Adored in Autumn by Jess Michaels

Author:Jess Michaels [Michaels, Jess]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
Goodreads: 33407315
Publisher: The Passionate Pen
Published: 2017-01-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Asher sat in a tavern on a side of town he doubted Stenfax or Gray had ever been to. It wasn’t the worst part of town, but it wasn’t the type of place a man of rank or privilege ever frequented. It was the retreat of the honest working man. The chimney sweep, the lantern lighter, the servant.

He hadn’t been to this place in years. Not since he first arrived in London. Now he didn’t belong here, either. He was a different kind of worker now, one who wore a white collar with a cravat and a fine tailored jacket. Even if, in his heart, he still felt like the boy who’d been raised a servant.

The door to the place opened and a man stepped in. He was about the same age as Asher, with bright red hair and mischievous green eyes. Asher grinned as he stood up and waved. The man met his gaze and also smiled as he crossed the crowded floor, a hand outstretched.

“Asher Seyton!” he cried as they shook hands. “As I breathe, it’s good to see you!”

“And you, Hendrix. Sit, please. Let me get you an ale.”

They sat and Asher waved at the barmaid to bring them two drinks. As they waited, he looked at his companion. Hendrix had been a friend he made in his teens, when they both served houses. Asher had been moving through different jobs, trained by his father. That summer, the family had come to London and he’d served as a footman. So had Hendrix. While they waited around for their masters at balls and events, they talked. They’d become friends.

“So you’ve made good for yourself,” Hendrix said, looking Asher up and down.

Suddenly Asher’s clothes felt a bit too tight. Like he had wrapped another man’s skin over himself. In some ways, he supposed he had.

“I just changed the way I dealt with men of rank,” he said.

Hendrix’s eyes twinkled. “Don’t downplay it. I’m happy to see you rise above your beginnings. Gives me hope for my own sons someday.”

Asher tilted his head. “You have children?”

Hendrix flinched slightly. “No, not yet. My current master doesn’t allow for his servants to marry or have children. I have a lady I court, but I’m trapped. I’m hoping to get out of Fitzgilbert’s employ soon, though.”

Asher tensed. There it was, the real reason he’d asked to meet with his friend. Hendrix served in the house of Celia and Rosalinde’s grandfather. Since Fitzgilbert was the only one who was potentially paying out to their villain, Hendrix was the best lead Asher had to finding that man and ending all this.

“Gregory Fitzgilbert,” he said cautiously. Oh, he and Hendrix and a dozen other servants had talked about their employers in the past. But there was a difference in talking to one of their own and to an outsider. He wasn’t certain if Hendrix would think him the first or the second.

Hendrix eyed him carefully. “You want to know about him.”

Asher nodded slowly. “I do. He’s…he’s related to a friend of mine.

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