House of Devon by Tammy Andresen & Amanda Mariel

Author:Tammy Andresen & Amanda Mariel
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi

Chapter Four

That evening, Abigail sat next to one of the footmen, John, as he regaled the table with a story from his recent trip to London. He was a likable fellow, and attractive with brown hair and green eyes, and they’d struck up a bit of a friendship in her time at the house.

Because of his position, he travelled often. As his story finished, she leaned closer, tapping his shoulder. “John. Can I as you a question?”

“Please do,” he gave her a friendly smile, turning her way.

“I…” he took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure who else to talk to or how much to reveal. “Do you like traveling to new places or is it frightening?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Most of the time it’s fun. Learning a new place can be daunting at times.” He scratched his chin. “But if you like adventure or aren’t afraid of a little hard work, the rewards are most usually worth it.”

Abigail’s eyebrows went up. She could apply so much of that to her own situation. It was exactly the type of answer she’d hoped for. As dinner concluded, she began making the rounds about the house, her thoughts on Rex.

His proposal had caught her off guard and his assurance that the duke would support the match even more so. As she passed through the gallery, she found herself at the duke’s office door, lit with several candles, as the man continued to work.

Straightening her shoulders, she raised her hand and knocked on the partially open door.

“Yes?” His deep voice made her pause. But she wouldn’t know until she asked.

“Your Grace,” she called. “It’s Mrs. Franks. May I have a word?”

“Come in,” he said and she heard his chair push back.

She entered the room to find him standing behind his desk. Pressing her palms to the flat of her stomach, she drew in a deep breath. “Mr. Ableman sought me out today. He said you had a conversation about me.”

The duke’s eyebrows rose. “We did indeed.”

Her lip twitched as her fingers clenched. “May I ask why?”

The duke pinched his chin as he assessed her. “The man is interested in you. I thought I’d hasten things along for both of you.”

The man’s words completely took her by surprise. She reached out to grab the nearby chair, needing its support. “But you promoted me to housekeeper. Surely, I owe you a debt that I need to work off or—”

His knuckles wrapped on his desk, cutting off her words. “You owe me no debt. I hired you because you are an excellent worker. Any money I spent clearing your name was a gift. One that I should give to people who need it more often. Now tell me, what else did our new stablemaster say, and be honest? I’ve been curious all day.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “He asked me to marry him.”

“Good,” he knocked on the desktop one single time again. “Did you accept?”

Her mouth opened and then closed and then opened again. “I hardly know the man.

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.