When Katherine finally arrived at the Kent estate, she was exhausted. It had taken nearly an hour to get there. First, she was shown to the room where she would be staying. It was small, as expected and of course she would be sharing it with another maid. After she put her things away and changed into the uniform provided, she went back downstairs. She was greeted by a nice older woman named Helena. She was the housekeeper of the estate and was showing her around. Helena explained that Katherine would be a chambermaid. She will tend to the bedrooms, making sure they were cleaned and maintained, making sure the fireplaces were lit, and supplying hot water.

"We will have you following a more experienced chambermaid today to show you how to do the job properly," Helena instructed. "She's been here many years and knows the Duke and Duchess' schedules. There is no one better to help you settle in."

Katherine was feeling overwhelmed as she followed Helena into another room.

There were exquisite paintings on the walls and fancy decorations throughout the estate. It was a nice distraction after yesterday. After saying goodbye to Elijah, she cried most of the carriage ride to the estate. All she could think about was jumping out of the carriage and running after him. She even saw the truth in his eyes. He felt the same thing she did.

"Katherine, this is Annalise. She will show you how things are done around here."

Helena left us alone and Annalise gave me a welcoming smile. "Welcome, Katherine. We are happy to have you here. We will begin every morning with ensuring that the fires are lit in the Duke and Duchess' chambers before drawing their curtains for the day. The Duchess always gets up right at six. The Duke tends to sleep in a little later, usually until around nine."

Katherine tried to take in all the information as she kept up her pace with Annalise. "They both like to take a bath in the morning and in the evening; so, make sure to have the water ready for them. Also, we have to make sure everything is ready for the big event on Christmas Day."

Katherine was getting more overwhelmed by the minute. "Big event?"

Annalise smiled over her shoulder. "Yes, the Duke is getting married!"

Katherine felt a pain in her chest at the news. Elijah is also getting married in a few days. Not wanting to break down on her first day, she pushed him from her mind and continued her work.

Elijah paced back and forth in his quarters. He hasn't even been back five hours, and he already had the urge to flee. Again. Katherine had been a constant reminder of what he couldn't have...And what he wanted. He saw the heartbreaking look in her eyes when she boarded that carriage. It took everything he had not to go after her. To run away with her.

He stopped pacing at that. I will run away with her, he thought. The idea alone was enough to fill him with excitement. But, how would he find her? He knew she was a maid. But that wouldn't narrow it down. He knew that she was from a small town and had two sisters. But again, that didn't help him.

Perhaps William got the name of the carriage driver who picked her up. If so, Elijah can ask where he dropped her off. Feeling confident with his plan, he quickly found a servant and sent word to William to meet him later this afternoon. He knew William would think he has gone mad, and maybe he has. All he knew was that he wanted her.

"Welcome home, my son," his mother said in a tone he was all too familiar with. "Your little stunt kept everyone on their toes."

Elijah did feel a little regret about that. William filled him in on everything that happened while he was gone. Elijah was also convinced that William was in love with Lady Elizabeth. He told Elijah about their evening spent on the terrace. He mentioned they talked for quite a while, and he is not one to socialize. He also happened to mention that he made the mistake of telling her that he would call on her the following morning.

Of course, he was pretending to be the Duke of Kent. The morning he came to find Katherine and Elijah, he wrote her a letter explaining something came up and he would make it up to her. Which means that Elijah would have to make it up to her. Another thing he was not looking forward to. The idea of spending any amount of time with Lady Elizabeth made him feel uneasy. Almost as if he was betraying Katherine.

"I'm sorry, mother. I don't know what came over me. I promise you it won't happen again," He lied. I needed to find Katherine. If she felt the way Elijah thought he did, then maybe they could have a future together. A happy one.

"See to it that it doesn't. Now, we have brunch with Lady Elizabeth and her father."

Elijah followed his mother out of his chambers and nearly ran into the two maids who were turning the corner.

"Our apologies, Your Grace," one of the maids said. The other kept her head down.

"Not a problem," Elijah said absently as he continued in the direction his mother went.

Katherine couldn't believe she just ran into the Duke of Kent! She was so embarrassed. She kept her head down as Annalise apologized for the both of them. They walked into the Duke's spacious quarters and her eyes widened. There was a large bed with brown wooden posts. There was a beautiful fireplace and a lounge chair. He had many books scattered across a table in the corner. Katherine walked over and read some of the titles. He had a wide assortment including Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, Tales of Shakespeare, Dracula, Wuthering Heights, and Great Expectations. He really enjoyed reading.

Katherine also loved to read. She had many books at home and only brought Great Expectations with her on this trip. Her mind went back to the cabin. Elijah was surprised that she was able to read such books. She explained how her mother was lucky enough to have been able to teach Katherine and her sisters. The last night Katherine and Elijah had in the cabin, he read some of Great Expectations aloud to her while he stroked her hair. It was after their night of passion when the sun was almost up.

"Katherine?" Annalise called from the other side of the room. She was standing by the bed, bending to straighten the sheets.

"Yes, sorry," Katherine answered as she walked over.

"Once we make the bed, I can show you where to get the water for the bath."

Apparently, her duties also included changing all of the bed linens in the massive home. Considering there were over 20 bedchambers, this would be the most time-consuming task that she would have on her plate. Luckily, Annalise was knowledgeable about tricks to make everything run smoothly. Katherine honestly wasn't sure how she kept track of it all. The other maid was also a diverting companion. The two of them talked as they worked about the Duke. Annalise had been here a long time and has heard stories about his many conquests. The way she described him was almost carefree and reckless; not what you would imagine a Duke to be.

While Annalise continued to describe the Duke to her, she couldn't help but think of Elijah. What is he doing at this very moment, she thought?

"Lady Elizabeth, I must apologize again that I was not available this morning." Elijah and the Duchess were having lunch with Lady Elizabeth and her father.

"It wasn't a problem at all, Elijah. I appreciated the letter letting me know of your emergency."

Did she just call me Elijah? He thought. He didn't like it. It rubbed him the wrong way. It also brought back the memory of Katherine moaning his name as he pleasured her.

Why can't I stop thinking about her?

"Your grace?" Someone asked with a hint of impatience.

"Yes?" He looked up and had no idea who addressed him.

"I asked if you would be interested in joining us for dinner tonight," her father asked.

Elijah didn't want another intimate meal with them twice in one day. "Absolutely! We should make a night of it." He saw the surprised expressions of everyone at the table, his mother included.

"Yes," his mother said with an eyebrow raised. "That sounds lovely! We will take care of all the preparations."