The Paid Companion | Herophine

Chapter Fourteen

Josephine

Josephine opened her eyes very cautiously. She was vastly relieved to see the crack of light in the drapes that meant morning had finally arrived. The clock on the table read nine-fifteen. She was surprised to realize that she had finally managed to get some sleep.

It seemed to her that most of the night had been spent alternating between strange dreams and long, restless bouts of wakefulness during which she relived the kiss in the library a hundred times.

She shoved aside the covers and put on her slippers and wrapper. She washed quickly at the washstand, wincing at the bracing sting of the cold water. When she was through, she twisted her hair up into a neat knot and pinned a pristine white cap over it. Then she went to the wardrobe to survey the array of gowns hanging inside.

The pretty new clothes that she had ordered from Mrs. Egan’s longtime dressmaker were a positive feature of this new post, she thought. Not that they would do her any good when she left for her next position. It was highly unlikely that any of her future employers would want to hire a professional companion who dressed in such a fashionable manner.

As she had anticipated, the dressmaker had been only too happy to observe discretion on the subject of her knowledge of her new client’s recent post in Mrs. Egan’s household. But, then, any ambitious dressmaker worth her needles would have had sense enough not to gossip in such a situation, Josephine thought.

As for her own situation, she refused to worry about future wardrobe problems. With luck there would not be a great number of new employers or new posts to concern her, she thought, reaching for a cheerful yellow-orange morning gown trimmed with pale green ribbons. Thanks to the triple wages and the bonus that Hero was paying her, she would have almost enough money to secure a lease on a small bookshop when she left this household. If she was fortunate in her next post, another six months of employment would ensure that she had sufficient funds to stock her shop with the latest novels.

And then she would be free and independent at last.

While she dressed, she forced herself to concentrate on her shiny new future instead of Hero’s heated kisses.

She found the hallway empty when she opened the door of her bed-chamber a few minutes later. She wondered if Hero had already gone downstairs to breakfast. In spite of what had happened the night before, she discovered that she was quite looking forward to seeing him again this morning. She went quietly toward the staircase, careful not to make any noise that might awaken Anne.

At the foot of the stairs, she turned and went along the corridor that took her to the back of the house.

Taking a deep breath, she raised her chin, assumed a grand air and swept into the dining room as though absolutely nothing had happened the night before.

Her performance was for nought. The room was empty.

So much for showing Hero that his kisses were completely unmemorable. Sighing, she went through the doorway that opened into the pantry and descended the narrow steps to the lower floor where the kitchens were located. Her slippered feet made no sound on the treads.

A cup of tea and a slice of warm toast would be enough for her this morning, she decided.

She heard the muffled voices just as she arrived at the bottom of the steps. They were coming from behind a closed door. She recognized them immediately. Zach and the maid, Sally.

“Stop your damned snivelling, you stupid creature,” Zach snarled softly. “You'll do as I say or you'll find yourself on the streets again.”