The Last Eligible Bachelor - Ashtyn Newbold Page 0,4

wanted to visit Hampden Park—it was all she ever spoke about.

I shook myself of my worries, calming myself with a deep breath. I wasn’t actually going to go along with this ridiculous plot. However, Sophia’s threat still hung in the air. Would her parents truly believe her if she accused me of things that weren’t true? I stood in silence, trying to gather my thoughts into words that might dissuade her.

“You will not change my mind,” Sophia said in a chilling voice before I could speak. “I am quite determined.” She raised her chin. “If you do not help me, I will ensure you lose your position here, and I will find a different maid who will do as I ask. Your mother will be forced to leave as well. So, will you do this for me, Sherbrooke?”

I closed my eyes against the force of her words, my stomach heaving. Neither of us could afford to lose our positions at Sedgwick Manor. My mother and I had come with no previous experience and no references; the Sedgwick family—having been acquainted with my parents before our fall from society—had taken pity on us. They had overlooked our reputations and offered to give us the work that we so desperately needed.

Defying Sophia could jeopardize all of that. Without the compassion of the Sedgwicks, we would have nowhere to live or work. As panic coursed through my limbs, my forehead beaded with perspiration. As far as Mr. and Mrs. Sedgwick knew, Sophia was akin to an angel. She had fooled them well. She had even fooled me, at times, with her sweet smiles and pretty face. They would never take my word over hers, so my mother and I would be on the streets before we knew it. Telling anyone of her scheme would be futile. And if Sophia accused me of theft, I could be faced with a fate much like Papa’s.

I had no choice.

“Yes, miss.”

Sophia’s eyes lit up, flickering with delight. “Perfect. We shall begin your tutelage later this morning. I will write up a timeline of all the events of my life for you to study, perchance Mrs. Ollerton, your hostess, has been told anything about me by my parents. Additionally, I will write you a list of all my preferences from foods to colors to fashions, though these are less important. I will never meet these people again, so you may guess at some things while you are impersonating me. So long as you are elegant, but not too elegant so as to draw Mr. Hill’s attention, all will be well.” She clapped her hands together. “Oh, I feel so daring!”

All I felt was ill.

My thoughts blurred together into incomprehensible streaks, making my vision splotchy. I held one palm against my stomach, taking a long breath through my nostrils. Sophia’s room had always smelled strongly of rose perfume, but tonight it seemed to be suffocating me. “I must advise you again—”

She held up a hand. “You are only a maid, Sherbrooke. You cannot pretend to be wiser than me. We will carry out this plan, and you will not speak a word of it to anyone or your days at Sedgwick Manor are over. Do you understand?”

Only a maid. Over the last several months, I had been shrinking into this small shell of expectation. A maid was not expected to be intelligent or to have any respectable ideas of her own. A maid was not meant to speak, or lead—but to listen, obey, and follow. Orders were received, never given. Respect was the opposite—given, but never received.

So I kept my mouth closed, giving a weak nod in place of my words. I had never thought the day would come that I would ever act the part of a lady again. I had put that life far behind me, using all my might not to yearn for it. It had taken so much focus and discipline to feel grateful for my circumstances. If I remembered what it felt like to be truly seen and listened to again, I would surely begin wishing for a life I could never really have. Dread pounded through my chest, my feet still rooted to the floorboards.

Sophia slid back under her blankets, nestling into her pillow, her golden curls forming a halo around her head. “I should like to actually get a bit of sleep tonight, but I fear I am far too excited now. Hampden Park,” she said amid a sigh. “We shall commence