Sarah Jane was awakened by the twittering birds playing on her windowsill. The sound filled her mind, infusing her with a gentle calmness that made her want to bury herself further under the covers. Sighing contentedly, she allowed her eyelids to flutter halfway open, and she was greeted by a sight of wispy white curtains floating into the room, guiding the cool morning breeze to her reclined body.
She felt her body press into the mattress deeper. Closing her eyes, she allowed the comfort of her new home to embrace her.
Her mind was suddenly filled with the thoughts of Lord Killsworth. He kissed her twice and had behaved abominably afterward. A small inner voice had begged her to demand him to stop, and that she shan't be taken advantage of. But her body had acted out of its volition.
She was made of stern bones. She shuddered at the memory of the 10th Earl who she had vowed to be the last of her guardians to steal kisses from her.
Sarah Jane groaned inwardly.
When the 10th Earl kissed her, she felt fear and anxiety for days. She hid in dark corners when he was home and avoided the countess altogether.
"Stupid, stupid girl." She clucked her tongue just as Mathilda would have done if she found out her activities of the past evening.
She swung her legs from the bedclothes and dressed for battle. Sarah Jane was going to give Killsworth a talking to.
As she descended the stairs, a maid assigned to her bedchamber came running after her. People in the house were so unaccustomed to having guests that they were at a loss on how to act. Sarah Jane inquired after Mathilda, who reportedly was still resting from a head cold. The maid wrung her hands, perplexed that Sarah Jane did not need her for anything, even her hair or dressing.
"I am perfectly capable on my own, thank you," she said for the fifth time, as the maid refused to leave her side.
Rounding a corner after landing on the ground floor, a scullery maid poked her head from the kitchen. "My lady," she began, intercepting Sarah Jane while she was determinedly proceeding to the breakfast room.
"His lordship has given notice that he shall be joining you for breakfast."
Exactly as she had hoped. "Well, that would be lovely."
Smiling graciously and dismissing the upstairs maid, she surveyed the breakfast halls and found the sidings to be empty. Perhaps she had risen too early. It was odd for her usual waking hours, but as she was able to glance at the sun shining through the windows, it should not be any less than ten in the morning.
"Well, where is breakfast," she inquired as her eyes skimmed the tables. Nothing.
The maid followed her gaze, her expression implacable. Sarah Jane did seem to always be looking for food.
"Breakfast is at the open parlor, my lady."
Sarah Jane stopped and gave the maid a curious expression. "The parlor?" The one that reminded her of the sea? Was it not a drawing room?
"Of the far end, my lady, next to the vase."
Sarah Jane shot her a quizzical look.
What on earth was she talking about? This was a viscount's home, surely there was more than one vase!
But before Sarah Jane could express her disappointment with her response, the maid had bobbed a curtsy and excused herself.
With no more than five minutes, Sarah Jane knew exactly why the scullery maid had felt it important to mention the vase. The vase could not have been missed, even if the poor soul was blind.
YOU ARE READING
Teasing Your Wicked Heart
Historical Fiction[Reached # 2 on Regency and # 1 on Austen] After the death of her father, Lady Sarah Jane is passed around her inheriting cousins and uncles as the tolerated ward no one wanted to care for. Years later, when the last of her relatives passed, and wit...
