Free Rowena (Regency Belles Series Book 1) by Caroline Ashton

voice louder now the butler was far below.
    She continued up a second staircase that was much less imposing. At the head of the stairs she stopped so abruptly Rowena collided with her.
    ‘Oh,’ the girl squeaked, staring along the left-hand corridor.
    In front of her Ellie was jiggling from foot to foot beside Rowena’s portmanteau dumped on the floor near a door. The skirt of her apron was twisted into a rope around her agitated hands. A patchwork of pink stains blotched a face streaked with tear-tracks.
    ‘Thank you,’ Rowena said to the maid. ‘I can manage now.’
    The girl, her eyes full upon Ellie, half-bobbed curtsey before she hurried along the corridor, casting a final, curious glance over her shoulder at the end.
    Ellie could scarcely contain herself until the maid had vanished down the servants’ stairs. ‘Oh, miss,’ she sobbed. ‘Oh, I’m ever so glad you’re here.’
    ‘What ever is the matter?’
    ‘Oh, miss. It were awful.’ Tears overflowed down the pink cheeks.
    Startled by a fresh bout of noisy sobs, Rowena pushed the bedroom door open. ‘Come in here.’ She laid her arm around Ellie’s heaving shoulders and urged her into the room. The bed stood near the door. Rowena eased Ellie down to sit beside her. ‘Now then, stop crying and tell me what’s made you cry.’
    The tearful face turned towards her. ‘It were an accident, miss. Honest.’ She sniffed loudly. The apron suffered more twists and knots. Her voice quavered. ‘I didn’t mean it. I really didn’t mean it.’ She gathered the mangled apron up to cover her face. A violent burst of sobs gushed into it.
    Rowena gave the weeping girl a gentle shake. ‘What accident, Ellie? What’s happened?’ She scanned the maid. ‘Are you hurt?
    ‘Oh no, miss. It’s worse’n that. Much worse.’ She gulped down a sob. ‘I got lost trying to find your room.’
    Another tremendous sniff had Rowena wincing. ‘But you’re here now.’ She tilted her head, a small frown printed between her eyebrows. ‘So why does it matter?’
    ‘But miss, you don’t understand.’ Another sob. ‘I went up the wrong stair and . . . oh, miss.’ Distraught eyes were turned upon Rowena. ‘I ended up in the footmen’s quarters.’
    ‘Oh.’ Rowena’s fingers tensed on Ellie’s arm. ‘Did anyone see you?’
    ‘Yes. Thaddeus. He took pity on me. Said he’d find the way down.’
    ‘Well then, that was fortunate. Thaddeus is a good person.’
    An explosive sob burst out of Ellie’s chest. ‘It weren’t him, miss. It were Mrs Emmett.’
    ‘Who’s Mrs Emmett?’
    ‘She’s the housekeeper. Oh, miss, she’s awful fierce . . . not at all like Mrs Cope.’
    ‘Did she see you?’
    A nod. Another sob. A wave of them followed. ‘Yes, miss. She said I w-w-weren’t allowed up there. She said if I w-w-were hers I’d be turned off w-without . . . without a character.’ She released her crumpled apron and clutched Rowena’s hand. ‘Oh, what am I to do, miss? There’s only me and ma since pa died. We need my wages desperate bad or ma’ll starve.’ She grabbed the apron skirt threw the end over her head and howled into hands pressed to her shrouded face.
    ‘Ellie!’ Rowena shook her firmly. ‘Ellie. Listen. It doesn’t matter what Mrs . . . Mrs Whoever says. We employ you, not her. We know what a good girl you are.’ The rate of sobs lessened slightly. ‘You aren’t going to be turned off.’
    Ellie rocked forward. The apron slid off her shaking head and flopped over her hands. Two reddened eyes peered over the top. ‘I’m not?’
    ‘Of course not.’
    ‘Oh, miss. Oh miss, I’m ever so grateful.’ Elli untangled her hands from the wrecked linen and flung them around Rowena’s neck knocking off her bonnet. It banged against the back of her neck. The tied ribbons pulled against her throat. ‘Oh thank you, miss. Thank you.’
    A roll on a gong sounded over her tremulous thanks. A rather large gong. Ellie dragged her arms from