Page 22 of Wedded to the Cruel Duke

And then, there is that strange room beneath the trapdoor… What is it for? Is he hiding something there?

Phoebe let out a small shudder.Or someone?

She had wanted to ask him about it before he left her so quickly. It would seem that Lord Wentworth would not be so forthrightwith her about a great many things, but she already knew before that he had his…peculiarities.

She already knew that he scarcely left the lands, and she could understand why he would be extremely uncomfortable if she decided she could come and go as she pleased.

But first, I must be able to find my way around this vast place, she told herself resolutely.Once I know every nook and corridor, every window and every door… only then can I find ways to sneak out.

With a defiant tilt of her chin, she backtracked her steps until she somehow ended up back near the front door. One of the footmen looked at her in surprise as she came down the staircase.

“Milady!” he exclaimed. “I had thought you would be with His Lordship.”

She pasted a smile on her face. “Lord Wentworth has matters to attend to, I am afraid.”

The footman—she seemed to recall asO’Malley—shook his head and muttered something under his breath, before he smiled at her.

“Well, is there something you need, Your Ladyship?”

“Yes, I would like to know where my quarters are located,” she told him with a sheepish smile. “I am afraid—”

“His Lordship left without saying a word of it, I gather?”

“He was… busy,” she mumbled a little helplessly.

O’Malley smiled apologetically at her. “You will have to forgive His Lordship sometimes, milady. When a man has been living on his own for a long time, he might not know how to treat women.”

“Oh, I suppose he is doing better than most,” Phoebe laughed wryly. “I have met far more beastly creatures, I assure you.”

The footman beamed at her, visibly relieved at her reaction. “You will find that he is a rather nice gentleman, I assure you, milady.”

“I am certain he is,” she told him warmly.

Buoyed by her favorable response to Charles’ behavior, he cheerfully led her on a brief tour around the house all the way to her rooms. She found a young woman standing by her door with a nervous smile.

“My name is Amelia, milady,” the maid greeted her with a sharp curtsy. “I shall be attending to your needs.”

Phoebe smiled warmly at her too. “Well then, I shall entrust myself to your care, Amelia.”

The young maid blushed and looked down. “Thank you for your trust, milady.”

“Amelia has been specifically chosen for you, milady,” O’Malley told her. “Mrs. Hodgkins also made sure you have the best rooms in the house, that she did.”

Phoebe frowned. “Not better than that of Lord Wentworth, I should think?”

“Oh no, no… Lord Wentworth chose his rooms for, ah, specific reasons.”

No doubt another of his peculiarities.

“Oh, well. Thank you, O’Malley. And please also thank Mrs. Hodgkins on my behalf.”

“I shall let her know, milady.”

Phoebe watched as the footman marched away after excusing himself. He did not appear to be as nervous or anxious as Amelia. In fact, he seemed to be very much comfortable in this household with its rather strict master.

“So…Amelia,was it?”

“Yes, milady.”