A princess on the run, Briar Aldrich has no choice but to take on the role of scullery maid when Lord Sterling Huntington stumbles upon her in the woods and doesn't recognize her. But how safe is she actually in his home? And how safe is her heart?
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Sterling woke the next day in his own bed, covered by blankets and laid on his side. He smiled. A servant to the last. He climbed from the bed and dressed for the day, his head pounding from the remnants of the alcohol from the night before. He had drunk quite a lot. Perhaps next time he should suggest a game he wasn't so poor at. Or at least one in which the stakes weren't so high. He grimaced and rubbed his temples as another dull ache set in.
Once he had pulled his boots on, he headed for the door, wrenching it open and heading down the stairs to the dining room below. When he entered, his sister and cousin were already there and were already eating. He touched Cora on the shoulder as he passed her to his seat. He sat down and took a sip of his coffee, feeling the warmth flow through him and feeling a bit better from it. Then he realized that Cora was staring at him, mouth set in a thin line.
"What?" he asked.
"Good morning," she said.
"Good morning to you," he answered.
"Rough night last night?"
"Yes. I'm afraid I overindulged again," he told her, rubbing his temples again at the splitting headache he felt. The door behind him opened and he turned to see Lucy entering with the coffee pot to refill his cup. He smiled and thanked her.
"I'm sure you did."
She seemed upset.
"Don't worry," he told her. "I'm not drinking again for a long time."
She scoffed, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and stomped from the room.
"What's her problem?" he asked his cousin. The Duchess only shrugged and took a sip of her own coffee.
"Who knows," she said.
He got through breakfast easily enough. Without his sister present, the topic of his marriage didn't come up once. Instead, he asked his cousin how her husband was and heard all about Corinth. It was a much more pleasant of a conversation than he had expected this morning and it had him in good spirits once breakfast was over and he was off to carry on with his business.
He went to his study first and found that it had already been cleaned. The glasses from the previous night had been washed and placed back on his desk. He smiled and sat down to his business. He tried to focus on the tallying of rents, he truly did, but found himself distracted. The sun streaming in through the window was a constant reminder of the shame it was to waste such a beautiful day indoors. So he set his papers aside and headed outside to enjoy the grounds that he worked so hard to maintain.
Once outside, he took a deep breath of the crisp morning air. The breeze was blowing slightly and he could smell the flowers from the gardens in the air. He found Douglass and Oliver outside of the stone tower. They smiled at him as he approached.
"Douglas, I feel like a hunt," he said jovially. "Ready the men. Bring Oliver, Henry, and that boy of his who wants to ride, Nicholas."
Douglas raised a brow. "You're in a fine mood this morning, my Lord."
