Toward the Sea of Freedom (The Sea of Freedom Trilogy Book 1) by Sarah Lark

Author:Sarah Lark [Lark, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-01-18T23:00:00+00:00

Ultimately, it was anything but rebellion that put an end to her happy life with the Busbys. Lizzie’s confrontation with her past caught her completely off guard.

“This evening there’ll be a grand dinner, Lizzie,” Mrs. Busby said, at ease, when Lizzie and the other housemaids came into her receiving room for the morning review. “So everyone please appear for service in neat, clean uniforms and with polished shoes. Keep an eye on the others, Lizzie; you know they don’t take that seriously enough.”

The Maori girls regarded the peculiar European shoes included with the maids’ uniforms as rather suspect.

“Ruiha will serve at the table, Lizzie will handle the reception, and I’ll discuss the menu with Cook later. Polish the silver again. The gentlemen come from England, and they will be used to the finer things.”

“How many people are we expecting, madam?” Lizzie asked politely.

Mrs. Busby shrugged. “Two British engineers or architects, something like that, and a few men from Russell. It’s about some road construction project. I’ll be bored all evening again. Oh yes, and bring up a few bottles of the French wine, Lizzie. Maybe we’ll manage to open them before James can bring out that sour stuff of his.”

Lizzie curtsied and began the preparations. In contrast to the Maori girls, she enjoyed setting out the porcelain and polishing the silver and crystal until they shone.

By the time the guests were due to arrive, even the maids shone, clean and neat, having let Lizzie order them around good-naturedly until even the last bonnet sat perfectly in place. Lizzie waited at the entrance to take the coats and umbrellas from the guests. It was winter, and even if it was not very cold, it rained in buckets all day. A curtain of rain hid the beauty of the bays and forested hills.

Lizzie did not recognize the man at first as he hastened, in the middle of a group, to come out of the weather. Only when the tall, red-faced road construction engineer took off his coat and hat did it strike Lizzie like lightning. Martin Smithers stood in front of her. And he looked just as flabbergasted as she.

Her first impulse was to flee—perhaps she could get away before he recognized her. Of course that was impossible, and he recovered from his surprise much faster than Lizzie. Smithers’s water-blue eyes shone lustfully. He smirked at Lizzie as he handed her his coat.

“Look here, it’s the house kitten. What a pleasure. And look, you’re respectable once again.” His eyes darted around with the speed of a ferret’s, and once he saw that all the other visitors were deep in conversation, he leaned into Lizzie. “I was not at all happy about your leaving, sweet. Do you know who my wife got to replace you? A pale, scrawny fellow who trained as a butler before stealing from his employers. No fun, my kitten.”

Lizzie took a step back from him, then brought his coat and hat to the closet to give herself a moment to think.

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