Lady Sarah's Redemption Read Online Free Page A

diary.
    “So how do you find everything?” Once again, there was Ellen’s inquisitive
little nose poking around the door after the most cursory of knocks. Without
waiting for a reply she bustled across the room and settled herself upon the
spindly chair beneath the window. Clearly she expected all sorts of confidences
Sarah had no intention of sharing, though Sarah conceded in the next moment she
might at least learn something of this strange household and her odd employers.
Straightening up to sit on the bed and tucking the diary she now couldn’t wait
to read under her pillow she asked, “When I met Mrs Hawthorne I assumed she was
married to the master.”
    Ellen giggled. “Lord, no! He thinks her the silliest thing under the
sun, not but what he’s always ever so civil.” She grinned, clearly delighted to
find herself custodian of knowledge Sarah would want, and need, to know.
Tucking a strand of lank brown hair back into her starched white cap, she went
on, “Mrs Hawthorne married Mr Hawthorne’s older brother, Mr Hector, only he
died seven years ago just afore Augusta was born.”
    “What happened to Mr Hawthorne’s wife?”
    A cunning look crossed the nursery maid’s face. “Died in the same
accident as Mr Hector. Mrs Hawthorne’s kept house for the master ever since.”
    Sarah, still discomforted by her meeting with her employer, was
intrigued. “So Caro is Mr Hawthorne’s only daughter. He seems very hard on
her.”
    “That’s because Caro’s mother was a trollop!” Clearly, Ellen enjoyed
a bit of gossip. “She were running off with dashing Mr Hector when the carriage
went off the bridge and they both was drowned. Not that it were the first
gentleman she ran off with what wasn’t her husband. Anyway, the poor master’s
terrified Caro might have inherited her mother’s loose morals. She didn’t
inherit her beauty, that’s for sure.”
    Good Lord, poor Mr Hawthorne. Sarah frowned, calculating as she
surmised, “He must have married very young.”
    “Just come into his majority.” Hugging herself, Ellen leaned
forward. “You ready to hear a tale of dastardly doings?”
    Sarah decided not to dignify this with an answer, although she
managed an expression that was mildly interested. Fortunately, it did not take
much encouragement to set loose the nursery maid’s tongue.
    “When Caro’s mother — Lady Venetia as she was called then
— met Mr Hector he were affianced to Mrs Hawthorne. As you can imagine,
the mistress were as much a beauty then as she is now.” She sniggered. “But she
came with a great fortune whereas Lady Venetia was penniless. But so beautiful!
You can see her portrait in the gallery.”
    She sighed, then added matter-of-factly, “Only good thing to say
about ’er, really. Anyway, she begged Mr Hector to choose her, instead. Oh, he
was tempted, but the money talked louder and he and Mrs Hawthorne were
married.” Ellen made a moue, parodying the late Lady Venetia’s apparent
disappointment before continuing, “So poor, spurned Lady Venetia turned her
attentions to Mr. Hawthorne, the master, as is, now.” Her eyes darted to the
door and she lowered her voice. “Word was that Lady Venetia’s reputation was
ruined with all her carryings-on. And that young Mr Hawthorne’s honour —
which was a great deal stronger than his brother’s — was prevailed upon.
Anyway, the poor man was smitten so it didn’t matter what she’d done, and
besides, he had money enough. A rich inheritance from a doting aunt. So he
married her … to his eternal regret for there never was a less loving or
grateful wife.”
    Sarah hoped she did not appear as intrigued as she was. What a
delicious scandal. It was hard to imagine the austere man who’d presented
himself just now in the nursery smouldering with passion for a heartless
beauty.
    “What was she like?”
    “She were the vainest creature what ever lived. She ate men for
breakfast - leastaways, she did until she met ’er match