Maid to Be Mine: A Regency Cinderella Story by K.L. O'Keefe

Author:K.L. O'Keefe
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2012-01-15T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

When he saw someone heading in his direction, Robert's eyes bulged. Then he realized it was Edith, and a portion of fear subsided. Being a servant, he wasn't too familiar with the ladies of the house, but he knew enough about them to know that Lady Edith was the lesser of two evils. Nevertheless, Cynthia had entrusted him with a task, and he needed to complete it to the best of his ability.

“Good morning,” Edith greeted him. She eyed the door behind him, but he didn't move.

“Good morning,” Robert parroted. “Although... it's more like afternoon, is it not?”

“I am not sure. These days, time alludes me. The older I get, the faster the time seems to fly. Is it just me, or does that not seem to be a sad fact of life?”

“Aye,” he agreed. “That does seem to be the case.”

Edith stared at the door for several seconds, but it was becoming obvious that he wasn't going to move. So she said, “Can I go in there?”

“In here?” Robert thrust a thumb over his shoulder, in the direction of the door he was guarding. “This room? This one?! Really??”

“Yes. This room.”

“But this sitting room is... it is... dreadfully boring. Are you sure you don't want a different one? There isn't enough sunlight in there!”

“Really?” Edith raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I seem to remember a particularly large bay window in this room.”

“It's those dark curtains. They're drowning out the sunlight!”

“Curtains!? I don't remember any curtains.”

“They're... new?” Robert winced. He didn't think he would be so terrible at telling spontaneous lies.

Edith tried to reach behind Robert. When she grasped the doorknob, he gently pushed her hand away. Exasperated, she exclaimed, “Please, I need to go in there! I left my book, and I need to retrieve it!”

“And what book are we talking about? Is it that important? Think about it. There are loads of books in the library, just waiting to be read!”

Edith's ire wasn't easily raised, but the servant boy was testing her patience. “Please step aside.”

“You don't want to go in there!” Robert yelped.

“And why not?”

“I... I cast up my accounts! All over the floor! I kept retching and retching, and then I retched some more. Trust me, it isn't a pretty sight.”

“So you're... unwell?” Her tone was rife with incredulity; she did not believe him.

“It's a mess in there! You don't want to soil your pretty slippers, do you? As soon as Solomon comes with the necessary cleaning supplies, I'll--”

“You're hiding something,” Edith accused him.

“I'm what?!”

“You're hiding something,” she repeated. “You couldn't possibly make it any more obvious. The only question is... what are you hiding?”

“Reams of noxious bodily discharge?” he suggested hopefully.

“Step aside, please. I'm going in there!” Edith gave Robert a gentle nudge, then she pushed open the door. When she saw Cynthia sitting on the settee, shoulder bared, Edith's mouth fell open. Then her gaze traveled to Lord Charmington, who was halfway finished with a portrait of her stepsister.

Robert peered at Cynthia over Edith's head.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.