The Valet Experiment by Ellie St. Clair

Author:Ellie St. Clair
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2020-07-13T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

“J emima St. Vincent, where are you?”

Archie could hardly contain his frustration as he banged through the front door of Wyndham House — a door he had never walked through before without Valentine, but there was a first time for everything.

“Mister Thompkins!”

Oh, shit. It wasn’t Jemima who answered his summons, but her mother. Archie had been so focused on returning home and telling Jemima just exactly what he thought of her little charade at Simons’ betting establishment that he had forgotten there was a very good chance Jemima would not be here alone.

Jemima’s mother sailed into the foyer, her hands on her hips as she stared up at him, although the expression on her face made it clear that she did not approve of him, nor his arrival.

“While I realize that you and my son have a particularly close relationship,” she said, leaning over, “that does not mean that you can saunter in through the front door of Wyndham House as though you own the place!”

Despite the tight ball of anger that began to grow in his stomach, Archie ducked his head so as not to meet her eye. For she was right. He was a valet, whereas Valentine, despite being his closest friend, was a duke — and Jemima was the duke’s sister.

“My apologies, Mrs. St. Vincent,” he managed. “You are correct.”

“Of course, I am correct,” she said, and he moved to the door of the foyer, reminding himself of just why he kept his distance from Mrs. St. Vincent. How Jemima and Valentine had been raised by such a woman, he would never know, for they were both so unlike her — so accepting of others, no matter their station nor background.

Thank goodness.

“One more thing, Mister Thompkins,” she said just as Archie was almost through the gilded entrance and past the rise of the grand staircase.

He paused, wondering if he could pretend not to hear her, but knew that it would do nothing but make everything worse.

“Yes?” he said, turning around on his heel as he fisted his hands at his sides.

“Stay away from my daughter.”

“Excuse me?” he said, his entire body going rigid. He had no idea that his affection for Jemima was observed by anyone — least of all Jemima herself. That Mrs. St. Vincent had noticed…

“Oh, come, Archie Thompkins, you were never the greatest of actors, we all know that,” she said with a laugh that grated his entire spine. “We are not the people we were in Hungerford. You and Valentine may have enjoyed yourselves running around the streets there, and at the time, I didn’t overly care — for I had Matthew. But now Matthew is gone, and Valentine is not only the head of this family now, but one of the highest peers in all of England. He chose to keep you around as his valet, despite my misgivings. Why he insisted on having the lot of your ragtag group with him here in London, I will never know, but insist he did.

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