A Lady For Him

7. The Intruder

"Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love." -Mother Teresa

She was bereft of everything while men surrounding her ready to attack. She was drenched in sweat, her heart pounding in her chest, trying desperately to focus on her surroundings. The mocking laughter assaulted her ears. The eyes looking at her like a predator looking at the prey. They were closing on her making her difficult to move, Hannah woke up startled and disoriented from the nightmare utterly terrified. 

She never felt such a terror before. Rocking herself back and forth trying to calm herself she looked around to ensure she was safe inside the Raymond Manor and the nightmare wasn't real.

She has been working at Raymond manor after Brown's left for London. Her first day wasn't easy, for the first time she had to live under the continuous disgusted look and sneering from the other servant living inside the manor. She was thankful no one tried to bodily harm her since disgust for her ran deep in everyone's bones.

When a group of servants complained to the Duke they will stop working if she stayed in the manor, Duchess rebuffed everyone's complaint urging them to give her a chance while warning her to not do anything that will jeopardize their name.

Everyone went back to ignoring her after that. She was given the cot in a storage room where logs and hay were stored. She worked diligently and without mistakes, grateful to everyone ignoring her only with occasional disgusted looks. Lady Ida soon noticed Hannah's hard work and diligence, her ability to perfect every task given to her while making no mistakes granted her favor from the Duchess.

Despite everyone's protest and Caro's suggestion, she made Hannah her companion within 3 weeks of working at Raymond manor and gave her a servant's quarter.

She still used to wake up at the break of dawn even when she was not required by Lady Ida till after the breakfast was served. She helped around the servants with their tasks only with their permission trying to gain their approval. One of the reasons Lady Ida made her companion was to limit her interaction with others and keep control over everything involving Hannah but Hannah wanted to make people look at her like she was only human.

Lady Ida was never without Lady Faith and Hannah grew to respect the two ladies more and more. She idolized both the ladies and listen to anything they said with rapt attention. She was amazed by both the ladies' acceptance of her. Lady Caroline was also good to her trying to become her friends but Hannah knew better than to be close to anyone.

Every day Lady Ida and Lady Faith will gush over the possible wedding of their children. Hannah couldn't help but enjoy the ladies enthusiasm. She was a mere spectator but couldn't help herself from wishing for Lady Caroline's bright future as a Lady Kentshire.

Even if she was never part of the society and kept herself confined to the shadows she understood Lady Caro's desperation to marry. This might be her last season to find herself a suitable husband. The world was cruel to everyone high and low, some had means to hide, some had means to fight while some left open to spite.

Everyone always talked about Kentshire's and even though she never saw him she had heard a lot about Lord Oliver Kentshire and she believed he would be a good husband to Lady Caro. She tried and keep pity from seeping into her. She would never know what a good husband is or even a bad husband is for that matter.

Hannah was packing her valises making sure she had triple-checked the list of all the things Duchess had ordered from London for the Christmas celebration. Both the ladies were preparing for an engagement party rather than a Christmas eve. Despite Lady Caro's protest that Lord Oliver and herself haven't agreed on anything yet and they shouldn't be getting ahead of themselves with the celebration, the ladies continued to assure her she will be getting married this season.

Hannah soon realized how much the ladies were unaware of Lady Caro's predicament and she felt bad for running away every time Lady Caro tried to befriend her. Despite being the loved member of Raymond's family she felt Lady Caro was lost and felt more and more alone every passing day but she couldn't do anything. Her mere presence would have been met with revolt if it would have been someone else other than Kentshire marrying Lady Caro.

She reached London by midday and she tasted freedom for the very first time in life. She was a maid from Raymond's household and no one else. Everything felt like a fairy tale. She was smiling unhinged without any judgment from anyone. The butler was looking at her weirdly but he wouldn't understand her happiness. The itch to run away into the streets and disappear forever highly potent in her.

Then she remembered the kindness of the lady that made it possible for her to be here. She followed the butler inside and was shown to her quarter for her stay and provided with luncheon. She was in the private estate of Lord Oliver Kentshire but there were hardly any people around. It felt like an abandoned manor rather than the estate of Prince's best friend. She only met the butler and cook, Mr. and Mrs. Morrinson who were way into their sixties.

She wanted to explore the manor and venture outside to see the world. She didn't know when she will come back again. But she held herself from giving in to temptation. After resting for the day she joined the other members for dinner.  Along with the cook and butler, there were two women, Laura and Missy, who helped clean and maintain the estate and two more men who come and help around in the morning, and two guards posted for the security.

She learned his lordship hardly stays in this estate anymore, he is either at Kentshire manor or at Royal Palace with the Prince where he is residing currently. The conversation with all the women flowed naturally, speaking to people without any qualms about her was unbelievable. She wanted to weep with joy. Soon everyone retired and the two maids talked to her till midnight their exuberance rubbing on her.

She woke up as usual at the break of dawn and was unable to go back to sleep. She walked toward the kitchen to see if anyone has woken up. Her heart filled with dread when she heard shuffling from the direction of the front door the noise of someone trying to open the door sounding like a drum in an eerily silent home. Taking deep breaths she walked toward the door after grabbing a frying pan from the kitchen.

As she stood with her weapon in the air waiting for the intruder to break open the door the other side went deadly silent and there were two strong knocks on the door. Her mind worked mile a minute and she soon realized the person on the other side must be one of the two men who come in the morning to help out.

She carefully walked forward clutching the pan tightly in one of her hands while opening the door slowly with the other. As she squinted her eyes to clearly see the person standing in front of her he fainted putting all his weight on her, unbalancing her, the pan falling from her hand with a loud clang while her arms came around him to balance.

The person in her arms seems to be losing consciousness as his arms came around her waist holding her tightly while he placed his head on her shoulder breathing heavily.

"My Lord," She heard Mr. Morrison from down the corridor coming toward them.

Her eyes widen to the size of a saucer when she realized the person in her arms was the lord of the estate, Lord Oliver Kentshire and with that, she noticed he was burning like a furnace.

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