Chapter 12
Thomas hated that Lady Lavender was avoiding him, but he understood it.
He needed the space between them as much as she did.
With the new bounty on finding the lost duke came a greater need to remain hidden.
Lady Lavender wasn’t Thomas’s only source of information about the updates of the search; all the servants were talking about it.
Thomas had allowed his whiskers to grow a little longer, which perturbed Mrs. Bitters to no end.
“You have such a handsome face beneath all that scruff, Tom. I can’t very well send you in to wait on the household looking like that.
” Rather than being a deterrent, this was reason enough for him not to obey orders.
The last thing he wanted to do was risk being recognized by a visitor while waiting on them.
Thomas had just finished his breakfast when Jack sauntered into the kitchen in his livery.
The maroon of the coat clashed horribly with his orange hair, but his wide-toothed smile made him look as enviable as ever.
It was ridiculous, really, to be envious of a seventeen-year-old boy with nothing to his name, but it was there.
“Good morning, Mrs. Bitters.” Jack whistled a tune as he came in.
“Daniel spilled his porridge all over the floor in the dining room and the duchess sent me to get him some more.”
Mrs. Bitters dried her hands on her apron and shook her head. “Oh, Daniel. That boy will put us all in an early grave,” she said with a smile. “Will you bring that pot over for me, Jack?” She motioned to the large black pot hanging on a hook beside the fire.
Jack continued his whistling, and Tom pulled on his boots to go out to the garden and get to the weeds before the sun was out in full.
A great crash made Thomas whip his head up.
The large pot toppled, spilling porridge all over Mrs. Bitter’s clean floors.
And then Jack choked on a scream. Thomas was at his side in an instant.
The boy was holding his red hands in front of him as anguish played across his face.
He fell to his knees, tucked his mouth into his shoulder, and let go another howl of pain.
Thomas felt as helpless as a new puppy. What was he to do to help his friend? His first thought was to raid the liquor cabinet and give Jack the duke’s most powerful brandy. But he still didn’t trust himself around the stuff—the imagined scent of the drink alone made Thomas want some for himself.
Thankfully, Mrs. Bitters was a woman of action. “Tom,” she said sternly over Jack’s stifled screams, “put that cistern of water on the table.”
Tom did as he was asked and then helped Jack to a chair while Mrs. Bitters reassured Jack he would be fine. “Stick your hands in here and don’t take them out.” Then she turned to Tom. “Go inform Her Grace that we are out of porridge and ask what else Daniel would like to eat.”
Thomas nodded and tromped up the stairs in his gardening boots, realizing the mess he was making but not really caring either. His main objective was to complete his task so that he could return to Jack’s side.
“Tom, what on earth are you doing?” the duchess proclaimed upon his inelegant entrance to the dining room.
Tom removed his hat, bowed, and raked a hand through his long hair before replacing the hat. “Mrs. Bitters is out of porridge. Can she get anything else for Daniel?”
Lady Lavender stood from her seat and came to Thomas’s side. “What has happened?”
The duchess raised her eyebrows, obviously wanting the same answer.
“Jack picked up a pot he didn’t realize was still hot. He’s burned his hands, and the porridge is ruined.”
Lavender’s face paled a little, and she fidgeted with her long white gloves. “Take me to him.”
Thomas looked at the duchess, who picked up baby Colin. “I’m coming as well. Juliet, keep an eye on Daniel until I get back.”
Juliet nodded. “I will.”
Thomas led the women back through the corridor and down the stairs. “I’m sorry for the mess, Your Grace,” he said as he stepped over his own dirty footprints.
“I am not upset, Tom.”
He swallowed a lump in his throat. He wasn’t even the one who was hurt. Why then was he so out of sorts?
Lady Lavender led the way into the kitchen and went directly to Jack. She put a hand on his back. “I’m so sorry about your hands, Jack. May I see them?”
Jack kept his face down and lifted his hands out of the cistern. Angry red skin lined his palms and the pads of his fingers. He had a sharp intake of breath, and Lavender helped him put his shaking hands back into the water.
“The air hurts, doesn’t it?”
Jack nodded, tears streaming down his freckled face.
“You’ll be in pain for a while, Jack, but I know a few things that will help.” Lady Lavender looked at Mrs. Bitters. “Good thinking putting his burns in the water. It is the easiest way to soothe the pain. Can you soak some bread in milk in a large bowl?”
Mrs. Bitters went straight to work.
Thomas looked at Lady Lavender. “You’ve treated burns before?”
Lady Lavender rubbed her right arm and bit her bottom lip.
Then slowly, she removed her long white gloves for the first time that Thomas had seen.
The upper half of her right arm was a mottled mess of red and pink skin that puckered in some places.
“It is a pain I do not wish upon anyone.” She showed Jack, her cheeks blooming crimson.
“Don’t let my appearance frighten you—your hands are not burned as badly as I was.
I only show you to let you know that I understand your pain.
It will take time, but I believe your skin will heal completely. ”
Jack smiled at Lady Lavender with tears running down his face. “If I can come out looking as pretty as you after this, it will be the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
Lady Lavender laughed. “Goodness Jack, do you make all the girls blush?”
“Only in my dreams,” the boy muttered.
If Thomas had been envious of Jack earlier today for his happy demeanor, that was nothing to the jealousy he felt now. How was it that Jack and Lady Lavender were allowed to flirt and tease—in the company of the duchess, no less—and Thomas had to fight to keep his distance from her?
He looked again at Jack, the first person to accept him with all his insufficiencies in his role. He was the friendliest person Thomas knew. If anyone deserved to be doted on by a beautiful woman, it was Jack.
Mrs. Bitters brought over the bowl of bread and milk, and she set a spoon beside it.
“I know this will seem odd, but Jack needs to put his hands in this concoction,” Lady Lavender explained to Mrs. Bitters. “It helps take the fire out of the burn.”
Thomas’s stomach tied itself into a knot. Lady Lavender knew from experience how to help Jack. Even the idea of her suffering made Thomas want to strap a shield over his arm and go before her wherever she went. “How were you burned, Lady Lavender?” he asked before he could stop himself.
The duchess only raised an eyebrow at him, but then every eye in the room was upon Lady Lavender while Jack soaked his hands in the bread and milk.
“When I was fourteen, I was stung by a bee while I was looking for my elder sister in our garden.” She made eye contact with Thomas, and his heart hammered. He didn’t know how the bee sting connected with her burn, but he knew how wary she was of bees.
“I . . . I do not react well to bees. I panicked, and by the time I stumbled into the house I couldn’t breathe—I don’t know if it was because of the bee sting or because of my panic.
” She closed her eyes, and it was all Thomas could do not to wrap her in his arms. Miriam put a comforting hand on Lady Lavender’s shoulder.
“Either way, I fainted and hit my head before anyone found me, but I’d landed on the edge of the fireplace.
Some of the embers were burned into my arm. ”
Thomas was gripping the back of Jack’s chair so hard, his knuckles had turned white. “Who found you?”
“Henry,” she smiled. “Our groundskeeper had seen me panicking when I ran into the house, and he came to see what was wrong. It was him who pulled me from the fire and called for help. He saw the angry red spot on my neck, already swollen from where the bee had stung me. Rose took over from there. She removed the stinger and used her rose water to help calm my reaction.”
Lady Lavender reached into the hidden pocket in her dress. “I keep some of Rose’s concoction with me at all times now, just in case it ever happens again.”
The duchess wrapped Lady Lavender in a hug. “Rose told me to make certain you did not spend too much time out of doors. How many times have you been stung?”
“Four.”
“And have they all been as terrifying?” Her Grace asked.
“None so terrifying as that one, but they have all caused serious concern for my life.”
Thomas had known about her reaction to bee stings from the day they’d met, but seeing her arm fueled fury within him. He hated bees. He’d never known it before, but he did now. It was no wonder Lady Lavender was only able to relax outside at night.
The duchess shook her head. “I’m glad you keep some of that on you.” Then she turned to Tom. “And you know she is never to be out in the garden alone?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“All that to say, Jack,” Lady Lavender’s voice turned falsely happy, “that I have experienced burns before. Soak them in water or bread and milk when you need to.” She turned back to Mrs. Bitters.
“And I would send for carron oil from the apothecary. That was what I found to be most helpful. Until you procure some of that, we can use some honey.”
Mrs. Bitters looked at Thomas. “You heard her. Go to the apothecary.” She swatted her hand at Thomas as if he were an annoying fly.
The duchess stood from the table and balanced Colin on her hip, her eyes large when they fell on Thomas.
“Actually, I’d like to go. I want you to stay with Jack, Tom.
What he needs most is a good friend like you.
A walk would do my nerves some good after this morning.
When my husband returns from his meeting with Lord Chilcott, I want you to tell him everything that has occurred. ”
Thomas held her gaze with a gratitude he was not allowed to speak. She was protecting him from going into town where he might be recognized and giving him a reason to speak with his friend. He bowed low to her. “Of course, Your Grace.”
She left directly.
Thomas patted Jack on the back. “I guess you’ll have to lord over me again while I do all the work around here.” He winked at the boy.
Tears leaked slowly from Jack’s eyes, but he smiled at Thomas. “Here you are making my dreams come true. My own personal servant . . . at last.”
Thomas ruffled Jack’s unruly orange hair. “I am at your command.”
Upon Samuel’s return home, Thomas left the boy in Lady Lavender and Mrs. Bitter’s capable hands and walked with a heavy heart to the duke’s study.
He sat in a leather chair across from Samuel’s large oak desk. Weeks ago, he would have felt at home in such a stately room. Now he felt like an intruder, afraid of touching anything in case he got it dirty. He sat back and rested his head against the wall behind him.
What had he gotten himself into? He was only supposed to be in hiding to simplify his problems, but at this point, he felt it was for far more than that.
Lord Chilcott was still unrelenting in his attacks on Thomas, which didn’t make it appealing to have to reenter society any time soon, especially if people were actively looking to turn in his whereabouts for payment.
Surprisingly, he wouldn’t hate the idea of working for Samuel longer if it didn’t mean he would have to give up a chance to court Lady Lavender.
But he couldn’t court her properly as a footman or until his true name was cleared.
It was a circular mess that continued to get messier by the day.