Summerset Abbey (14 page)

Hurrying now, she raced across the room and leapt into bed, but as she shoved her feet down, they were stopped by something about halfway down. Uncomprehending, she pushed her feet down harder and then realized what had happened. Someone had given her an apple pie bed, snuck into her bedroom to pull a prank on her. Sobs erupted from her mouth before she could stop them and she clapped her hands over her face. She wouldn’t give anyone the satisfaction of knowing they had gotten to her. For a few minutes she sat on her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest, trying to get control of herself. She had no friends here, she thought. Except for Susie, she was completely alone, and she was better off remembering that.

When your bed is short-sheeted, you have no choice but to get up and remake it all over again. Wearily, she climbed out of
her bed. Her feet ached from cold and her muscles throbbed with exhaustion, but she managed to get it done.

Finally under the coverlet, with her tears drying on her cheeks, Prudence made a decision. Her next day off was tomorrow. She would take advantage by going into town and trying to find some of her family. Anything was better than being trapped here in isolation, suspended between the upstairs and downstairs worlds of Summerset, and truly belonging to neither.

*   *   *

The next morning, Prudence took out her new rust-colored serge walking suit and brushed it out, being especially careful of the black braid trim and cloth buttons. Slipping on the skirt, which came to just above her ankles, she tucked in a creamy white blouse and pulled on the matching jacket. She loved how the ruffles on the sleeves of her blouse peeked out from under the cuffs of the coat. Then she did her hair the best she could in the cracked mirror and topped it with an oversized black velvet beret. Her feet were clad with a pair of two-toned black and brown leather walking boots that laced up the front. In no manner could she be mistaken for a maid today.

She swept into the servants’ quarters and poured herself a cup of tea, ignoring the stares she was getting.

Hortense’s eyes widened. “
Belle fille
” was all she said.

Prudence knew that her actions wouldn’t make her any friends among the servants, but she didn’t care. She now saw that they judged her every bit as much as Lord Summerset did.

She saw Susie peer around the corner, her eyes wide. Prudence’s stomach was bouncing so much, she decided against porridge and opted for just tea.

“Today is your half day,
oui
? Do you have any plans?” Hortense wanted to know.

“I thought I would go into town,” Prudence answered.

“Why on earth would you want to do that?” Hortense sniffed. “It’s not even a town. More like a village.”

“How long has it been since you’ve been there?” one of the footmen asked. “It’s grown a lot in the last couple of years. Industry is coming in a big way.” He smiled at Prudence, showing a wide grin and strong white teeth. “My name is Andrew, by the way. Andrew Wilkes.”

She smiled back, recognizing him as the kind-faced young man from her first day at Summerset. She’d seen him about since of course, but as they rarely ate at the same time, she hadn’t met him formally yet. She guessed this was as formal as the servants got. “Prudence Tate,” she said, and then felt stupid. Everyone already knew who she was.

One of the maids snorted and snatched her cup and bowl from the table. “I don’t have time for this. Some of us have work to do.”

Andrew kept smiling. “Don’t mind her. She’s just jealous. It’s evident to everyone here that you’re a real lady.”

“That will be all, Andrew. I’m sure you have work to attend to, as well,” Mr. Cairns said from the doorway.

“But—” Andrew started to say.

“Now,” Mr. Cairns interrupted.

Andrew gave her a cheeky wink and, gathering up his breakfast dishes, also left the table.

Mr. Cairns gave her a withering look and Prudence turned away, her cheeks heating.

“You had better be off before Mrs. Harper gets a look at
you, my young friend. Or there will be all kinds of hell to pay,” Hortense said.

“But the clothes are my own and it’s my day off. Surely she can’t object to my wearing my own clothes on my day off, can she?”

“Oh, she’ll find a way. Now off. Enjoy your day, even though I don’t know how you’re going to find any amusement in a muddy hamlet like Summerset.”

Prudence took her cup back to the utility room to wash it.

“I’ll get it,” Susie said gruffly, not looking at Prudence. “You’ll spot your dress if you do it.”

“Thank you, Susie. I’ll get you a surprise while I’m in town.”

Prudence thought she saw a half smile on Susie’s face, but she couldn’t be sure. Contrariness had made her avoid Victoria and Rowena this morning, even to ask whether they would like anything from town or needed anything before she left. Both of them had disappeared several times since they had come to Summerset and didn’t tell her where they went.

It was hard to keep up with your friends if spending time together was frowned upon. Even though there were occasions when they would spend time reading together in their bedrooms in front of the fire, Ro and Vic couldn’t be expected to spend all their time in their rooms. They weren’t the prisoners.

She was.

Shaking off her thoughts, Prudence made sure to leave by the servants’ door and avoided the front of the house. The last thing she needed was to be rebuked for being uppish, and after her behavior this morning, she knew she would be a target. Shame heated her cheeks. What had ever possessed her to go to breakfast dressed up in an outfit that would cost any one of them more than a year’s wages?

But still, now that she was finally outside the house, she felt as if she could breathe. The clouds hung low and gray in the sky but didn’t seem threatening. Her sturdy walking boots were comfortable. The trees along the drive had been emptied of all their autumn leaves and now stood like stark and naked sentries above her.

When she reached the end of the drive, she paused, feeling foolish. Why hadn’t she thought to get directions to town? She heard the rattle of a motorcar behind her and stepped to the side as it slowed.

Lord Billingsly tipped his hat to her. “Good morning, Miss Tate.”

“Good morning, Lord Billingsly.” She felt her cheeks flush, then glanced back at the house.

“No one can see us from here if that’s what you’re worried about.”

She swallowed. “Of course not.”

There was a long pause. “Are you going to town? May I give you a lift?”

She squirmed inside as she remembered how she’d scurried away into the servants’ door the last time she’d seen him. At the same time she was annoyed by her reaction to him. She was finally getting out of the house and here he was, his very handsome presence making her feel self-conscious. “Yes, I am going to town, but I am perfectly capable of walking there. In fact, I’ll enjoy the exercise. Good day, sir.”

She turned left and resolutely walked down the road.

“Miss Tate?”

She stopped and closed her eyes for a moment. Somehow she had known that wouldn’t be the end of it. “Yes, Lord Billingsly?” she asked without turning.

“Are you planning on walking all the way to London? Because Summerset is the other direction.”

Of course it was. The absurdity of the situation hit her and laughter bubbled out of her before she could stop it. It was the first time she’d laughed so freely since Sir Philip died. The thought pained her, but it didn’t stop the laughter. When his laugh, warm and rich, joined hers, she finally turned. Oh, what would be the harm in joining him? Her sensible side knew the answer to that. In her position, there could be quite a bit of harm, but recklessly she ignored the risk. “Lord Billingsly, I would very much like a ride to town.”

He leapt out of the touring motorcar and opened her door for her. Once he had climbed back inside, he rooted around in the backseat and then handed her a dust blanket.

“No reason to get your fine dress muddy or dusty.”

She tucked the blanket around her dress and they took off, heading the right direction into town.

“So Miss Tate. You’re rather the mystery girl, aren’t you?” His tone was light and Prudence snuck a glance at him.

His bowler hat tilted slightly to one side and his dark hair curled over the collar of his suit in the back. In profile, she could see that his mouth curled slightly at the corners, as if he could find the humorous side of anything. “Trust me, Lord Billingsly, there is nothing mysterious about me whatsoever.”

“I beg to differ. The first time I met you, I couldn’t get two words from you, though that was understandable considering the circumstances. I met you again last night and you were wearing a uniform and were a bit, how shall I say it, aggressive? Now this morning, you’re a different girl altogether. See? Mystery.”

His eyes squinted in a smile and Prudence relaxed. Something
kind in his expression put her at ease. “All of those things can be explained, Lord Billingsly.”

“I would be pleased if you could enlighten me, Miss Tate.”

A smile played about her lips. It was so nice to be riding along in a motorcar with a handsome young man teasing her. As if she were a normal young woman. Prudence knew that all hell would break loose if Mrs. Harper or, heaven forbid, Lady Summerset found out, but at the moment she didn’t care.

“I think I’ll keep the mystery alive a bit longer. I’ve never been considered mysterious before, and I must say I rather like it.”

“Fair enough. But do me the honor of answering me one question. I did give you a ride to town, after all.”

The town was just ahead of them. Prudence gave him a sidelong look. “I guess that depends on the question, Lord Billingsly.”

“Wherever did you get that hat?”

Her mouth dropped open for a moment and then she laughed. “I didn’t take you for the velvet beret type, but if you must know, I bought it from Caroline Reboux’s new shop on Bond Street.”

“My
little sister
thanks you,” he said pointedly. “Now, do you think this town has a teahouse where we could get a cup of tea? That is if you would care to join me in a cup of tea.” He pulled the motorcar over and regarded her steadily, his dark eyes asking a question she dare not answer.

Her pulse kicked up a notch before she reined it in. Despite her sudden desire to spend more time in his company, Prudence knew that tea with Lord Billingsly would
not
be a good idea. “I’m not sure if there is a teahouse or not, Lord Billingsly, but we cannot have tea. Not only because I have many errands before returning to the house, but because I’m not sure having tea together would accomplish anything except to cause trouble.”

She took the dust blanket off her knees and folded it.

“But why would a simple cup of tea cause trouble, Miss Tate?”

She gave him a half smile. “I think you know the answer to that. Thank you for the ride into town. I do hope your sister enjoys her beret.”

“I don’t really have a sister,” he said quickly as she opened the door.

She stepped down out of the motorcar and looked up at him. His dark eyes were suddenly serious. “Then why did you want to know where I got my hat?” she asked.

He smiled and she noticed he had very straight white teeth. “Because I knew you wouldn’t answer anything else.” Prudence couldn’t help but smile back, though she quickly tried to hide her expression.

“Very astute. Thank you again for the ride,” she said matter-of-factly.

She turned away and hurried down the sidewalk, trying to look as if she knew where she was going, which she most emphatically did not. She half wished she’d taken him up on having tea with him in any one of the tea shops that lined the street. But no. What was that old saying about borrowing trouble? Resolutely, she turned her attention to her surroundings.

The footman, Andrew, had it right. Even though she’d never been there before, she could see that Summerset was burgeoning with a sense of its own dawning importance. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the tiny two-street village she’d hoped for—it would have been so much easier to find news of her family if that were the case. She supposed she could have asked one of the other servants, but she felt embarrassed to admit that she had no idea who her family was.

She looked around for a dry goods store, or perhaps a clothing store where she wouldn’t feel too out of place asking whether anyone knew any Tates.

A far as she could tell, the old side of town lay to the north and the new part stretched out south and west toward the hills. She headed toward the older side, figuring that if there were any Tates, they would probably have been there for quite some time. Of course, knowing only one of her family names was just another obstacle in a whole line of them.

She glanced at the people bustling past her. Women in shapeless, old-fashioned gowns and shawls walked side by side with young women in trimmer, modern dresses that barely skimmed their ankles. There were few motorcars on this side of town and more horse-drawn carts.

She rounded a corner and spotted a shabby old library across the street, flanked by a boardinghouse and a laundry. The acrid scent of strong washing powder mixed with that of the horse dung in the street, but she didn’t care. No doubt this was the only library in Summerset, and considering how much her mother enjoyed reading, chances were she came here for her books.

Prudence hurried across the street. The wooden door creaked as she opened it and she wondered how many people actually came here every day. The inside was dim, depending on several gas lamps and the dingy front window for light. The shelves were surprisingly tidy, with the books stacked across them in neat rows. A door set on several wooden boxes served as a desk in the back of the room, and an old man sat behind it, looking at her expectantly.

He wore no hat, and his head shone baldly pink in the dim light. White, bushy eyebrows sat over his eyes like a conjoined pair of fuzzy caterpillars. He probably had more hair in his eyebrows
than on his entire head. He put his finger on the big book he had propped in front of him and smiled. “May I help you?”