The Valet Who Loved Me - Valerie Bowman Page 0,43

What reason did Beau have? The most frustrating part was now that they’d both told each other their names, neither seemed particularly inclined to say any more. The house party might well end with her not knowing who she’d had a passionate affair with. Apparently, she was willing to live with that, because it hadn’t stopped her from falling into bed with him again last night, had it?

She told him the truth about her brother, but not all of it. Frederick had been shot and killed in the war. But there was more to the story, and that was why she was serving the Copperpots as a lady’s maid at the moment. She still didn’t know Beau well enough to tell him the whole truth, however, which was why she’d stopped her story where she had.

Thank heavens, Beau had seemed appeased by that, or at least he hadn’t asked any more questions. God only knew if he’d ask more later. Given the fact that they were both aware they were lying to each other, she suspected he would. Just as she intended to ask him more questions about that letter he’d burned in his room several days ago. She still wanted to know what that had been about.

But Marianne was waiting for a letter, too—a letter she also intended to destroy. The irony wasn’t lost on her. She’d accused him of being a hypocrite, but she was one too. The worst kind.

She paced around her small bedchamber. It was too early to do much of anything. Lady Copperpot and Lady Wilhelmina would not be awake at this hour. But she could steal down to the servants’ hall and see about planning their picnic outing for today. Apparently, the members of the house party had picnicked earlier in the week and Lady Copperpot and Wilhelmina had missed the planned outing. They intended to make up for it this afternoon.

Marianne wondered what sort of mood the two ladies would be in today. She knew from having listened to their conversations the last two days that Lady Wilhelmina had all but given up on the idea that Lord Kendall might arrive to meet her. And after the surprising revelation in the dining room last night, Marianne assumed Lady Copperpot would be none too pleased. Marianne had managed to help Wilhelmina change out of her clothing and had fled to the fourth floor last night before Lady Copperpot had even returned from what was no doubt a gossip-filled first floor.

There were five more days of the house party left, however. Lady Copperpot and Wilhelmina had to find some way to occupy their time, and Marianne might as well get to the business of planning their picnic.

She opened the door to her bedchamber and was about to step into the darkened hallway when voices caused her to stop. She peered out to see an older man leaving the room of one of the other lady’s maids a few doors down.

The man looked as if he had absolutely no business in the hallway. In fact, judging by the quality of the clothing he’d clearly hastily put on, he appeared to be a…nobleman.

Marianne blinked, and slipped back into her room and closed the door. She wasn’t entirely shocked. She’d spent enough time at house parties to have seen such things happen before. But she didn’t recognize the man and she didn’t know which maid’s room he was leaving.

She would have to find out.

She counted to fifty, hoping to ensure the man would be gone by the time she emerged into the corridor again.

When she opened the door, she breathed a sigh of relief. He was gone and the door he’d come from was shut again. Marianne tapped her cheek, weighing her options. She finally decided a quick fib would no doubt be the best way to gain the information she sought.

Smoothing her sweaty hands down her skirts, she took quick, efficient steps toward the maid’s door. When she arrived, she sucked in a deep breath, lifted her fist and rapped twice loudly enough to heard, but softly enough to hopefully keep from waking the other servants in nearby rooms.

Some shuffling ensued on the other side of the door before a young maid with long blond hair opened the door clad only in a dressing gown. The seductive sly smile on the maid’s face immediately slid away the moment she saw Marianne standing there.

“Wot de ye want?” the maid demanded through narrowed, angry eyes. The sultry look on