Page 4 of The Marquess’ Disguised Heiress (Love and Secrets of the Ton #13)

“What about the refreshments? Has everything been finalized and the necessary ingredients bought?” Beatrice asked Eliza, who stood before her in the parlour as they discussed the masquerade already upon them.

It had only been one week since they had arrived in London, and the masquerade was to be held tomorrow at what was now called the Russel Estate. Like every other event hosted by the family, the arrangements for it had also fallen on Eliza’s shoulders.

She had designed the invitations and made sure they were promptly sent to the entire guest list, which Beatrice and Edgar had also decided with little tweaks here and there. She had also decided on the refreshments, the musicians that were to be called, and the general arrangements for the entire party.

It almost felt as if she hadn’t slept at all through the past few nights since she had to help Beatrice and Victoria finalize their dresses for the masquerade as well.

It had been nothing short of torture. But she was glad that it would soon be over.

“Everything has been finalized. The kitchen is stocked with all necessary items, and the cook and other kitchen maids will begin preparing everything early tomorrow morning for it to be ready before the masquerade begins in the evening. I will make sure of it myself.”

“Good.” Edgar nodded, sipping his cup of tea, “and I hope you remember the most important thing about the evening, Beth.”

Eliza felt as if something was stuck in her throat, but she quickly swallowed past it, forgetting about the hurt that had taken root in her heart. She had other, much bigger things to worry about than Edgar’s behaviour towards her.

“Yes.” She nodded. “I must stay away from the party and ensure no one from the ton sees me.”

Edgar was too scared someone would recognize her, so whenever such an event was hosted at the estate, he asked her to stay away from anyone who might come too close and discover her identity.

Eliza knew how baseless her fears were since she could not remember anyone close enough to remember who she was, especially since she was just a little girl the last time they would have seen her.

She was stuck with being a servant in the house that no longer belonged to her.

However, Edgar’s fear was representative of his guilt, and Eliza enjoyed his misery over thinking what might happen if someone did indeed discover Eliza’s true identity. She wondered the same, but the idea seemed too good to ever become a reality.

“Yes,” Beatrice replied, smiling cruelly. Her very existence made Eliza feel terrible about herself, and she wanted nothing but to stay as far away from Beatrice as possible.

“And if anyone does ask about you, which is unlikely yet still a possibility, you are still very much alive but have moved to France to live with family while we are taking care of the Grafton Estate behind you.”

“Absolutely.” She nodded at them, simply wanting to leave.

“Oh, Edgar, I almost forgot to tell you!” Beatrice suddenly turned towards her husband, beginning to look excited, making Eliza curious about the matter. She had still not been asked to leave, so she stood there because they would have made her apologize for no reason if she had left of her own will.

“What is it?” her uncle asked, appearing disinterested already.

“The neighbouring estate, which has recently been bought by the Earl of Eastwood, is finally occupied, and from what the servants tell me, a handsome young man resides there. Do you think the earl might have a son?”

“That,” Edgar nodded. “Or the man is the earl himself.”

“My goodness, yes!” Beatrice was even more delighted at the prospect, “Why did I not think of that. The estate might belong to the young man himself since no one knows who the earl is and has never seen him around much. Oh, it will be lovely if Victoria can somehow meet him, and he falls in love with her, and the two begin courting even before the Season begins and our daughter makes her official debut in society.”

“Do you think this might be a possibility?” Edgar sat up, turning to look at his wife.

“Of course!” Beatrice vacated the sofa she had been occupying and strolled around the parlour leisurely, “It would be so lovely to see our Victoria married to an earl who is both young, handsome, and wealthy. You must make introductions with the young man, and when he attends the masquerade ball, you must make sure he and Victoria are formally introduced.”

“I will do just that.”

The pair must have suddenly realized that Eliza still stood there as they stopped talking and began to look at her. She stayed put, flustering under their gaze, and blurted out, “I came across the stable hand of the Eastwood Estate, the right hand of the earl’s valet.”

Oh God, why did I say that?

She did not know what had got into her, but she had suddenly become nervous and said the first thing that came to her mind. Although, George had not left her mind since she had first met him in the woods three days ago. She could not deny that she had enjoyed seeing him, unsure of why that had been the case.

Something about him had simply made her feel comfortable and at ease. For a reason that Eliza could still not discern, his smile had almost felt too familiar, as if she had seen it before. It somehow reminded her of her childhood, the smile being too intimately known to her.

Alexander, her childhood best friend’s face, suddenly came before her eyes.

She quickly shook the thought away, knowing full well that it was entirely fruitless. Alexander was nowhere near her and certainly never to return.

After they had moved away from beside them in the countryside, Eliza had lost all contact with both him and his mother, and her life had gone completely downhill. She knew that by now, Alexander would have turned into an impressive noble lord.

George, on the other hand, who was right before her, was just a kind, handsome, stable hand.

“What do you mean you came across him?” Aunty Beatrice asked, her eyebrows rising in horror, “Beth, I do not want you going around meeting strangers.”

“Especially no one who had anything to do with the Earl of Eastwood,” Uncle Edgar chimed in, appearing just as horrified as his wife.

Eliza sighed inwardly, noticing how the two of them were desperate to keep her away from anyone who might prove to be of consequence.

“I had no desire to meet him, and it was hardly anything. He lost control of his horse and entered the estate grounds where I met him. It was more a matter of accident than will.”

Both Uncle Edgar and Aunty Beatrice looked calmer at her explanation.

“Alright,” they nodded together, Aunty Beatrice sitting back down.

Eliza was just about to leave the parlour when the butler arrived, bearing a note in his hand. She wondered who had come to visit the Russels this early in the morning and hoped it was not one of Victoria’s acquaintances.

“Lord Campbell, The Count of Fife, is here to see you, My Lord,” he announced, and Eliza suddenly felt sick to her stomach.

Lord Henry Campbell was a family friend of the Russels and the only person outside the family who knew what had become of Eliza at the hands of the Russels. Although, being a man with no morals, he had stayed completely quiet about the cruelty.

Ralph had told Eliza that another reason behind his silence was how her uncle, Edgar Russel, had helped Lord Campbell by acting like a fake witness to provide an alibi when he had been accused of impregnating a lord’s wife.

The accusation had been true, of course.

He was much older than Eliza, even if he hadn’t lost his good looks yet, but what troubled Eliza was his lack of manners and how he continued to make lewd comments towards her, even asking her to marry him again and again. She couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as him.

“Make him sit in the drawing room. I will be there shortly,” Uncle Edgar informed the butler just as Eliza began to turn around and leave through the other door, “You, girl!”

“Yes?” She turned back around.

“Make sure that when tea is served for us in the drawing room, you are the one to bring it for us. I do not want any other servant there. Do you understand?”

“Certainly.”

She quickly left the parlour, fuming with rage at Uncle Edgar’s request, but she knew why he did it. He was well aware of how uncomfortable Lord Campbell made Eliza, and this was simply his attempt to bring Eliza even more misery and scare her into believing that he just might agree to Count Fife’s demands and give him Eliza in marriage.

Although, she knew it was never going to happen.

Eliza, with her inheritance and everything still in her name, was much too precious, and Uncle Edgar would never want to let her go in this manner. The moment she gained access to London society, revealing her true identity in front of everyone would hardly be a problem, and the Russels’ secret might be exposed.

They would never risk such a thing.

I must stay strong. I must stay strong. I must stay strong.

She kept repeating the mantra, trying to bring strength into her heart, if not for her sake, then for Ralph and Lara.

She had already decided that she would not remain in this house much longer; escaping from here would be the only thing that would help her feel in control again. And when she did escape, she would take Ralph and Lara with her.

They were the only two servants who still remained in the house and had even come to London with her, while every other servant had been replaced by Aunty Beatrice ten years ago after she had turned Eliza completely into a servant and had taken away everything from her.

She needed to stay strong for their sake.

Quickly breathing in as deeply as possible, she made her way back to the kitchen but what awaited her there quickly forced her to forget about everything else and focus on the extremely tall man in front of her.

George was back.

She remembered how he had said he would see her another time when he had parted from her the first time they had met, but she had not expected him to actually show up, and that too this quickly. Although, she would be lying to herself if she did not accept that she had been hoping for him to come.

“George?” She called out his name, unable to take her eyes off his handsome face.

He was much too good-looking for his own good.

“I had to come see you since I promised earlier.” He smiled, and Eliza had a similar pang of nostalgia as it once again reminded her of Alexander.

But George was not Alexander. Eliza needed to remind herself of that.

“I am so glad you did,” she replied honestly, already beginning to feel at home in his company. He made her feel comfortable without even doing anything to prompt such a response, but every time she was around him, her heart felt content.

His beautiful, dark brown hair was tied in a bun at the back of his head, his face only appearing bigger and stronger. Eliza quite enjoyed looking at his square jaw as he spoke, every inch of his skin reminding her that men, too, could be beautiful, and George was a living, breathing proof of that.

“I assure you I have come without Dyson, so you will have no need to rescue my horse today,” he joked, and Eliza could not help bursting into laughter.

“I must introduce you to everyone else.”

The few maids in the kitchen had been eyeing the two of them curiously, and without wasting another second, Eliza introduced George to everyone present, noticing how kind and affectionate he was with everyone. He was naturally charming and friendly, his countenance gentle. Eliza was already beginning to like him a little too much than necessary, unsure of her feelings.

He walked ahead, standing beside her.

Eliza felt extremely small beside him since he was much taller, but it also seemed as if she was both safe and protected. Just as she turned to talk to him once again, the swinging kitchen doors opened, and Lara came inside, her eyes falling on the two of them.

When he had been here the last time, even then, Lara had been a little too curious and had asked Eliza several questions about him, but Eliza clearly told her that she hardly knew the man since they had just met themselves. However, she did not understand the reason behind Lara’s interest in him.

“Lara!”

Lara’s gaze darted from George to Eliza, trying to understand what was happening.

“I must introduce you to George, who is the stable hand on the Earl of Eastwood’s estate, and George, this is Lara. She is one of the oldest maids in the house and has been extremely patient with me for as long as I have known her.”

“I am pleased to meet you.” George smiled at Lara, but she refused to smile back.

Eliza could feel how the questioning and close analysis was about to begin, and she wanted to send George away before that, but when Lara motioned for him to sit down on the chair in front of her, Eliza knew it was already too late. She would not be able to save the poor man from this ordeal.

“So you are a stable hand?” Lara asked, perching herself on the chair beside Alexander as the two of them stayed embroiled in conversation.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And how long have you been working for the Eastwood family?”

“For years now, ma’am. I travel with Lord Eastwood whenever he needs me and have been everywhere alongside him.”

“He travels with you? A stable hand?”

“Not everyone is capable of taking care of his prized stallion, Dyson; hence, I am the only one who can keep a check on the wild fellow.”

“I see.” Lara nodded. For some reason, Eliza could sense Lara’s intent of almost interrogating the poor man as she fired one question after another. However, George was certainly not backing away one bit, answering everything aptly.

Despite that, she could see how uncomfortable he was with the whole thing as well, probably confused about an elderly maid’s sudden interest in his personal life, and Eliza was just as uncomfortable.

She knew why Lara felt the need to go about this in an interrogative manner, her eyes trained on Alexander. She was only doing it for Eliza’s sake since she wanted to make sure that if Eliza was in the company of a young man, he was worthy enough for her.

However, Eliza did not need it. She had no intention of keeping George’s company for much longer or, at most, only becoming friends. She did not have space for anything else in her life.

“I brought this for you.”

Eliza watched as he suddenly produced a basket, picking it up from the ground.

She had failed to notice it earlier.

“Thank you.” Eliza took the basket and noticed it was filled with fruits of different varieties and flowers that must have certainly been taken from the earl’s garden. She smiled, realizing how he must have noticed the contents of her basket the other day and was trying to imitate just that.

She felt touched.

“I hope you enjoy the fruits. They are perfectly ripened and very sweet.”

“Did you steal them from the earl’s garden?” she could not help asking. Even though her intentions were only teasing, George became serious.

“Never.” He shook his head, “I have the earl’s permission to pluck fruits and flowers if I wish.”

Eliza laughed, his compassion contagious.

“I must thank you again for this. You are very kind, George.”

“Thank you.”

“Here, eat something.” Lara suddenly emerged again, a board of cold meat, cheese, and bread in her hand, placing it in front of George.

“You must not try to ruin me with such hospitality, ma’am.” He laughed, addressing Lara.

“I absolutely must.”

They sat down around the board, eating and talking, and Eliza could not help thinking about his smile again, which was exactly like Alexander’s. The man before her was much too familiar, almost too familiar to be real, and everything about him screamed as if Eliza had already met him.

But she knew he could not be Alexander. Alexander would never be a stable hand.

Then who was he? And why did he tug at Eliza’s heart like only someone from her happy past could?

She needed to find out. But how?