Page 62 of A Landscape of Love

Hart went and opened it and ushered the blushing maid inside. The girl glanced at him in his dressing gown, dropped her gaze to discover his feet were bare, and turned scarlet. Happily, his wife appeared before he had to deal with her falling into a swoon.

“Sally!” Fidelia exclaimed.

“Oh, my lady!” Sally cried. “Oh, I pray I did right, but I’ll be for it now if you don’t take me on.”

“Take you on? Why, of course I shall, Sally, what should I do without you? Oh, you dear creature,” Fidelia exclaimed, embracing the girl warmly.

“You don’t understand, my lady,” the maid said sheepishly. “I realised what you’d done before anyone else, you see. I’d had my suspicions… about him,” she added in an undertone, jerking a head in Hart’s direction.

“You had?” Fidelia said in surprise.

“You’re not very subtle when you’re in love, my lady, I tell you,” her maid replied with a shake of her head. “Not that I blame you for running away from Lord Malmsey. A nasty piece of work, he is. Tried it on with me, he did. If not for Fred the footman, he might have—”

The girl turned white and then pink as Hart let out a stream of invective.

“The blackguard. If I ever get my hands on him again—”

“Not sure you will, sir,” Sally said, brightening. “He was in a right state when they brought him back to the house, though Lord Richmond was in a worse case. Don’t reckon he’ll fancy another run in with you this side of hell freezing over. Lord, what a fuss they made.”

“Hmph,” Hart replied, disgruntled, folding his arms and glowering.

“I still don’t understand what the problem is, Sally,” Fidelia repeated.

Sally sighed. “Well, the moment I realised what was happening, I guessed where you must be going to, and the gossip that followed told me I had the right of it. So, I packed up everything I could lay my hands on and talked Fred into loading it all into a carriage for me. He drove me to the railway station and… Oh, my lady, I brought all your jewellery, but I had to pawn those little pearl earrings to pay for the fare and for bringing all your luggage. I hope you don’t mind?”

There was a stunned silence.

“Mind?” Fidelia said faintly, gazing at her maid in wonder. “Oh, Sally, you… you absolute Trojan. What a brave thing to do. How courageous you are.”

Sally perked up at this and let out a sigh of relief. “I did the right thing, then?”

She glanced at Hart, who nodded, touched by the woman’s loyalty. Not that it surprised him. Anyone who really knew Fidelia could not help but love her.

“You certainly did, and do you mean to say you’ve brought my clothes and jewellery with you?” Fidelia asked, still unable to believe it.

Sally beamed now, looking pleased with herself. “I did, my lady. Almost all of it, and what I left was stuff you wouldn’t have wanted. Out of date, it was.”

“Goodness, what a wonder you are,” Fidelia said, her admiration such that the girl glowed with pride.

“Sally, if I might ask, what wage was the duke paying you?” Hart asked her, for if anyone was due a raise, this young woman was.

Sally named a figure which, while not meagre, was stingy considering who she had worked for, not that Hart was surprised.

“I’ll double it,” he said promptly. “Providing you start at once.”

Sally’s eyes grew wide. “Just try to stop me,” she replied boldly, gazing at him in awe.

Hart gave her an approving nod. “That’s settled, then. I’ll see to getting your things sent up to you, love,” he said to Fidelia, and went back to speak to Mr Johnson.

Hart washed and dressed quickly so he could get out of his wife’s way and leave her and Sally together. Fidelia was telling her maid all about their elopement and marriage and speaking of him in such glowing terms, his ears were burning. So he went down to the showroom and made a nuisance of himself until Sally came to tell him Fidelia was ready to go and waiting in his office.

Hart hurried there and opened the door, finding the breath knocked out of him at the sight that greeted him.

Fidelia stood by the window, dressed in a dark green redingote trimmed with black braid. Her fair hair was neatly coiled at the back of her neck, and she wore a pretty bonnet lined with the same dark green velvet fabric and decorated with pink–and-green velvet roses. In short, she looked a picture of loveliness, and Hart found it hard to believe she was really his wife, despite the night they’d shared together.

Something of last night must have lingered in his eyes as he looked upon her, for his wife turned a becoming shade of pink.

“You look good enough to eat,” Hart said frankly.