| Completed | "I've never been more certain of anything in my life, Kitten. You...were made for me."
Elijah Wright, the Duke of Kent, grew up learning all about duty, responsibility, and honor. When his father died, it was time for him to step up an...
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.
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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.
