Chapter Seventeen: Ellie

When Mrs. Burke returned from church, she was in a highly agitated state. I was half-afraid that she had encountered Mr. Turner, but she didn't question me about him or even mention his name. A few times I caught her watching me with narrowed eyes, but I couldn't work out what she was thinking.

Her ill-humor continued into the next week. I could not tell if it was because there was no communication from the earl or if the poor weather affected her as much as it did the rest of us.

Rain poured down at all hours of the day, making me grateful the roof was sound. Such weather made visits unlikely. It was a relief that I did not have to hear my neighbors fawning over my stepmother and endure them ignoring me. At the same time, being trapped in the cottage with my stepmother and stepsister was something of a nightmare.

Nothing any of us in the household did was up to their standards. They squabbled as much as they berated me and Mrs. Haynes.

I found myself watching the windows, hoping to see Mr. Turner. I knew there was no reason for him to come, but I wanted to see him again. He was one of the few people to listen to me, and I felt what I said had some importance.

"Fool," I whispered, shaking myself. Just because I valued being listened to didn't mean he found my observations valid or useful. "Why would he come?"

Mrs. Burke made it clear to Mrs. Haynes that he was not allowed to step foot in the cottage if he were to come. I doubt the fact that he was related to the earl would change her mind on the order this time. She was adamant that the man could not be trusted, though she never elaborated on why she felt that way.

Thursday dawned cloudy and grey, but there was no rain coming down. Soon after noon, a carriage stopped at the gate. Two ladies, dressed in lovely pastel colors, stepped out and then picked their way around mud puddles to the front door.

From where I stood at the sitting-room window, I realised they were not much older than me. When they were close enough, I could see a resemblance to Mr. Turner: fair hair and something about the shape of their face. Were these Mr. Turner's cousins, the earl's sisters, that Mrs. Haynes had mentioned to me?

A moment after I lost sight of them, there was a knock on the front door. Reminded of the role I was supposed to play, I hurried to the door and opened it. "Good day," I said politely. "May I help you?"

The closest of the pair raised an eyebrow. "Good day. Is Mrs. Burke at home?"

"Lady Burrows!" Mrs. Burke's exclamation startled me. "How wonderful to see you! This is a surprise. Move aside, Ellie, and let them in. Go and get us some tea."

"That's not necessary," the second lady said swiftly. "We cannot stay long. We do have guests."

Mrs. Burke pushed me aside. "Well, I'm flattered you took the time to come to my humble home," she said, her tone one of sickening sweetness. "Come and sit for a moment. Surely you have time for that? Ellie! Surely there is something for you to do."

My cheeks felt as though they were on fire as I backed to the wall. "Oh, so this is Miss Ellie," Lady Burrows said. "You have been so helpful to our cousin these past few weeks. He's mentioned many times how you have helped him learn his way around."

It took a moment for me to realize she was talking to me. Cautiously, I peeked up through my eyelashes to find her smiling at me with a kindness I'd only seen from Mr. Turner. "I'm pleased I was able to assist him," I managed to say.

"This way ladies," Mrs. Burke said loudly as she stepped in front of me. I had no doubt she would make me regret being noticed as soon as her guests left.

"Our brother is very interested in when Miss Burke will arrive," the second lady said as she followed Mrs. Burke. "She is coming, is she not? Or has her plans changed yet again?"

"Of course! Of course she is coming," Mrs. Burke responded. "Her friends are reluctant to be without her company, but they have said they will have her here in time for the ball next week."

Why was she waiting so long? I knew Harriet had long since grown impatient with being kept inside the cottage. If they were so eager for her to meet the earl, why not do so already?

"Who are her friends?" Lady Burrows asked, her tone holding just the hint of coldness. Did she not want to be at the cottage? I could understand if she disliked my stepmother, but then, why did she come? A lady of her position and status wouldn't have to continue an unwanted acquaintance.

"Oh. Well, I'm sure you are not acquainted with them." Mrs. Burke left the door open, making it easy to hear every word. "They do not go about in society much."

"I am acquainted with many people, Mrs. Burke, as is my sister. Between us, I think we can come up with someone who would know Miss Burke's friends. Then, we can communicate with them directly and assure them that her guardian wishes to see her as soon as possible."

Ha! I smiled as I leaned against the wall. How would Mrs. Burke answer that? Invent a name? More lies? How big would her story become before she was done?

"I would hardly inconvenience his lordship with such a trivial matter," Mrs. Burke said without hesitation. "Dear Harriet will be at the ball, I promise. Nothing could keep her away."

It wouldn't surprise me if Harriet threw a tantrum if her mother even tried to keep her from the ball. It was the only thing keeping her appeased at the moment. And I wasn't sure how much longer that would last.

"Surely she will come before the ball," the second of Mrs. Burke's visitors exclaimed. "She must want to meet our friends so that she will feel comfortable."

But Mrs. Burke remained firm and would not give a name, though she conceded enough to say she would tell the earl if he thought it important. After several minutes, the earl's sisters gave up on getting an answer.

"Does the young lady visit her relatives often?" Lady Burrows asked. "She must have cousins who would want her company."

There was a pause. "Dear Harriet's mother was not on our level, you understand," my stepmother said. "She was the daughter of an innkeeper. My husband was young and foolish when he married her. He would not have wanted his daughter to associate with ones so beneath her."

My hands clenched into fists. Young and foolish? My parents had loved each other and had a good life, even if it had ended too soon! She had no right to judge my mother so cruelly!

"Was it an inn near here?"

"I hardly know! My husband could not bear to speak of it; he was so ashamed of his youthful indiscretion. A young man's head can be turned by a pretty face so easily."

If there was any reason my father could not speak of my mother, it was because she had been so dear to him and he grieved her loss! That was the truth, was it not? A seed of doubt wormed its way into my mind. How could I be sure?

"I do not hold dear Harriet's mother against her," Mrs. Burke continued. "It is not her fault, after all. She inherited none of her mother's low qualities and I have done all I could for her. In fact, if one did not know, I dare say no one could even guess she was born to a common woman."

"Indeed," was all the response Lady Burrows made. "Well, we must return to our guests. You will send a note as soon as Miss Burke arrives?"

Breathing out, I tried to calm my beating heart and relax my hands. As the ladies came out of the sitting room, I hurried to open the door for them. Standing there, I expected them to pass without noticing me.

"Girl, did the local seamstress make your gown?"

Startled, I met the gaze of the second, unnamed lady. Her expression was curious. "No, ma'am," I said honestly, trying to cover my embarrassment. "I sewed if from an old gown in the attic."

"You? Well, you have skill then, for it cannot be easy to alter one dress into another." Her tone seemed sincere, but I wasn't sure I could trust it. My worn dress was worthy of notice? Impossible! "I'm not as skilled as you."

"Thank you for your visit, Mrs. Fenrow, Lady Burrows," Mrs. Burke exclaimed. "Do come again."

So. I wasn't to speak to anyone associated with the earl. The ladies' expressions twisted into annoyance, but they did not express their feelings. Once the door shut behind them, Mrs. Burke grabbed my arm.

"Just what are you about? How dare you put yourself forward!" she hissed. "Didn't you give me your word?"

"I didn't put myself forward!" I protested, trying to ignore how her nails were digging into my arm. "They noticed me. They spoke to me. I didn't approach them or speak first."

Well, except for greeting them, but that didn't count.

Mrs. Burke shook her head. "What have you said to that meddling steward?" she demanded. "Why should he have mentioned you to the earl at all?"

"N-nothing! I only told him about the neighbors and problems he might face from the tennants." I'd told her as much, hadn't? Did she think I would confess to saying something I shoudln't? "He wanted to know what he should expect since he is new to the area."

With a scoff, Mrs. Burke pushed me away. "You ought to have kept your mouth shut. No one cares what you might think or say. Look at you! You're a useless girl."

I had to bite my tongue to resist pointing out that the earl's sisters disagreed. Hadn't one just complimented my sewing? Lady Burrows had said Mr. Turner appreciated what I had told him, and there really was no reason for her to do that unless she meant it.

"Mama?" Harriet called from the stairs. "Who visited you?"

"Stay upstairs and be quiet!" Mrs. Burke snapped. "When there is something to tell you, I will do so! There is no reason for you to ask stupid questions or to bother me."

I held my breath, expecting for Harriet to take offense. To my surprise, the young lady fled back the way she'd come. Had she snesed that her mother was in no mood to be crossed?

Mrs. Burke marched back to the sitting room and slammed the door shut behind her. "What happened?" Mrs. Haynes whispered from the kitchen doorway. "I thought Mrs. Burke would be pleased she had visitors."

Shaking my head, I hurried to her. "I don't think there is much that could make my stepmother happy."

~*~

By evening, Mrs. Burke's temper seemed to have eased. She chatted with her daughter over supper, telling her how eager the earl was to meet her. I stood against the wall as I had been directed.

It seemed it was impossible for them to dine without having a servant on hand to assist. Was this normal for other households? Was it so difficult to pour one's own wine or pass a dish from one person to the other? Why was a servant necessary in such a small space?

"Never forget this, Harriet," my stepmother said, getting my attention. "It is always important to make a man wait. All men want what they think they cannot have, and making them wait only makes them want you more."

Had she employed that tactic with my father? "But how long should you make a man wait?" Harriet asked before I could explore my question and what it might mean. "Mr. Patchman won't wait forever for me."

Mr. Patchman? Who was that? Was there someone Harriet admired in London? Was there a real attachment or merely the potential for one? Why was she going along with her mother's plan?

"Haven't I told you not to mention that name?" Mrs. Burke snapped, her pleasant manner slipping. "You have the chance to be a countess! Mr. Patchman is nothing compared to that!"

Harriet's lips pursed in an expression of anger. "Well, I'm tired of waiting," she said, poking at the boiled potatoes on her plate. "It's all well and good to make some man wait, but I'm sick of hiding upstairs in that ugly room. Why can't I go to the house party? They want me!"

"Because it is better to wait."

"But why?"

"Because I said so!" mrs. Burke brought her fist down on the table, making the dishes clatter. "I have planned wecverything out, harriet. I do not want to risk there being anyone present who might remark how little you look like Captain Burke. You will attend the ball and then go straight to London where you will have the earl's full attention. Is that clear enough for you?"

I'd known that my stepmother was leaving little to chance but I hadn't realized just how extensive her planning had been.

"After so long, who is going to even remember what Captain Burke or his first wife even looked like?" Harriet asked with a petulant scowl. "Wouldn't they have spoken up already? Or does Ellie look nothing like either of her parents?"

Mrs. Burke turned her head and fixed a thoughtful stare on me. "No, she looks a great deal like her father," she finally said. "If you look closely. She may look like her mother, but who can say? The woman died fifteen years ago."

How dare she speak so dismissively of my mother?

"Well, Ellie?" Harriet asked, lifting her wine glass. "Do you look like the previous Mrs. Burke?"

I wanted to say yes, of course! But... I had only vague memories of my mother. I couldn't recall any specific features of her face. Whenever I thought about her, I just felt a warmness and comfort I hadn't felt in a long time.

But with Mrs. Burke and Harrier staring at me, I couldn't confess the truth. It would be a betrayal of my mother's memory to two people who would twist it to suit themselves. At the same time, though, I couldn't lie.

"Miss Ellie's mother was an acknowledged beauty in the neighborhood," Mrs. Haynes announced, carrying in the pudding. "It is no surprise Miss Ellie inherited her looks."

Shocked, I glanced at the cook. She'd never said so to me before, telling me that beauty was only skin deep.

"Oh." Mrs. Burke sniffed, her expression twisting with dissatisfaction. "Well, no one has said anything on the matter. She can't have been that much of a beauty."

Was she trying to get a rise out of me? "Old Widow Miller will remember," Mrs. Haynes said, her tone stubborn. "Oh, Mrs. Burke was a bright spot to everyone when she came to Meadowbrooke Cottage. Captain Burke would strut like a proud peacock over his dear wife."

Had he? Where were these stories coming from? Hadn't Mrs. Haynes said she came to Meadowbrooke Cottage only a short time before my mother went to London, that she only knew my mother briefly? Were these tall tales? Was Mrs. Haynes on a mission to make my stepmother angry? Because I could see the rising fury in Mrs. Burke's eyes.

"Thank you, Mrs. Haynes," my stepmother said sharply. "I think we have heard enough of your unasked opinion."

"Who is Widow Miller?" Harriet asked, her tone one of curious interest. "She's not someone who has visited you, is she? I can't recall you mentioning her name."

Immediately, Mrs. Burke sat back, the tension easing from her expression. "Very true, my dear," she said with a nod. "So she cannot be anyone of importance in the neighborhood."

Sweet, wise Widow Miller? She might spend her days sitting in front of the fireplace, unable to get out of the cottage, but I would never call her unimportant! She had wonderful stories to tell from her childhood, and I could remember fond hours spent sitting at her feet while Mrs. Haynes visited with the other women.

"Of course, Mrs. Burke," Mrs. Haynes said with a polite smile. "I just thought I should mention it. I know how much you dislike being surprised by things you were unaware of."

With that, the cook swept out of the room. "I really need to replace that woman," Mrs. Burke said, picking up her wine glass. "She is an insolent woman and has been without supervision for too long."

"Oh, forget about the cook, Mama," Harriet said with a pout. "Tell me more about the plan. Am I to arrive on the day of the ball and make a grand entrance? That might be fun."

My stepmother drained her glass before she answered. "I'd considered that," she then said. "But given how impatient the earl is, I decided you would arrive the day before. That will give us plenty of time to get you ready for the ball."

Harriet wrinkled her nose, but didn't voice her dissatisfaction. "How am I supposed to arrive?" she asked.

"I will tell you when the time comes." Mrs. Burke frowned at her empty glass. "Ellie! Don't just stand there. Refill my glass."

Biting my lip, I moved to do as she said. I'd learned a little something by listening, but not enough. What I had learned warned me that my stepmother was on edge and thought she had accounted for everything that could happen.

Was there some way for me to use the details to foil her plan?