Free The Housemaid's Scandalous Secret by Helen Dickson Page B

you—indeed you will find as time goes on that she will confide in you in a way that is perhaps not entirely fitting, but because we have given you so much, because we chose you over a more experienced lady’s maid, I know you will always be discreet. I know you will soon pick up your duties, but the habit of loyalty cannot be bought. Do you understand me?’
    Lisette nodded. ‘Yes. Be assured, Colonel, that whatever Miss Araminta confides in me, will go no further.’
    Holding her gaze he nodded and smiled. ‘Thank you. I know I can trust you. Have you no family, Miss Napier?’
    She shook her head. ‘No. My parents died of the cholera in India. As far as I am aware there is no one else.’ As she said this she thought of the letter she had dispatched just yesterday to her father’s lawyer in Oxford informing him of her parents’ demise, and then her thoughts turned to Princess Messalina. Though not related, she was the closest she had to family.
    ‘You must miss your parents.’
    ‘Yes, I do. Very much.’
    ‘What was your father doing out in India?’
    She smiled. ‘My father was something of an eccentric as well as being an academic. Not only was he a linguist he was also a botanist. He was working out there for the University of Oxford.’
    ‘And your mother? Did she like India?’
    ‘Yes, although she would have gone anywhere my father asked her to go. They were very close. They met in Italy—she was half Italian on her mother’s side.’
    ‘Then that explains your hair colouring. The only other women I’ve seen with hair as black as yours are Indian women. It must have been a difficult time for you when you lost your parents.’
    She nodded. Remembering that time, she thanked God that was over and she was here. ‘Yes, it was. Ever since, I’ve felt like a pawn on a chessboard, with no choice but to move forward, one step at a time.’
    When she resumed her work he began to speak of his life in India, recalling his travels and battles and life with his regiment. Soothed by the deep warmth of his voice, Lisette was fascinated by his recollections, and glad of them too, for it brought India closer.
    ‘My parents are dead too,’ he said. ‘My mother died when Araminta was born and my father was killed in France. He was the Duke of Rothermere’s younger brother. My aunt and uncle took pity on us and installed us at Castonbury. We’ve lived there nearly all our lives.’
    ‘Does the duke have a large family?’
    ‘Six offspring. There is Jamie—the eldest, but he’s currently listed as missing presumed dead. It’s been very hard for the whole family. Then there is Kate. I haven’t seen her in five years but I believe she devotes her life to worthy causes. You are sure to come into contact with her at Castonbury. She has her own ideas on equality between the sexes and is of the opinion that women should try and rise above their servitude.’
    ‘It’s easy for someone with means to be so forceful and outspoken in their opinions, but if she were to suddenly find herself without means, then she would come down to earth with a bump.’
    He gave her a wry smile. ‘Maybe so, but being the kind of person she is, she’d have a damned good try anyway.’
    ‘I understand what you mean,’ Lisette said, lowering her head over her work. ‘But one could also look upon so privileged a life as a great comfort.’
    ‘I do not take my position for granted, I assure you. I fully understand and appreciate how fortune of birth has given me all the opportunities and physical comforts of life—and I think I can speak for my cousin Kate too.’
    ‘It is far more than that,’ Lisette replied, sudden passion in her voice. ‘You have a place in the world. You know what it is and where you belong. That is a very comforting thing.’
    Her sudden intensity startled Ross. She was clearly a person of deep feeling, and there was a great deal of passion there. It all lay beneath the surface.
    ‘You can have no