A Housemaid to Redeem Him by Laura Martin

Author:Laura Martin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2023-12-06T15:37:03+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Rose woke to the sun’s rays falling on her face. It wasn’t often she got to sleep past dawn and this morning she luxuriated in the indulgence of a few minutes in bed as she stretched and prepared for the day.

She had slept fitfully, her mind wanting to relive the kiss with Mr Digby again and again. Her waking moments had tangled with her dreams so that she had spent most of her night in a half-present daze, unsure what was real and what was not. It meant she had woken filled with regret and desire all bundled together.

‘Damn you, Mr Digby,’ she muttered as she rose from bed. He had burst into her peaceful life here at Meadow View and now she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she told herself it was better than a different scenario. She could be living through a repeat of her last position with a manipulative master. This time she felt attraction towards Mr Digby, a strong pull that was hard to ignore. It was better than him pursuing her when she did not want anything to do with him and forcing her out of a good job. At least they were both sensible people—one kiss need not ruin everything.

As she stood up, adjusting her nightdress so it sat straight on her shoulders, there was a frantic knocking on her bedroom door. She quickly put on her dressing gown and opened it to find Mr Watkins standing outside, panting heavily, his expression one of pure fear.

‘He’s gone,’ he said through gasps.

Rose felt all the blood drain from her head and for a moment she swayed, having to reach out and hold on to the door to steady herself.

‘What happened?’

‘I woke half an hour ago and there was no sound coming from Lord Digby’s bedroom. I got dressed as I normally do and then went in to check on him. He wasn’t there. The bedclothes were tangled in a pile on the floor and his slippers gone, but there was no sign of him.’

‘Where have you looked?’

‘The front door is wide open, Miss Carpenter; he must have taken the key from the hook in the hall. I checked the glasshouse, but he is not in there.’

Rose felt panic rising within her as she remembered just a few days earlier when he had been heading straight for the river.

‘Rouse everyone,’ she said, already reaching for her dress. It was a blueish grey, still respectable and plain enough to be suitable as a maid’s dress, but a little different to the other drab grey dresses she owned.

‘Even Mr Digby?’

‘No, I will knock on his door,’ Rose said quickly. ‘Set the footmen out to search the garden, starting with the land near the river. They can work their way back up towards the house. Mrs Green and the maids can search the house.’

Without another word, she closed the door on Mr Watkins and frantically began pulling off her dressing gown and nightdress.

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