Free Courting Her Highness by Jean Plaidy Page B

was not quite as unattractive as she had always been led to believe.

    Alice sent a message to her telling her that the young Duke of Gloucester was parading his army in the gardens of Kensington Palace, and as the King was to inspect them this was a special occasion and there would be quite a little party going to see this. Why should not Abigail join in. John would be there and so would a friend of Alice’s. She would have an opportunity of seeing the King at closer quarters than she was ever likely to again.
    So Abigail asked Mrs. Danvers for leave of absence which was readily given. It was rare, Mrs. Danvers had commented, that one found a chambermaid of Abigail Hill’s stamp, who moved about so quietly that you did not notice she was there, yet managed that everything that should be done was done. A little gaiety would not come amiss either, thought Mrs. Danvers; for although the girl was small and plain, she was also young.
    Abigail neatly and very inconspicuously dressed in her discreet grey dress and short black cape found Alice in a red silk gown cut away to show a black satin petticoat with a white calico border; she also wore a black silk scarf and a black and red spotted hood.
    Abigail scarcely recognized her and guessed that she was spending a great deal of her salary on her clothes instead of saving as she should. John too showed his love of finery in his brown frieze coat, breeches of thesame colour and light drugged waistcoat; he wore a freshly curled wig and looked quite magnificent. Abigail would have seemed incongruous beside such fashionable people but for the fact that John had brought a friend with him, who was as soberly dressed as Abigail herself.
    “This is Samuel Masham,” said John. “I wonder you and my sister haven’t met, Sam, for she is now in the Princess’s household.”
    Samuel Masham bowed over Abigail’s hand. He already knew Alice, it seemed.
    “I am in the household of the Prince of Denmark,” he said.
    Abigail asked if he were satisfied with his post, and he replied that he was very well satisfied.
    “One is fortunate to get into the royal household,” he said. “Particularly in my case. I’m the youngest of eight sons.”
    “And I believe,” said Abigail, “that His Highness is an indulgent master.”
    “The best in the world.”
    “The Princess is kindly too.”
    “Oh yes, we are fortunate indeed.”
    “I should not care to be in the service of the King,” put in John.
    “I should say not!” cried Alice. “I’m told he awakes in none too good a temper and lays about him with his cane on those who are unlucky enough to wait on him.”
    The four of them laughed and John added: “The clever ones keep out of his way until the day wears on and he becomes more mellow.”
    “It’s due to all that Hollands Gin he drinks in the Hampton Banqueting House,” Alice explained. “What a strange man he is! They say that he is filled with remorse because he was unfaithful to Queen Mary and she left a letter reproaching him. Who would have believed that
he
would ever have been anyone’s lover.”
    “You’ve seen the Countess of Orkney, I’ll swear,” asked John.
    “Yes,” said Alice. “She’s so odd looking. Her eyes are so peculiar. Squinting Betty they call her. Yet she was the only mistress he ever had, so they say; and there’s some that are sure he still meets her—but only when he goes to Holland.”
    Abigail and Samuel Masham said nothing, but stood quietly listening to the conversation of the other two. There seemed to be an accordbetween them; and Abigail sensed that he was taking everything in, even as she was, but that he was not eager to let them know what he was thinking.
    “We should get into our places,” said Samuel. “The display is about to begin.”
    He did not touch Abigail but was close beside her. She sensed his interest and it seemed strange to her that a young man should be more interested in her than in Alice. It was something which