Skyrim within a month of its release. But, she thought as she dropped the scrub brush down into the basin, at the sight of an eight-legged bug, she was a complete ninny.
A brainless, spineless lump of humanity.
But she kept her head up and kept moving. She hadn’t gotten this far in life by giving up. Well, not that she’d gotten too far, honestly. But she was a self-sufficient adult, and that counted for something, right?
“The scullery maid should be doing this washing.”
Avery’s voice came from behind her. A scraping of wood against the stone floor accompanied his voice. “Why were you pressed into this duty?”
Redoubling her scrubbing efforts, Leah looked down into the pot instead of back at Avery. She couldn’t tell him it was because she’d been late for supper. His I-told-you-so’s had to be more irritating than the usual. “Mrs.
Harper said that the scullery maids were on vacation, or holiday, whatever.”
“Are you still expected to do the duties of underhousemaid in the morning?”
She nodded and frowned down at a stubborn bit of burnt-on food. No matter how she scrubbed, it clung to the bottom of the pot like Uncle Scrooge with his last nickel. “Stubborn piece of shit,” she muttered.
“I beg your pardon?” Avery’s voice was just behind her head.
Startled, she dropped the brush in to the washbasin. The resulting splash soaked the chest of her apron and dress. She staggered backward, straight into the surprised valet.
He sprang away as if burned, and she stumbled to catch herself before she fell on her ass. Crap, she spent a lot of time not being graceful in front of him.
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Good thing he wasn’t her destined true love. He’d
have run away screaming by now if he was.
“Damn it,” she cursed, wiping at her front. “I’m sorry. I’m not normally such a klutz.” She looked up at him, confusion and helplessness leaking out of her ears.
“It’s just late, and it’s been a really long day, and I…”
“Hush,” he interrupted her. The corner of his mouth twitched, almost like he wanted to smile, but he didn’t.
Good thing too. She’d have had to belt the shit out of him or burst into tears. “Sit just there, by the fire. It will dry your clothing. Finish that bread and cheese if you’ve a mind to.”
He unbuttoned his cuffs and began methodically rolling the fabric up his muscled forearms. Leah swallowed hard at the purely innocent sight. Damn, the man had some nice arms, even though they bore some purpling bruises.
Corded with muscle, they flexed with the simplest movements. Did valets do that much heavy lifting?
“You’re not going to wash the dishes for me. It’s not your job,” she protested, but he shook his head.
“It is of no consequence. We’ll have them done in a trice, and you can find your bed afterward.”
“Oh gosh,” Leah said, dropping her forehead to the table in front of her with a moan. “I forgot I’ve got to be up at the ass crack of dawn in the morning.”
Avery barked a laugh, nearly scaring the shit out of her.
“What did you say?”
“The ass crack of dawn,” Leah said, laughing herself at Avery’s shocked expression. “It’s my somewhat colorful description for getting up too damn early.”
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next-to- last pot. “As amusing as your description is, I’d suggest you not use it around the other servants. They should probably not enjoy it as much as I.”
“I’ll take that under advisement,” Leah said, smiling down at the cheese sandwich she was making. A side-ways glimpse at the valet revealed that he was hard at work removing grime from what looked like a witch’s cauldron. And it wasn’t even his job; he just wanted to help her.
“Thank you for helping me.” Her words came out without thought, but she was glad they had.
He didn’t turn, but she thought his shoulders relaxed slightly. She popped a crust of bread into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully before speaking again. “So how did you end up here? Always wanted to be a valet?”
He paused in his scrubbing to laugh. “Not as such, no.” The sound of bristles on metal resumed. “I had some little experience in grand houses before this one.
My former employment rendered me unfit for service to most. But His Grace took a liking to me, so here I am.”
Leah sat back against the wooden slats. “So what did you do before that made you ‘unfit’ to most?” She made air quotes, even though his back was turned.
“I worked with my hands.”
The answer was cryptic, but his tone was even more so. Leah pursed her lips. “Like, making things?”