A Mistress for M'Lord

Chapter One

Chapter One

Worthington Estate

May 1812

“Boys, you really must stay out of the trees.” Lilly Ringwood smiled at the sight before her. Bright spring sunshine bathed the land. Birds flitted from tree to tree and chirped merrily as they went. Flower blossoms stretched toward the sky and opened their petals to the welcoming warmth of spring. It truly was a glorious day.

 After her father’s untimely passing just a year ago she had become the sole support to help her aunt and two younger brothers. Times had always been hard but now the threads were stretched even thinner for the small family. While the money she earned as a maid at Worthington hall might not be much it certainly helped to keep the family afloat.

Each Sunday Lilly traveled the two miles to the small cottage her family rented from Lord Worthington to spend the day. It was a joyous time to be sure. Her Aunt Helen loved the company, and her brothers…well, they enjoyed the treats that the cook sent for them.

As usual, Sundays were not only a time to catch up but a time for Lilly to pitch in and help her aunt with the endless chores that never seemed to dwindle. Today, it was the garden. Helen kept her gaze on the ground as she hoed weeds from the rows of beans and peas. She had aged in the past year. The rich brown locks Lilly remembered her having were now streaked with silver. The hands that had nursed her father, Helen’s brother, until the bitter end were callused and rough. Her face, while still lovely, now held a tired shadow that simply didn’t disappear. But her smile….that smile would never change.

Her father had said her smile had melted many a heart in her day, but marriage had not been meant to last for her. Less than a year after Helen wed, her husband died and she had come to live with her widowed brother and his children, caring for them as a mother would. “Have the boys been keeping clear of mischief?”

Helen sighed. “Boys will be boys, Lilly.” She stopped her work and glanced at her nephews. “I fear without their father trouble will appear far too appealing.”

At ten and twelve, John and Wesley, were good boys. But Lilly too was concerned about the allure of trouble on their young minds. Several of the local boys had recently been caught stealing chickens from the Worthington manor. They were all her brothers’ age.

“Has the Baron mentioned anything more about the young thieves?” Helen returned her gaze to her hoe and resumed her weeding.

Her heart race at the mere mention of his name. Lord Summerfield, the Baron of Worthington had returned to the estate shortly after the season in London had started and in a rather foul mood. There had been rumors through the staff that he had dismissed his mistress and the subsequent lack of feminine affection had affected his disposition. While Lilly couldn’t speak to the reason behind his surly demeanor, she had been witness to his rants on several occasions upon his return. It was sad really. For such a handsome man he seemed to have the worst luck with the women in his life.

Just this past winter when his mother had come to visit she had brought along nearly a half dozen eligible ladies and their chaperones in a clear attempt to play match maker. Lord Summerfield had nearly broke his neck trying to escape the unwanted advances of several of the girls over the next week. And now he had dismissed his mistress. Yes, it must simply be bad luck with women.

“Yes. He set a price on the pilfered birds and now the boys must work off the debt by scrubbing floors and windows.” Lilly grasped a weed and gave it a tug.

“Windows,” Helen gasped, “His Lordship has them doing women’s work?”

With a nod, Lilly tugged harder on the stubborn weed but the roots ran deep and they did not seem ready to relinquish their grasp on the soil. “Yes. He stated that their debt should not be repaid with work that could lend them to earn a living lest it be women’s work because as thieves they were not fit to be called men nor could they be tasked with a man’s job.”