Forced To Be The Duke's Maid

Forced To Be The Duke's Maid - Part 7

I could not pull my gaze away from the scene unfolding outside on the steps. The duke had just leaned in to kiss the blond lady on the lips. It was a chaste kiss, but it was still one of familiarity, almost although she was his fiancé or someone that meant a great deal to him. She obviously was not a sister or a cousin, he would have kissed her on the cheek or the hand. No, she was definitely a romantic interest of some kind. For the life of me I couldn’t work out why I cared, but I did.

I ran over to the dresser and pulled some hairpins out. Without too much effort, I piled my hair up on my head and pinned it as best I could. It was time for me to explore my new surroundings and if I happened to find out some information about the mysterious blond visitor, then that would be a nice bonus. There was no reason for my curiosity, only that I wanted to know all I could about the duke and his life. Why? I could not be sure. All I knew was he had triggered something inside of me that I could not explain. Something I had to explore.

I made my way out my room and down the hall, doing my best to navigate my way back to the front door. From there, I hoped to ask for directions to the kitchen. I hoped to see Rowena or Emma there, they would no doubt fill me in on who the duke’s visitor was.

I walked down the winding staircase, always listening, in case the duke was close by. The last thing I needed was to run into them, especially after what had gone on this morning. I was sure I was the last person he wanted to see.

When I reached the main hallway to the front door, I walked gingerly to the right, hoping to see one of the grumpy old men from yesterday. Hopefully, they would set me in the direction of the kitchen or the staff areas. It was then I heard a familiar voice, one that made my blood run cold. Mrs Dawson. She was close by, giving orders to someone to bring a tray to the duke immediately. The last person I wanted to see was her, I moved to the first available door I saw and opened it. Darting inside and closing the door as quietly as I could so that she did not hear me. I stood there, facing the door, listening for her footsteps to go past.

“Celeste?”

I spun round and froze when I came face to face with the duke and his ladyfriend. They were sitting at a table right in front of an open patio door. The sun was shining in on them. “My apologies sir, I did not know there was anyone in here. I am just trying to find my way around.” It was partly true.

The duke’s gaze was fixed on me as it always was, sending shivers of excitement through me. “Go to the left and walk down the three concrete steps, you’ll find someone to help you from there.”

“Thank you, sir, I apologise again for disturbing you both.” I gave a slight curtsey and went to leave the room again.

“Who is this, Sebastian? A new maid? I have never seen her before.” A soft feminine voice asked.

Sebastian? Was that his name?

“Yes, this is Celeste. You know I always like to support the orphans from Exeter House. She needed a job and I said I would employ her. She is working under Mrs Dawson.”

I turned around again, not wanting to be rude. “Very pleased to make your acquaintance, Milady.”

She chuckled. “So formal, are you sure you are from Exeter House? I have never heard an orphan talk so eloquently. Mrs Dawson has clearly done an excellent job with your elocution.”

“I only arrived yesterday, ma’am, Mrs Dawson has not provided any elocution lessons for me. Thank you for your very favourable words though.”

Her face fell. “Well, you are a rare find indeed, Celeste. I am sure we will cross paths again. Run along now and make yourself useful somewhere else.”

The duke looked awkward, had I messed up again. I had to learn to control my impulsiveness. “Yes, ma’am.”

I turned and opened the door, just in time for Rowena and Mrs Dawson to arrive with a tea trolley. “What on earth are you doing in here girl? Go to the kitchen at once.”

“I got lost, his lordship was kind enough to tell me the way. I will go straight there now.”

“I will deal with you later. Just get out of here.” Mrs Dawson waved a hand dismissively, as she knocked and walked in with Rowena to serve the tea.

I guess I was in trouble again. No doubt Mrs Dawson would have her own brand of punishment for me to endure. Without wasting any more time, I followed the hallway to the left and walked down the stone steps as the duke had told me to do. All the while, I couldn’t get him out of my mind. The way his dark eyes zero in on me, as if we were the only two people in the world. Was that the way he looked at everyone? I’d need to ask someone.

I walked through two swing doors into a busy, bustling kitchen. A tall woman turned round to look at me as soon as I walked in. She had a sharp, pointed nose like a witch and her hair was pulled back in a very severe-looking hair net. “What do you want?”

“I was sent here by Mrs Dawson; I am supposed to be getting to know everyone and find my duties today.”

“I wasn’t told anything about this. Go and fetch that bucket and scrub the tiles in the cellar.” She never even looked at me again as she pointed over her shoulder towards a rusty old bucket. At least I was being given something to do.

“Very well, where is the cellar?”

“Through the black painted door.”

“Thanks. My name is Celeste, by the way. What’s yours?”

“I don’t care who you are, as long as you’re pulling your weight around here.”

I didn’t even respond. Clearly, she had no intention of being my friend anytime soon. I walked over and picked up the bucket, lifting it into one of the large metal sinks to fill it. I took a scrubber brush from the side of the sink and made my way over to the black door. I pulled the large heavy bolt across. When I stepped inside it was pitch black, there was no windows. I put the bucket down and felt around for a light switch. How could I scrub the floor if I could not see it?

Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and I was left in complete darkness. I heard the door being bolted again. I ran to the door and began to beat my fists on it. “Hey, I am in here. Don’t lock it, let me out.” I banged on it and kept shouting. Why was no one hearing me? Was it a soundproof door? “Help! Someone. Please open the door, I am locked inside. Open the door please, there is no light or air. Please, somebody help me.”

I felt frantic, I could not tell if it was panic or the lack of oxygen in this tight space, but I became very lightheaded. I banged the door another couple of times and shouted for help, but no one came. Soon, I felt myself sliding down the door. My breathing is becoming very laboured. I just had to rest my eyes for a moment, then I would shout for help some more. My eyes closed as I hit the cold hard floor.

When I opened them again, I was looking up into the most beautiful dark eyes I’d ever seen. They were looking at me filled with concern. “Celeste, are you okay?”

I blinked a few times, as if waking up from a dream. It was the duke. What was he doing here? “Where am I?" I asked, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

“You fainted in the cellar. How many fingers am I holding up?” He held up three fingers in front of my eyes.

“Three, sir.”

He sighed with relief. “Good girl, can you sit up for me?”

He held my forearms gently and pulled me up to a sitting position. When I sat up, I realised the entire kitchen staff were observing the entire exchange. I immediately felt embarrassed. My eyes landed on the tall, skinny woman with the pointed nose, she looked rather concerned or guilty. Maybe both?

The duke rested me back against the wall, then he stood up to address the staff. “Who is responsible for this?” Everyone just looked at each other. “Someone did this deliberately, they could have killed Celeste. Now, I want to know who did this.”

I spotted Emma and Rowena standing over by the door of the kitchen, they both looked at me with pity. At least someone cared. Mrs Dawson was standing next to them, looking less sympathetic and more annoyed.

The duke walked closer to where all the staff stood in silence. No one willing to break the deadlock. “If someone does not speak the truth of who did this, then all of you can pack up your belongings and get out of my home.”

There were shocked murmurs from all the staff. Mrs Dawson gasped and held her chest as if she might have a heart attack. “His lordship can’t be serious. We can’t sack all the staff, who will run the kitchen?”

“I will find new staff. Now, you all have ten seconds to talk or you’re all dismissed.” He looked at every one of them intently. “So, what’s it to be? The culprit being dismissed or all of you? Because either way, I will find out who locked Celeste in that cellar.”