Maid to Be Mine: A Regency Cinderella Story Read Online Free Page A

said.
    “ Um...” Cynthia had to study his hand for several seconds before she was finally brave enough to take it. “It is... a pleasure to meet you?”
    “ Never thought I'd see you down here, Princess,” Robert said. “I've seen some strange things in my lifetime, but I'll be damned if this don't beat all!” Tess whacked the side of his head, and he shrieked, “Ow! Why'd I get slapped again?!”
    “ Language !” Tess cautioned him. “Watch your language around the lady. I swear, it's as if you have no manners at all!”
    “ I have no matters attal!” Robert agreed, grinning. However, when he saw the tears wavering in Cynthia's eyes, his demeanor immediately softened. “Oi... I'm sorry to hear about your father. Lord Montforth wasn't a bad sort of man. He'll be missed, and, well... you have my condolences.”
    Cynthia appreciated his attempt at compassion, so she flashed a weak smile.
    “ And you, you great lummox!” Tess pointed a sausage-like finger at the other man in the room. “Say something to the lady!”
    “ Something to the lady,” the older man grumbled. He was a very broad man, with a weathered face, white hair, tremendous bags under his eyes, and a mouth that looked like it had never smiled.
    “ Pay him no mind, dear. He's always like this,” Tess said. “His name's Soloman, and he's not much for talkin'.”
    There was a long period of silence, during which Cynthia's stomach rumbled. She hadn't eaten anything all day, aside from a few bites of breakfast. Now that she was one of the servants, she wondered what she would eat.
    “ Am I really supposed to call you Cynthia ?” Robert asked, his voice finally breaking the silence. “It's hard to imagine being so informal with a lord's daughter!”
    “ You may call me whatever you wish,” Cynthia said with a sigh. “I do not think it matters anymore.”
    “ Whatever I wish?” Robert teased her, his green eyes dancing with amusement. He had a very boyish face, but he was incredibly tall, so it was impossible to guess his age. “So I can call you Cynny? Thia? Or my personal favorite: Princess?”
    Tess reached up as far as she could and pinched Robert's ear. “I swear to God, if you weren't such a large boy, I would turn you over my knee!”
    “ I'm not so large. I'm quite skinny!” Robert protested.
    “ I mean you're too old for that!”
    “ Well... thank goodness for that!”
    As she listened to the servants bicker, Cynthia stared at the floor and battled the tears that were forming in her eyes.
    Her life, as she knew it, was officially over.

Chapter Four

    Cynthia couldn't sleep again, and for a multitude of reasons. She was still plagued by her father's death, but even if he was alive and well, there was no way she could sleep under these circumstances. The room was drafty and cold, and the bedsheets were itchy. She thought she felt something crawling on her leg in the middle of the night, most likely a bed bug. On top of everything, she was sharing a room with Tess, whose loud snoring seemed to vibrate the walls.
    When Tess woke up and saw her eyes open, she asked, “Already awake?” Cynthia didn't have the heart to tell her she had gotten less than an hour of sleep, and that Tess was one of the reasons for her sleeplessness.
    “ Yes...” Cynthia moaned. “I'm awake.”
    “ Good, 'cuz we wake up bright and early!” Tess rolled out of bed and started collecting her clothes. As she tossed a tatty maid's dress at Cynthia, she shouted, “Wear this.”
    Cynthia held up the dress and frowned. It looked like typical maid's attire, except it was much too large for her. Tess was short and plump and nothing like Cynthia. Their differing body types should have been obvious, but Tess didn't bat an eye.
    “ We break our fast together, then we get right to work!” Tess said as she shoved her feet into a pair of dingy slippers. “You'll be working with Robert in the stables today.”
    Cynthia sat up and clenched her fists. “What?!