《Lady Sarah's Secret》II. Sir Richard Returns

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1 month later...

"Mistress! Mistress!" Sarah slowly rose from the floor she'd been scrubbing, stretching her aching back as her abigail barreled into the room. The dining room was only a fourth done and her muscles were already screaming in protest of the task, life as a housemaid had turned out to be much more physically tolling than she could've expected a mere three weeks ago when she'd taken the job.

"How many times must I tell you, Lottie?" she scolded, "You cannot call me that - someone would hear you!"

"I am sorry, miss," Lottie said with a bob of a curtsy and a pout, Sarah instantly felt guilty, she hated scolding her. Lottie was the only piece of home, the only piece of her true life left and the young girl had stayed by her side for the last month.

"What is it, Lottie? I have work to do," Sarah encouraged, still rubbing her aching back. She'd needed to get back to the mopping if she was to finish the dining room before noon.

"That's just it!" cried Lottie, "He's here! Sir Richard is coming up the drive right this moment! You are free!"

Sarah felt such relief she nearly wept. Throwing her sponge into the bucket she wiped her hands on her apron and noticed they were shaking. She and Lottie had spent the last month as maids in the Amesbury household, waiting for the family to return to their country estate from the London Season. Sarah had convinced Lottie to go along with the plan, she knew it was the only way to stay hidden from Warwick until Richard could marry her, and she would have little luck making her way to London, and finding Richard before being spotted by Warwick who had also gone that direction for the special license. Besides, her guardian would never suspect her in this disguise.

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But at last it was ended! Sarah ran from the dining room and towards the front hall where the other servants would be gathering as well for the family's entrance.

The weeks of scrubbing floors, polishing silver and tending fires had left her chapped, dirty and sooty. She glanced down at her roughened hands with sadness, they'd been so lovely before. But no matter, Sir Richard was promised to marry her, no matter the condition of her hands or the soot on her nose. It wasn't as if she wanted him to find her attractive, he'd barely glanced at her twice when she'd been in a ballgown - a maid would be invisible to such a man. But Sarah had been preparing her plea to his conscience since her departure from home, and she was sure once Lady Eleanor heard of her plight she'd see that Richard held to the promise.

Sarah and Lottie reached the front hall as the Butler was giving commands to the lower servants to fall in line. The two girls joined the other maids, and waited, Sarah's heart thundering. She'd been through such grief and suffering, now at last her troubles were over. It made her knees weak.

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