The Earl and The Chambermaid by Wilson Sophia

Author:Wilson, Sophia [Wilson, Sophia]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2019-09-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

“Did you hear the rumors?” Mrs. Perry whispered to Abigail one morning. “Did you hear what Lady Charlotte is raging about?”

“What?” Abigail said, looking confused. She had just gotten up and was pouring herself a cup of tea. “What are you talking about?”

“She is saying that there are jewels missing,” Mrs. Perry said. “Jewels and diamonds.”

“What?” Abigail answered. “How?”

“Someone stole them from her rooms, supposedly,” Mrs. Perry said. “And she is tearing the house apart for them.”

“Oh my,” Abigail said. “Is she sure that someone took them? Maybe she just misplaced them?”

“Abigail,” Mrs. Perry said, and gave her a look. “Don’t you suggest such a thing.”

“I’m sorry,” Abigail said, flushing bright red. “It’s just Lady Charlotte is known for misplacing things, and I just assumed that she would be …”

“She’s on a rampage,” Mrs. Perry said. “Don’t say a word.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Abigail said, and tried to put it out of her mind. All the staff in the house had worked together for a very long time, and she didn’t think that anyone would take the jewels. If anything, she was positive that Lady Charlotte had simply misplaced them and would find them soon enough. As she aged, the lady of the house was starting to lose her memory, and Abigail had helped her find many misplaced things on other occasions.

It was around lunchtime when the commotion really started up. They were supposed to be serving lunch to Lady Charlotte and Lord Jeremy. Instead, all the servants were called into the dining room.

Abigail thought it was a mistake when she was asked to go. After all, she wasn’t dressed to serve, and she still had soot on her face from relighting a fire that had gone out. She took a minute to look in the mirror and tried to scrub it away, before finding herself the last to enter the dining room.

“Abigail,” Lady Charlotte said. “Kind of you to join us.”

“I apologize,” Abigail said, keeping her head down. She was intensely curious about what this was about. Had the jewel thief been caught? Was Lady Charlotte going to demand a confession?

Abigail was not fearful because she had nothing to hide. She was innocent, and as mean as Lady Charlotte could be, there was no reason to accuse her of anything.

The highlight of the surprise meeting was that Lord Jeremy was there. He caught her eye, even though he shouldn’t, and the two exchanged a brief smile before Lady Charlotte started to walk up and down the line.

“My jewels,” she said. “My family jewels have been stolen. They were given to me by my parents on my wedding day, and they have remained safe in this house for many years. Safe, that is, until one of you decided to put your grubby little hands on them. I won’t stand for this. I won’t stand for thievery or lying. So I’m giving you a chance to confess now. If you do, you’ll be put on suspension, but you will not be dismissed. Come forward now or be dismissed when the jewels are found.

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