Prologue
Phoebe breathed in the warm, cherry pipe tobacco that scented the Everton Domestic Society’s offices. Lord Rupert Everton only smoked in his private lounge, but the homey smell wafted through the building. From the moment she’d set foot in the aging townhouse, she’d been more at home than in any of her family’s estates. Fresh flowers filled the vases on the entry table and at the bottom of the handrail.
Tired from a long assignment, she took care to silence her practical shoes on the scarred wooden floors. A Persian carpet ran the length of the steps. If she could get there unheard, she would be sure to make it to the solitude of her private room above-stairs. Waking dreams of flopping down on her own bed had kept her awake these last few weeks. Not that she ever slept well, but lately it had grown worse.
Dark wood adorned the walls with little to mask any sound. The door to her right opened and Phoebe gasped. Lady Jane’s voice drifted out. “You have nothing to worry about, Lady Castlereagh. I will send someone to Rosefield in a few days.”
“I have no doubt,” replied Margaret Flammel, in a stern voice. The Countess of Castlereagh stepped into the front hall. Petite but formidable, she patted her dark blond hair into place and turned toward the front door. She locked gazes with Phoebe and stopped.
With an inward sigh, Phoebe dropped into a curtsy. “How do you do, Countess?”
“Lady Phoebe Hallsmith? I had heard you had embarrassed your mother and gone into service. I did not realize it was here at Everton’s. Not quite as bad as becoming some nanny, but not exactly what your family would have expected from you. I heard that brother of yours disowned you.” Her green eyes flashed with accusation.
For a year, she had managed to avoid people who would say directly what all of the ton was thinking. It was a miracle she had managed it so long. Phoebe forced a smile. “I go by Miss Hallsmith now. It is nice to see you, my lady. I hope your daughter, Dorothea, is well.”
“Married, as I’m sure you know. Not well married, but happily, for whatever that is worth.” Lady Castlereagh pulled a handkerchief out of her waistband and dabbed her cheek.
“I imagine it is worth quite a lot to Dorothea.”
Lady Jane Everton cleared her throat and stepped next to Lady Castlereagh. Jane towered over the countess. Her dark hair pulled back in a severe bun, she always brought calm to every situation. Her gray skirt and light blue blouse were pressed to perfection and gave her a severe, staid appearance. “Miss Hallsmith has just returned from her second assignment this year. Both were very successful. You may have heard, she assisted with the Mayfield girl for her debut season.”
With a nod, Lady Castlereagh said, “Velvet Mayfield is a shy wallflower. I imagine you had your work cut out for you, Miss Hallsmith.”
The typical labeling done by society stoked Phoebe’s ire. Velvet was a wallflower. Phoebe was a spinster. Where would it end? It wouldn’t. People like the countess would always pin labels on people of whom they disapproved. “You will be happy to hear that Miss Mayfield is soon to be Mrs. Harrington Wormfield.”
Though Lady Castlereagh’s shocked expression only lasted a moment, it was more gratifying than Phoebe could have imagined.
Lady Castlreagh said, “You must be very good at your job if you got that one married off.”
She restrained the joy bubbling inside her over Velvet’s impending marriage. There was no response that would be kind to Velvet. Phoebe turned to Lady Jane. “I am happy to be back, my lady. I will be ready for my next assignment in a day or two.”
Looking her up and down, Lady Castlereagh circled Phoebe like a cat about to devour a mouse. “Lady Jane, I think Miss Hallsmith might do very nicely for my contract with Everton’s. She has breeding, even if she has wasted it. I have always known her to be a resourceful girl, even though her temper is legendary. She knows my son and was friends with his deceased wife. She would not need to be educated about the situation. She grew up near Rosefield and probably has heard all the rumors already. It would keep the situation close rather than exposing our family to a stranger.”
All of England knew the rumors. There was little need to be coy. Markus Flammel had taken to the bottle after his beloved wife, Emma, died in childbirth. It was two years since her death. Phoebe had hoped Markus would come to his senses, but if his mother was seeking help from the Everton Domestic Society, things must be quite bad.
Lady Jane frowned. “We do not usually let our ladies assist friends as it can be a conflict of interest, Countess.”
“I hope I will not have to insist.” Lady Castlereagh lifted her chin, tucked her handkerchief back in her waistband and stepped toward the door. “I expect to hear from you in the next day or two with details of Miss Hallsmith’s arrival at Rosefield.”
The butler, Gray, opened the front door, his wisps of white hair catching the breeze. Once the door closed behind Lady Castlereagh, Gray bowed to Lady Jane and left the front hall.
Jane shook her head. “Are you up to a chat about this assignment, Miss Hallsmith, or do you need a rest?”
Phoebe said, “It is probably best for us to speak first. I will never rest with this on my mind.”
Gesturing toward the office doorway, Jane invited Phoebe inside. The place of business was softer than the entry hall. A muted blue rug and matching drapery warmed the cold wood. Cream and sky-blue upholstery made the overstuffed furniture comfortable. Every table held a vase with fresh-cut flowers. The scent mingled with masculine cherry tobacco. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows and the wind sang against the side of the house. Once they were seated, Jane folded her hands atop of the desk and sighed. “What do you know about Markus Flammel?”
Her heart hurt thinking about him. She crossed her ankles and put her hands in her lap where she looked down at them. “Quite a lot. The countess is right about that. I was good friends with his wife, Emma. She was a wonderful girl and they were very much in love. I was still in Scotland when Emma died. She had written to me every week up until then telling me how happy they were about the coming birth of their first child. A few weeks later my mother wrote telling me that Emma had died and the child, Elizabeth, had lived. Mother wrote quite often after that with gossip about Markus and his drinking. I understand from my brother Miles that Markus has not maintained his home.”
Jane leaned back in her chair and let out another sigh. “That is more or less what the countess said. It would also seem that Lord Castlereagh’s antics have finally caught up to him. The family could be in trouble if Markus does not come to his senses. For now, his sister’s husband, Thomas Wheel, is holding things together.”
“That is kind of him.” Phoebe didn’t want to say more about the relationship between Lord Castlereagh and his son-in-law, Thomas. Talking about Markus was part of the business but anything more about the family constituted gossiping. Thomas had many reasons to harm the earl and if he was helping him, it was for the sake of his wife and his old friend Markus. Miles had written to Phoebe just before she returned from Scotland with an account of a duel between the two men where Thomas was nearly killed.
“Yes,” Jane said. “It would seem Mr. Wheel is an extraordinary man. Mrs. Wheel is a lucky woman despite what her mother might think.”
“I am sure if Mr. Wheel were titled, Lady Castlereagh would have another opinion. However, my brother was very close with both Markus Flammel and Thomas Wheel at Eton. They are both fine men. If Markus has fallen this far, he needs help and the fact that his mother came to you must mean she is quite desperate.”
“Agreed. Will you take the assignment, Miss Hallsmith? I know you were counting on some time off, but it would be difficult to sway the countess from her demands.” Jane pulled a pen and paper from the drawer to her left. “This is the contract Lady Castlereagh signed. If you agree, I will put your name on it.”
Phoebe hoped she didn’t look as weary as she felt. “I will require a few days to rest, but I feel I must help Markus and Elizabeth for Emma’s sake. She was a good friend to me. I called on Markus a year ago, after my grandmother passed. I had just returned to England. Markus was not at home and the housekeeper did not know when he would return. I will need a chaperon.”
“Yes. I think Lady Honoria Chervil is the only Everton dowager available at the moment.” Jane frowned, but there was amusement in her gray eyes.
“I know some ladies complain about her eccentricities, but she makes me laugh.” Even the thought of Lady Chervil gave Phoebe a chuckle. She was irreverent, flamboyant, and energetic. Maybe just the thing Markus Flammel, the viscount of Devonrose and his estate, Rosefield, needed.
Jane nodded. “I will put you both down for the Flammel assignment and order a carriage for Friday. Will that give you enough time to recover?”
Four days with nothing to do but rest. It sounded like heaven. “Perfect. I will be ready to go. If you would not mind, I think it would be best if I brought Arwen with me again. It is best to have a lady’s maid when living with the ton.”
“Of course. Lady Chervil will no doubt bring Margery with her. Just make sure you keep to the rules of the companion. None of the Everton Ladies or their staff are to be a burden to the clients.”
“I will stick to the companion’s rules.” She patted the side of her bag where the booklet resided.
“By letting you go I am already breaking from the rules. It will be difficult for you not to become personally involved with the client when you already know him and are sympathetic to his situation.” Jane shook her head and jotted Phoebe’s name on the contract.
It was personal. There was no getting around it. Still, Phoebe was determined to be the best Everton lady to hold a companion and keep to the rules. “Rule twenty may be bent, but it is not broken, Lady Jane. I will remain unaffected and do what is necessary to resolve the situation.”
“I have complete faith in you, Miss Hallsmith.”