Geek Girls Don't Date Dukes (19 page)

All three of Leah’s servant roommates slept like the

dead. She kept all her delightedly evil snickering inside,

though. No need to tempt fate.

When she’d laid out her plans to the best of her ability,

she stuffed her pouch of contraband into the brown leather

bag that Avery had given her. With her nearly nonexistent

packing completed she descended the back staircase with

a happy sigh. All she had to do now was tell Mrs. Harper

she quit and hit the road for Lady Chesterfield’s.

She’d be sorry to leave Avery and Cook, but the

rest of them? Not so much. Lady Chesterfield seemed

incredibly nice, and Jamie had told her all about the

young maid, Muriel. She hadn’t expected to actually get

to meet her, so this was going to be awesome. Spending

her days with people that didn’t resent her? What a novel

freaking idea.

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She’d been sitting at the servant’s table for about

twenty minutes when the screams trickled down the

stairs. Smiling, she picked at her fingernails. Any

minute now…

“You stupid, evil, horrid woman!” Henrietta flew

down the stairs, dressed only in her shift with her face

completely blackened with coal dust. The very ends of

her braids were coated with tar, and left sticky black spots

on the white cotton. “What have you done to me?”

Leah pursed her lips and examined her cuticles. “I told

you last night. You’ve brought every bit of this on yourself.”

With a shriek of pure rage, the girl ran toward Leah

with fingers curled into claws.

Leah didn’t move. She wasn’t concerned at all.

“Henrietta!” Sara descended the stairs, pale face wan.

“Your clothes!”

“My clothes?” Henrietta whirled. “What is wrong?”

“They’re…they’re on the ceiling.” Sara’s voice trailed

into a whisper.

“What? They cannot,” she turned to Leah. “You

did not…”

“I didn’t what? I don’t remember asking to be scared

shitless last night.” Shoving her chair back, Leah propped

her hands on her hips and glowered down at the dumb-

struck maid. “I didn’t do what I did to get even with

you. I did what I did to teach you a lesson. Actions have

consequences, and I don’t tolerate bullies. This is a little

something called Karma. You get back what you put out.

And so far, all you’ve put out is meanness. So here’s what

you’re going to do.”

Henrietta sank into the chair Leah pointed to.

Underneath all her shenanigans and bullshit, she was still

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just a young girl. Teaching her this lesson would be the

best thing Leah could do for her if she did it right.

“You’re going to go wash your face. You’re going

to clip off the ends of your braids, because that tar isn’t

coming out. You’re going to get your clothes down from

the ceiling beams, get dressed, and apologize to Teresa and

anyone else in the house you’ve tried to scare into giving

you your way. And then you’re going to not pull any of

this shit again, or the next time something bad happens to

you, it’s liable to be a lot worse. Karma’s a bigger bitch

than you or I ever will be. Do you understand?”

Sullen tears tracked down Henrietta’s cheeks, leaving

pale white strips in the coal. “Yes,” she whispered. She

looked up at Leah with a pitiful frown. “I am sorry.”

Leah nodded. “Thank you for the apology. Go ahead

upstairs.”

Sara followed a surprisingly meek Henrietta back

upstairs, and Leah sank back into the chair with a relieved

sigh. Hopefully the girl would think twice about her

attitude from now on. Leah’s retribution was pretty tame

compared to what Henrietta deserved.

Leah sank back into the kitchen chair, toeing the

leather bag with her boot.

Yeah, she’d taught Henrietta a lesson, but she didn’t

really feel good about it. The girl was young, and

she’d had it hard, but that didn’t excuse the way she’d

been acting. Leah sighed and tucked a loose lock of

hair behind her ear. She had done the right thing, she

thought. Hopefully.

Footsteps on the stairwell drew her attention. She

stood, grabbing her bag and holding it in front of her

like a shield.

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“Ramsey, whatever are you doing dressed in that

manner?” Mrs. Harper looked down at Leah, wrinkling

her nose as if she smelled something bad. Leah sniffed

her armpit, she hoped subversively. Yeah, the basin baths

hadn’t been the most thorough, but she’d done the best

she could.

“I’ve been asked to take a position in another house-

hold,” Leah said, delivering the line Lady Chesterfield

had given her with aplomb.

Mrs. Harper laughed aloud. “Whatever can you

mean? Your service has been barely suitable in this home.

Who could have…”

Leah smiled, biting back the snarky comments she

wanted to fire back at Mrs. Harper. “Thank you for the

kindness you’ve shown to me while I’ve been here. I

won’t ever forget you.”

Turning on her heel, Leah marched toward the door.

This isn’t exactly how and when she’d planned to do

this, but damn it, she didn’t want to spend another

half hour here with Queen Q- tip. Ignoring the house-

keeper’s protestations, Leah closed the kitchen door

firmly behind her.

And stopped dead.

Damn it, it was only five in the morning and still

pitch- black out. What a way to botch her grand exit.

With a sigh, Leah leaned up against the wall. If that

wasn’t bad enough, she still hadn’t managed to say good-

bye to Avery. Well, this was great. Peachy. Glancing

above her, she counted the windows. The one at the

top was glowing softly with candlelight. With a grin, she

bent down and scooped up a pebble. There was more

than one way to get a valet’s attention.

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Fifteen

Tilting his chin skyward, Avery scraped the last of

the shaving soap away. Wrapping his throat and cheeks in

the soft, damp cloth, he sniffed as he wiped his skin clean.

He tried not to think of the marks and bruises that this

skin would very likely bear after the upcoming tourney.

Tossing the cloth aside, he grabbed his breeches from

the wooden chair by his bedside. He’d just buttoned

them when a sharp pinging sound at the window drew

his attention.

Glancing sideways with a bemused scowl, he picked

up his shirt. Another ping rang through the room,

followed by a third.

“Damn and blast,” Avery muttered, tossing his shirt

aside and going to the window. He must make haste

for the last- minute preparations for His Grace’s journey.

This was a distraction he could ill afford.

Swinging the window open, he leaned forward to see

where the projectiles were originating. A tiny pebble

caught him in the bare shoulder, and he winced.

“Oh gosh, Avery, I’m sorry!” Miss Ramsey’s voice

floated up to him as he clapped a hand over the stinging

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spot. “I was just trying to get your attention. Can you

come out here? I need to talk to you before I go.”

“Go?” He suddenly forgot that he was only half-

dressed in the unease her words draped over him.

“Whatever do you mean?

She was barely visible in the predawn gloom, but

when she glanced about, her blonde tresses whipped in

the early morning breeze. He gripped the windowsill

tightly, hoping that he’d misheard her.

“It’s kind of a long story, and I don’t want to yell it.”

“I shall come down to you,” he said, and shut the

window. Jamming his arms through his sleeves, he made

quick work of dressing, his thoughts all a- tangle as he

did. How could she leave? Where would she go?

It did not signify. She did not know the dangers of this

world. No matter her destination, he was determined to

stop her. For how could he protect her if she left?

His footsteps echoed in the empty stairwell as he

hurried toward the area. He did not have time for this.

But how could he let her go?

Ducking past Cook, he slipped out the kitchen door.

There she stood on the steps, one hand gripping the

old leather case he’d given her, golden hair making a

halo around her head. She gave him a small smile, and

his heart thudded against his ribs.
Steady
on, my lad
. He gripped his hands behind his back and stiffened his spine.

“I tried to tell you yesterday, but we kind of got inter-

rupted.” She took a deep breath, shrugging her shoulders

in an exaggerated manner. “Lady Chesterfield asked me

to come live with her, and I said yes.”

“Lady Chesterfield?” he echoed incredulously. “Why

has she asked this?” Avery’s nails dug into his palm.

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“Last night at the dowager’s party, Lady Chesterfield

told me that she knew about Jamie, my friend. She’s

going to help me with the duke and make me into a lady,

à la Eliza Doolittle, I guess.” Leah bobbed a grand curtsy

with a grin. “Isn’t that awesome?”

Avery’s ire rose, bubbling in his gut like an over-

flowing river. “I do not know Miss Eliza Doolittle, but

Lady Chesterfield is a bit of an eccentric. You should

not accept her offer. You know nothing of her, nor she

you.” He couldn’t control the hint of bitterness in his

tone. She was leaving after all he’d done for her? “This

is foolishness.”

“Seriously?” Leah’s blond brows crept high on her

forehead. “Well, I’m sorry you feel that way. But I think

I’m a pretty good judge of character, and this is a great

opportunity. You’ve helped me a lot, and I appreciate

that, but you’ve got to realize that I make my own deci-

sions.” The determined set to her chin fanned the flames

of his temper, and he could remain still no longer.

“Do you?” Dropping his hands from behind his back,

he took a step closer to her. “You make your own deci-

sions? Is that why you decided you were destined for

a man you’d never met? Are you the arbiter of destiny

now as well?”

Her eyes widening, she stepped backward, bringing

the bag in front of her as if to shield herself from him.

“I…I don’t…”

“Of course, my mistake, milady. Please. Do go and

take up residence with these complete strangers. Of

course, this is what you’d wanted all along, is it not?

To be puffed up like some fine lady, to be able to court

your duke on even ground? Ah yes. I can see by the

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expression in your limpid blue eyes that I am correct.

I shall not importune you further, Miss Ramsey.” He

swept an exaggerated bow, nearly choking on his own

bile- filled venom.

“Avery, please. Don’t act like this.” When he straight-

ened, she stepped close to him. Reaching her hand

upward, toward his cheek, she whispered, “Listen, I…”

He knocked her hand away, staggering backward as

if burned. “Do not touch me.” But that wasn’t what he

really wanted. He wanted to pull her into his arms and

press his lips to hers, but he could not ruin her, no matter

how much he wanted her.

Her fingers curled into a fist, which she dropped

down by her side. “Fine. Have a nice life, Mr. Russell.”

As she turned, the sweet, exotic scent of her tantalized

him. She marched up the stairs toward the street.

“Miss Ramsey?”

She stopped but did not turn. “Yes?”

“I wish you well,” he said in a low voice.

She nodded and then was gone, taking Avery’s sense

of peace with her.

A moment passed, then two, and with each heartbeat

Avery’s regret grew. When the torment grew too much

to bear, he sprinted up the stairs to chase after Leah.

Her back was rigid as she strode quickly down the lane.

She was nearly at the corner now. He watched her walk

away for a long moment, warring with himself. What the

devil was wrong with him? He should be glad to see the

back of her. She’d caused him no end of trouble. So why

did he long to chase after her and apologize?

He shoved a hand through his hair, suddenly realizing

he’d not secured his queue. Damn. She’d done more than

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upset the household; she’d upset his internal balance. Best

to get back to it. He had a journey to prepare for and a

mill to attend. As distasteful as both propositions were,