here at such an hour.”

She appeared to have already been awake for some time. A low fire burned beyond the door, a weak little flame. The floors seemed to be covered in even more dirt than they had been previously. Mrs. Roberts held her baby on her hip, and beyond the doorway I could hear the quiet whimper of another young child. The little girl I had seen two days before was nowhere in sight.

“Are you stayin’ at Winslow ‘ouse? Were you here this week?” the woman asked.

“I was.” I offered a kind smile. “I had to return to Winslow House to fetch this.” I extended the reticule. It was an old one of Sophia’s, so I knew she would not care if I gave the entire bag away. She may have minded about the contents, but I could find an excuse for why I had spent it.

Mrs. Roberts stared at the bag, her eyes rounding in surprise. She must have seen the weight of the coins pulling at the fabric.

“Please, take it. You need this money far more than I do, what with your caring for so many children, even those who are not your own.”

When she made no move to accept the bag, I took a step closer. “Where is the young girl in your care?”

“She still be sleepin.’ I haven’t the heart to wake ‘er.” Mrs. Roberts scowled down at me from her place on the step above, a deep sadness flooding her expression. “Her father died in the night.”

I felt as if I had been struck in the chest, a deep ache spreading out from my heart to the tips of my fingers. I pressed a hand to my chest to stop it. “No.” My voice was a whisper.

Mrs. Roberts gave a solemn nod. “Me husband and I’ll be takin’ care of her now.”

I shared a glance with Jessie, whose dark brows were turned downward in distress. How could fate be so cruel? My eyes stung with tears at the thought of losing my own father. In a way, I already had, but to know that he no longer lived and breathed would be too much to bear. To not have hope of ever seeing him again? My heart broke more with each passing second, until I could hardly draw a breath. I couldn’t recall ever hurting so much for the pain of another person. If I hadn’t already practiced for the last year at keeping my emotions inside, I might have sobbed for the little girl and her family.

“The poor girl. I am so very sorry to hear that.” My words were not enough, but I tried to speak my sincerity with my eyes.

“Bless you.” She squeezed my hand as she took the reticule, meeting my eyes with unspoken gratitude.

I drew a deep breath, unable to push the image of that little girl with her large brown eyes from my mind. How had I ever dared to complain over my own life? My circumstances could have been so much worse. As Sophia’s maid, I was privileged to live in a grand household, to be fed delicious meals, and to be given fresh, clean clothing to wear. I had my mother nearby. In comparison to my previous life, the changes that had occurred in my situation had been drastic, but they had not been entirely bad. I had learned to work, and work hard. I had learned to sacrifice my own desires for someone else. I had learned to appreciate the things I had always taken for granted.

Determination rose in my throat to never again forget just how fortunate I truly was. I might have had a mistress who threatened me for her