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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"I can't believe he kicked Theodore out," Kitty was saying as they were finishing up cleaning the kitchen. After the outburst that had occurred upstairs, no one had felt much like eating so Briar and the girls had started their cleanup early.
"He threatened to make Cora leave too," Lucy reminded them. Briar was hardly listening. Lord Huntington was clearly under quite a bit of pressure. She hadn't helped matters by coming clean about who she was and giving him another person to worry about. They had said that Lord Huntington never used to get angry but lately he had displayed that emotion quite a bit. And she was the reason for the rift between him and his sister, that much was clear.
Lucy dried the last dish and set it aside and they all headed to the exit of the kitchen but, just as Briar hung up her apron, she remembered that she had left her bucket of cleaning supplies in the parlor and excused herself to fetch it. The girls were so engrossed in their gossip that they didn't even hear her and she slipped away unnoticed. She found the parlor dark and empty but, as she bent to collect the supplies, she saw the small flicker of firelight from outside. Off on the familiar grassy knoll behind the stables sat Lord Huntington, lantern at his side and back to her, silhouetted against the night sky beyond. She gathered the bucket and headed out the door.
She left the bucket a few feet behind and sat down next to him. He looked over as she did and a tired smile touched his lips. She saw the bottle he was drinking from. Whiskey. It must be serious. She held out a hand expectantly and he chuckled and handed over the spirits. She took a swig and felt it burning through her chest.
"I've never seen a princess drink whiskey before," he told her, amused.
"Had you ever seen a princess do much of anything before me?" she asked.
"Fair enough," he drank.
It was silent for a moment.
"How bad is it?" she asked.
"Nothing you need to worry about," another weak smile. Another silence and then. "I wasn't even supposed to inherit all this, you know."
"What do you mean? You're the oldest son."
"A father can change the succession in his will, you know that. My father intended to name Theo his heir."
"Why?"
"He always liked Theo more," he shrugged. "But he died before he could make the change."
"But Theo is so irresponsible."
Lord Huntington chuckled at that. "So was my father."
She waited.
"Before I took over, this place was falling to pieces," he said. "I guess it still is."
He drank. She reached out again and he smiled and handed her the bottle. She took a gulp that must have been too long because he raised an eyebrow in amusement.
