Free All I Want Is You by Elizabeth Anthony Page A

I was terribly upset. I wanted to push her away and scratch her smooth skin till it bled and take her place. I wanted to protest to the skies that my Mr Maldon was waiting not for her but for me, me, me.
    When I awoke there were tears in my eyes and my throat burned.

Chapter Six
    When Lady Beatrice returned from London, we all saw straight away that she had arrived without Margaret and I waited nervously for her summons. During her absence the Duke had suddenly become quite ill. Normally at this time of year the Duke and Duchess would host shooting parties and entertain a houseful of guests; but instead the Hall was subdued, and the early autumn mists that gathered in the valley at daybreak increased my feeling of being isolated from the outside world.
    ‘One thing,’ declared Betsey over tea in the servants’ hall one day. ‘If the old Duke croaks his last and we get this new Duke, we might see a bit more life around here.’
    ‘Don’t count on it,’ put in Robert. ‘If the new chap does become Duke, then from the sound of him he’ll be living the high life in London, Paris and all over the place. Oxfordshire will be far too bloomin’ quiet for
him.
’
    I was silent, remembering what Lady Beatrice had said: that she intended to marry him. Then I had to leave, because Lady Beatrice had called for me at last. And she told me why Margaret wasn’t with her.
    She’d found out, you see, that Margaret and I had been watching her that night when Guy Fawcett was in her bedroom, and Lady Beatrice was so angry. I thought with desperate anxiety,
I will lose my job here. Everything is ruined.
    Lady Beatrice was pacing her sitting room while I stood by the door with my head bowed. ‘That fool Margaret had no right,’ she stormed. She’d had her black hair cropped very short while she was away; she was smoking her cigarette in its long ivory holder. ‘No right at all to spy on me.’
    I stammered, ‘When she woke me and led me to your bedroom door, my lady, I didn’t realise what was happening. And then – and then…’
    My face flamed. I felt tawdry, making these pitiful excuses, but Lady Beatrice was suddenly standing very still. ‘Did you enjoy watching, little Sophie?’
    I could say nothing; she drew closer. The curtains had already been closed against the gathering twilight and I could smell her musky, expensive perfume.
    ‘
Did you enjoy it?
’ she persisted.
    Lady Beatrice was my only chance, and I had to tell her the truth. I met her eyes steadily. ‘You are always beautiful, my lady,’ I said. ‘But that night, I thought you looked like the most beautiful person in the world. I wish – how I wish – I could be like you.’
    She let out a little sigh. ‘Do you really?’
    I nodded, my heart thudding against my ribs. She could dismiss me for my arrogance now, in daring to compare myself to her, a great lady. Then she touched my cheek almost tenderly, and sheer relief flowedthrough my veins. ‘Why not?’ she breathed. ‘Why shouldn’t you be as beautiful as me? Did Margaret tell you that Guy Fawcett wanted
you
, Sophie?’
    My breathing stopped. Her fingertips were still stroking my face.
    ‘He wanted me to bring you to him,’ she whispered. One red-tipped finger stopped on my full lower lip. ‘He wanted to take your virginity, in front of me… You
are
a virgin, aren’t you?’
    I nodded numbly.
    ‘Lord Sydhurst was interested in you too,’ she went on softly. ‘But don’t worry. I have other plans for you.’
    Plans.
Hadn’t Margaret said something like this?
My lady won’t half be interested in you.
Suddenly my ribs ached with the need for air. She’d already risen, and was walking across the room to pour herself another drink, but then she turned back to me. ‘There are a lot of things you need to learn, little Sophie. And don’t waste a minute worrying about Margaret, will you? My God, the woman was becoming insolent – I was looking for an excuse to get rid of her.’
    Lady