‘In this house?’ he cut in.
His expression had grown oddly alarmed and she realized that what she’d unwittingly said must have sounded as if she was prepared to leave if there were no prospects for her here. Sixth sense told her to play on it.
‘I know I’ve not been here all that long,’ she hurried on, ‘but I’ve learned a lot and I hope I’m a good worker.’
‘You are, my dear. I am most pleased with you.’
‘But I don’t want to stay an under-housemaid all my life.’ She gave him what she hoped was a pretty smile, despite a small streak of coal dust across her lips and cheek.
He did not return the smile. ‘I would not like to lose you, my dear,’ he said slowly.
It sounded like a threat and took her by surprise. She was about to protest that she didn’t want to leave. Heavens, where would she go? And without Dora – Dora, who was now comfortably planted here? But his face had taken on a strange expression.
‘I have become very fond of you, Ellie. I watch you from afar whenever possible, hoping you haven’t noticed. If you were to leave, I would be lost.’
There was a wheedling note in his tone and she suddenly thought of her father, the way he’d look and speak before taking advantage of her.
She shrank back. ‘No, please Doctor Lowe, I’m not that sort of…’ She broke off, seeing him frown.
He looked shocked. ‘My dear child, what are you saying? Oh, my dear child, is that what you think of me? Oh, my dear…’
His voice died away and for a moment a tense silence hung between them. Then he spoke again.
‘I confess to watching you, but only because you remind me so of my daughter, my darling Millicent. Let me explain. I gain comfort from your close resemblance to her where my dear wife finds only grief from it. I think this is why she has laid down her rules and even taken your sister on as personal maid, looking to get back at you and make you so jealous that you will leave. I cannot allow that to happen. With you here I feel I have not lost my child, though you are more forthright than she ever was.’
He took a deep breath and drew his rotund figure up to its full, small height. ‘I hope you haven’t taken offence at what I’ve said. Please forgive me if there was any misunderstanding. And please, do not feel threatened by me.’
The moment of fear had turned to elation that she tried hard not to show. ‘Of course not,’ she said as evenly as she could.
‘I am so glad.’ He was still looking at her and she felt this might be the one and only time she would get to press home her request.
‘And about my job?’ she reminded him as gently as she could.
‘Ah, yes. I have no intention of letting you go, if that is what you thought. On the other hand, we cannot allow you to continue looking like a little chimney sweep, can we?’
He smiled at his small joke, his moustache and short beard twitching. It was a nice smile, not at all lecherous, as she had first mistaken it to be.
‘Leave it with me for a few days,’ he was saying. ‘I will talk to Mrs Lowe. I must, I’m afraid. She is in charge of the staff, not I. But I will deal with her.’ The smile broadened to a roguish grin, one she’d not seen before. He seemed a different man.
‘We might find you a pleasant position – parlourmaid, for instance?’
‘That’s waiting at table, isn’t it? That might upset Florrie, being that’s what she’s doing.’
‘Then she’ll have to perk up a little. She tends to be rather sluggish, to my way of thinking. We need someone a little more sprightly. I think that would be you, my dear.’
Ellie was feeling flabbergasted but managed to give him a respectful bob of her head in acknowledgement. At the same time she wondered how she was going to face Florrie. ‘Perhaps we could both take turns,’ she suggested helpfully. ‘I’m sure she wouldn’t mind that.’
‘For the time being say nothing to Chambers about our conversation,’ he advised forcefully. ‘Nor to Mrs Jenkins or your sister.’
Her sister? She was missing her already. From today she would probably hardly set eyes on her to talk about anything, much less about the conversation here in this room.
‘Now I had better go down to breakfast,’ he said, but at the door he paused and turned to frown at her, his mood seeming to darken. ‘One more thing, my dear: I couldn’t avoid seeing alarm in your eyes when I mentioned my feelings towards you? Why did you suddenly look so afraid?’
‘It’s nothing,’ she said a little too quickly, betraying that it had indeed to be something.
He pounced on it immediately. ‘Has someone in the past taken an unsavoury advantage of you?’
‘Honestly, it’s nothing,’ she protested.
‘I’m not sure I believe that, but I’ll leave it at that for your own peace of mind. But should you ever need to confide in someone, I’m here. Whatever it is, it would go no further and I would support you in every way. I hope you feel you can trust me, child.’
She gave the suggestion of a nod. ‘You’ll be late to your breakfast, sir,’ she reminded him.
‘Yes, of course. And I have also delayed you, child. We will consider finding a replacement for you to relieve you of this sort of menial work.’
‘That’ll mean more outlay on wages.’ She realized she was forgetting her manners. She hurriedly amended it. ‘I mean I’d feel ever so guilty if you let Florrie – I mean Chambers – if you was
