Chapter Eleven: Ellie

"You look pale, Elinor," were the first words out of Miss Sharpe's mouth as soon as she opened the door. "What happened? Did your stepmother do something?"

Startled by the question, I hesitated before I stepped over the threshold. "What? Oh, no. She hasn't spoken to me at all today. What do you think she might do?"

Miss Shape sighed and shook her head. "With her, after the threat she has already made to you, I could believe her capable of anything. There were a few times when I spoke to her two days ago that I thought she saw right through me."

A shiver went down my spine as I followed her into a bright, charming sitting room. It was where I had spent many hours improving my writing and reading skills. "What did you talk about? I tried to listen from the hallway, but Mrs. Burke seemed to know I would do that and closed the door."

"Eavesdropping is not polite, Elinor."

"Surely it is acceptable when you are being lied to," I protested as I took the chair furthest from the window. "I better not be seen by anyone who might tell my stepmother that you know me better than you have let on."

"Is that why you came through the garden?" Miss Sharpe shook her head again as she sat across from her young guest. "I wish I could say something positive about your stepmother. She is the most selfish woman I've ever met. I wonder what your father saw in her."

"I don't know. I didn't know he wanted to marry after my mother died. He never mentioned being lonely, but he was away so often. Then, one day, he wanted me to meet my new mother. She smiled and exclaimed over me, but that was it. She was never a mother to me, even when my father was alive."

The former governess hummed before she said, "Well, the story she tells is that your father was in desperate need of comfort and a terrible first marriage. To hear her tell it, it was a love match from the start."

Honestly, I saw red. "Lies, lies, and more lies! My parents loved each other and were happy. There was nothing terrible about it!"

"Hush, Ellie. I know. If it will only upset you, I won't tell you anymore," Miss Sharpe said swiftly. I shook my head. No, I had to know all I could. "Very well. Mrs. Burke had much to say about how her stepdaughter was sent to finishing school to be the kind of lady Captain Burke would be proud of."

I curled my hands into fists to keep from exclaiming over this falsehood. "Finishing school? I'm not sure that is what my father would have wanted for me. A basic education would have sufficed, I'm sure."

Reaching over, Miss Sharpe patted my arm. "You have to admit she may be right about one thing. Your father may have been lonely after he lost your mother. To come home to only a daughter after months at seas must have been a difficult thought. And if he thought he was getting a mother for you, it must have seemed like a good plan to remarry."

Scowling, I refused to admit any such thing. "You cannot believe my father could have fallen in love with her!"

"No, I don't. But he may have felt pity for her. After all, it can be a hard world for a widow. Especially one with a child to look out for."

"Mrs. Haynes said that a widow can be the most independent. The security of having married but with the authority to make her own decisions."

"The world is not so black and white." Miss Sharpe paused as her maid carried in the tea tray. Once the young girl had left, she poured the tea. "Consider this. If a woman loses her husband and he left her in debt, does she have any real freedom? True, she can make decisions without consulting someone, but with no money of her own, she is left worse off than ever."

Accepting my cup, I refused to feel pity for my stepmother. "But that doesn't mean you can accept the responsibility of your husband's child and then ignore her."

With a nod, Miss Sharpe conceded the point. "Just think about it. It is better to be merciful than to remain bitter." She passed a plate with ginger biscuits. "I have learned that there is more to Mrs. Burke's reliance on the earl of Berdwell than she may have let you know."

About to select one of the sweet treats, I paused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, from her hints, I presume that the earl has an interest in you."

The very idea might have made me laugh once. "Me? Why would he be interested in me? I've never met him or his family before."

"Because he is your joint guardian with Mrs. Burke. How do you think Mrs. Burke had the money to send you to finishing school? It came from the earl. Or, the previous earl, to be exact."

"What are you talking about?" I shook my head. "She didn't send me to school of any kind. The only education I have had came from Mrs. Haynes and you. That didn't cost her anything at all."

"But that is not what she told the earl. From what she told me, the earl is under the impression that you, Captain Burke's daughter, have been at school since you were twelve years old. But now he has decided it is time he met you, which is why the improvements are being made to Meadowbrooke."

"Meet the earl?" I repeated in astonishment. None of this made any sense. "Why would he want to meet me? Why should he even know me at all?"

"Because you are his ward, and it is his responsibility to see you settled." Miss Sharpe paused. "No. That's not quite right. The current earl has only been in his title for a few months. He probably learned that he also inherited responsibility for you and is curious what you are like since his family has funded your education."

"But he didn't."

"No. I would wager that Mrs. Burke took the funds for your education and put them towards her own daughter's needs and wants. Perhaps the previous earl had no interest in you and left it all to her managing?" Miss Sharpe made an unladylike shrug. "All Mrs. Burke would talk about was how generous the earl has been and she hopes that her stepdaughter makes a good impression when she arrives."

Sitting back, I considered this new information. "Is that why she has claimed her own daughter is me? To hide that fact that I didn't get the education or benefit from the earl's generosity? She's lying more to cover her original lies?"

"I can only assume that is her current scheme. I don't see how she thinks her house of cards will remain standing. Her daughter's name is Harriet, is it not? That is not close to Elinor for anyone to pretend there is a misunderstanding."

"Well, she has already told the earl that Captain Burke's daughter is named Harriet. He only knew there was a Miss Burke and not an Elinor Burke."

Miss Sharpe gave a start. "He did not know your Christian name?" She shook her head. "The former earl really must have been truly disinterested if he didn't even know that much about you."

"So, you see? She has thought of everything." Disheartened, I sat back.

The former governess frowned, her lips pursed together. "I wonder why the earl was named a joint guardian, if he didn't know you. If he was acquainted with your father, Captain Burke must have mentioned your name. So did he simply forget? Or is there another reason the earl was given responsibility for you?"

Sighing, I shook my head. "I'm so confused."

"Then, what I have to add will only make you more confused. You've heard there is to be a ball in three weeks' time?"

Surprised by the change of topic, I gave a nod. "Yes. Mr. Turner mentioned it to me. He—" I paused and abandoned that thought. What I had been told was in confidence. "He said the earl's sisters had already arrived."

"Yes, but there is another reason for the ball. It is intended to launch Captain Burke's daughter into society. Afterwards, he intends to take you—or if Mrs. Burke succeeds in her deception, your stepsister— to London for a Season."

"Society? Season?" I repeated in astonishment. "That is what Mrs. Burke is after? She wants to give her daughter all the benefits that should have been for me?"

"What mother with some ambition wouldn't take advantage of anything to get ahead in the world," Miss Sharpe asked, her tone disapproving. "And she believes she will get away with it because she hasn't been caught so far."

Though my hands were curled around the teacup, I couldn't feel any heat. Honestly, I didn't feel much of anything beyond anger. "She has stolen my life. First she abandoned me here, and now she is taking the future I was meant to have. Why? Why couldn't she have—" Breaking off, I closed her eyes. "I don't know anymore."

There was a gentle clink of porcelain as Miss Sharpe set aside her own tea. "Elinor, you have to go to the earl yourself. Tell him the truth. Don't let this go any further."

"But the damage has already been done!" Frustration made my tone sharper than was warranted. "In his eyes, I am just a maid. Would he believe my word against that of a lady?"

"Your stepmother is no lady."

"Maybe not, but he believes that she is. She has had more time to weave her scheme. You've already seen how she has convinced our own neighbors, people I have known for years, that I am not who I really am. And she has been here less than a week! She is persuasive. Would she not use her skills on the earl?"

The older woman sighed. "True. But you have to try. How can you stand by and let her take everything?"

"I don't know what good it will do. Won't it make things worse for myself? She will claim I am deluded and send me to Bedlam."

"That might be, but it might be enough to make the earl doubt her word. Sometimes standing up for the truth is worth the trouble it will bring to yourself. It takes bravery and heart to do so. What do you think your father would want?"

~*~

Thoughtfully, I made my way back to Meadowbrooke. Miss Sharpe's information had shaken me. To learn that Mrs. Burke had gone so far to manipulate the situation was horrifying. How much had I missed out on because of her stepmother?

"Where have you been?"

Putting my hand on the gate, which had been oiled the day before, I looked at the open window of the sitting room. My stepmother was in view, glaring at me. "I had an errand to run," I called back.

"Get inside. I don't want you leaving the cottage without my permission again. Do you understand?"

Pushing open the gate, I stepped onto the path. I didn't say anything as I walked to the front door. "And use the servant's entrance!" Mrs. Burke snapped. "You are a maid, remember? Even in a god forsaken place like this, a maid would not have the audacity to enter through the front as if she were a guest."

Pursing my lips, it took all my willpower not to respond. Instead, I changed direction and went around to the kitchen door. Mrs. Haynes was next to the door, washing the delicate underclothes of the household. "You're in for it now, Miss Ellie," she said in a low voice. "She has been in a terrible mood since she came down."

"She never said I had to hide inside," I protested. Though, perhaps she had not expected me to have anywhere to go. "Why shouldn't I go about as I normally would?"

Mrs. Haynes shook her head. "Because she has changed the rules, remember? You are not the daughter of the house in her world. You are a maid now."

"Then, maybe I should be a maid at the manor!"

"What did you say?" Mrs.Burke demanded from the doorway. "What makes you think the earl's houskeeper would employ a stupid creature like you?"

"If I am to be a maid, I may as well be one in a place where I am permitted to take a walk without being interrogated," I fired back. "Or are you afraid I will learn that the earl is also my guardian and he intends to launch me into society?"

Mrs. Burke blinked and Mrs. Haynes gave a start. "Who told you that?" Ellie's stepmother asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Does it matter? Is it true?" Out of the corner of her eye, I saw Mrs. Haynes shake her head in warning. But it was already too late.

"Have you been speaking to that nosy old governess?" Mrs. Burke narrowed her eyes. "You must have. She's the only one I've spoken to about the earl's plans. I suppose she's a friend of yours? She's strange enough to befriend someone like you."

"So you don't deny it? The earl intends to see my future secured with marriage?"

"You? You are a stupid, uneducated girl! What would the earl have to do with you?"

"I am Captain Burke's daughter, despite what you may have told everyone! Everything the earl has done to Meadowbrooke was for me, was it not? Because he has an interest in me!"

"The Earl of Berdwell doesn't even know you! As far as he is concerned, you are simply a troublesome, deluded maid. He won't give you the time of day, but you're welcome to try."

"Why is everyone yelling?" Harriet asked, appearing behind her mother. "I'm tired of hiding inside, Mama. Can I come outside now?"

Mrs. Burke ignored her daughter.

"Maybe the earl believes your lies, but the steward does not," I said, raising my chin. "He will discover your lies and he'll tell his cousin. Then, it won't go so well for you!"

There was a pause and I thought I might have managed to outmaneuver my stepmother. "Did I mention that I am expecting a visit from a London physician?" the woman asked, keeping her gaze on me. "I trust I won't have to worry about you causing trouble before he arrives. He will know just what to do with impertinent maids who ought to mind their tongues! He should be here tomorrow."

The threat sent a flash of fear through me. "Mama," Harriet said, tugging on her mother's sleeve. "What are you all talking about? Can I get past you?"

Mrs. Burke twisted enough to slap at her daughter's hands. "No! We are not risking everything just because you are bored, Harriet," she snapped. "Stay inside and practice your needlework. I've already told the earl how talented you are and I want you to be able to prove it to him."

Pouting Harriet stepped back. "And as for you," Mrs. Burke said, focusing back on me. "You are not to leave the house or gardens, do you understand? I'm sick of your meddling. Stop asking questions. It will go better for you if you do."

Spinning on her heel, Mrs. Burke stalked back into the cottage. Harriet hesitated a moment before hurting after the woman. Heart pounding, I swallowed and looked at Mrs. Haynes. The older woman just shook her head. "Ellie, you ought to have held your tongue."