Guarding the Spoils (The Wild Randalls - Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

again. “Goodnight, Your Grace.”
    Lady Venables smiled fondly. “Goodnight, Mrs. Turner.”
    “Sleep well,” Her Grace added.
    Beth scurried for the doors and pulled them closed behind her. As they clicked shut, she clearly heard the duchess exclaim. “Well, how was I supposed to answer her? The discussion was completely intolerable.”
    Beth’s heart sank. She’d overstepped with her offer but it was done now. If the duchess refused, she didn’t know what the future would hold. She hurried for the kitchens, chastised a maid who had delayed the footman with her flirtations, and saw that the tea tray was properly prepared and sent up. Then, with no other demands on her time save her worries, she trudged up the long flights of stairs, through deserted corridors, and stepped into the pair of rooms she shared with her son.
    The pretty bedchamber did nothing to ease her nerves. She’d known from the start that she was being granted a boon larger than she deserved when Lady Venables had employed her as a companion. Her duties to the countess had been hardly taxing on her abilities and she’d thought herself better suited to the housekeeper role. Clearly the duchess hadn’t agreed with her assessment.
    She slipped into the smaller adjoining chamber and leaned against the doorframe to observe her son. His dark head was bowed over yet another book from the Romsey library and he didn’t notice her at first. A wave of sadness flooded her. Being in service of any kind at Romsey Abbey had proved a very good circumstance for him. The duchess and Leopold Randall treated him very kindly and encouraged him to borrow whatever books they agreed were appropriate reading material for his age. The promised tutor had not been found as yet, but Beth had never pinned her hopes on that extravagance. “Is it not too late to be reading, George?”
    His head rose quickly, an expression of guilt crossing his face. “Is it bedtime already?”
    Beth walked forward and tousled his hair. “It’s one quarter after ten o’clock. You should have been asleep long ago.”
    He grinned. “The story was too exciting to stop.”
    “That is what you always say.”
    He marked his place with a scrap of parchment and closed the book. “What shall we do tomorrow?”
    “I’m not sure.” She picked up her son’s hand and squeezed. “I had the opportunity to speak to the duchess about the position of housekeeper tonight.”
    George came up on his knees, his face keen with anticipation. “What did she say?”
    “She said she’d think about it.”
    George nodded slowly. “She will choose you. I’m sure of it.”
    “Thank you, George. Let’s hope you’re right.”
    George fell back against the mattress. “She has to choose you. I never want to leave Romsey.”
    Beth laughed. “You only say that because you are young and easily impressed. When you’re older, you’ll want to have an adventure or two to brag about.”
    A frown clouded his features. “Do you think my Uncle Henry is happy on his adventure in America?”
    “Goodness, why ever would you think of him now?” Beth placed the repaired shirt into a drawer and picked up George’s soiled garments, which he’d tossed carelessly aside. “He’s been gone such a long time now that I wonder if he’ll ever return.”
    “Papa said Uncle Henry went to America to make his fortune. I hope we hear from him soon.”
    Her brother-in-law had traveled to the Americas quite a number of years ago, but she’d not heard from him since. She forced a hopeful smile to her face. “I do, too. Sadly we will never know unless he writes to tell us where he is.”
    “Will he be able to find us here by letter?”
    Beth nodded. “Everyone in the village knows where we are. Someone will pass any news along.”
    “Good.” He pulled the covers over his head and burrowed under their comforting weight. At least here they were at no risk of being cold. The countess had given them every comfort they could ever