Chapter Twenty-One: Ellie

My heart was pounding as I slipped into the kitchen. I had only intended to be away for a few minutes. Just long enough to tell Mr. Turner everything in as few words as possible and then hurry back. My stepmother's temper had been uncertain and shifting constantly the past week, and I didn't want to risk angering her.

Somehow, though, walking in the pasture with him, time had lost meaning. It had been a relief to confess all and be believed. And when I had so impulsively hugged him and his arms had come around me, I had felt safer than I had in a very long time.

"Where have you been?" Mrs. Haynes demanded in a low voice. "You said it was only to be a minute."

"Mr. Turner had questions I needed to answer," I whispered. Through the open door, I could hear voices chattering away. "Who has come now?"

Mrs. Haynes shook her head. "Who has not come? Mrs. Rushman is still here, and she has been joined by other ladies of the neighborhood."

Relieved, I breathed a sigh. "So she did not notice I was gone."

"Don't count on it," Mrs. Haynes warned. "You know her. She's observant. And she may not have said anything now because she wants to avoid making a scene in front of the others, they will not always be here."

True. But... "Mr. Turner knows all. He is going to do everything he can to find proof to give to the earl. Mrs. Burke will not have me in her power for much longer!" I told her eagerly. "Isn't that wonderful?"

I tried not to let disappointment rush over me as Mrs. Haynes shook her head again. "You heard him. She's already stolen the record of your baptism. What other proof is there for him to find?"

Since I didn't have an answer, I shook my head. "He knows the truth now! He will tell the earl not to trust Mrs. Burke and all will be well!"

"Your stepsister has already been introduced as Captain Burke's daughter, Elinor. Do you imagine that the earl will be agreeable to the embarrassment of announcing publicly that he was taken in."

"But it's not his fault! Mrs. Burke tricked him and lied to him!"

"You don't know what the nobility are like, my girl." Mrs. Haynes shook her head, her tone dour. "You think it likely one of them would admit to a mistake?"

I'd honestly not thought such a thing possible. Why wouldn't someone admit to a mistake if they were not to blame? "So you think that even if he learns the truth that he will do nothing?"

"Miss Harriet has been educated and knows how to behave like a lady." Here she paused before adding, "At least, she's shown she knows how to behave prettily enough. It is just a matter of her actually doing so."

Closing my eyes, I remembered how Mr. Turner had asked if I'd gone to school. Would my lack of education mean I was doomed to be kept hidden? "But Harriet is not my father's daughter. It would be a lie!"

Mrs. Haynes just shook her head. The voices from the sitting room were coming closer. Were they leaving?

Taking a deep breath, I hurried to be in place to open the door. Mrs. Rushman and the other ladies didn't even glance at me. There was a chorus of "Miss Burke, we are so glad to have you here." "Miss Burke, you will be the belle of the ball tomorrow night!" They were still chattering together when I closed the door behind them.

"Come and get the tea things," Mrs. Burke ordered. "I'm glad you had sense enough to stay away and not remind them of your presence here. It would have been too awkward."

"But the earl has not come," Harriet complained as she returned to the sitting room. She hadn't changed her dress. "I thought you said we couldn't go until I had the earl in my pocket."

"And you will, dear girl. You will!" Mrs. Burke sounded so very confident. "The masquerade is tomorrow night. I think that will be plenty of time for you to secure your future. If not, well I have a plan for that as well."

That sounded rather ominous. How many plans did my stepmother have? "You and your plans," Harriet said, echoing my thoughts. Only she sounded very pleased. "To be a countess! I cannot think of anything that would be more wonderful."

I didn't know the earl. I had no reason to be concerned about what happened to him. He was a gentleman far above me, after all. But I knew I couldn't stand by and let him be fooled by Harriet and my stepmother's lies. Not if it meant he would be married to my step-sister for the rest of his life.

No one deserved that.

"Was life so hard as Harriet Emerson that you do not want to be her anymore?" I asked, following them into the room.

Harriet spun around, her eyes wide with horror. "What do you mean by that?" she demanded, her tone confused.

"Well, it seems that you are eager to not be Harriet Emerson and I'm curious why." I didn't look at her, but I was aware of my stepmother's narrow eyed gaze. "I didn't think my life was so wonderful that anyone would want to be me."

"But I'm not you!" Harriet protested, putting her hands on her hips. "Mama, tell her! I'm not a dirty little maid! No one would want to be her!"

"Harriet is correct, Elinor," Mrs. Burke said camly. "Why would anyone want to be you? Uneducated? Plain? Harriet is pretending to be the best version of you, something it would have been impossible for you to become. But she is not you. Don't be ridiculous."

"She has my name," I said stubbornly. "If she isn't taking my life, why does she need my name?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you," Mrs. Burke waved her hand. "Harriet is right. You are dirty. I don't want to look at you anymore. Go clean a fireplace or something that might be considered useful."

Resisting the urge to look down to check what I might have on my dress, I spun on my heel to leave. The bell clanged loudly. "It is the earl!" my stepmother exclaimed. "Finally. Harriet, sit up straight."

I left the tea tray where it was to go to the door. I couldn't help but flinch when I saw Miss Sharpe on the doorstep when I opened the door. "Good afternoon, Elinor," the woman said. "Are Mrs Burke and her dear stepdaughter home to calls?"

Her tone was loud enough to be heard in the sitting room, I was sure. Was there a reason she was speaking at such an increased volume? She was politely formal, which shouldn't have been odd but it was.

"I will inquire," I said, remembering what a maid was supposed to say. "Would you please step in?"

Miss Sharpe did so and I went to the sitting room. "Tell her we are not at home to visitors," Mrs. Burke hissed before I had even stepped in. "I have no interest in speaking to that impertinent woman right now."

When I stepped back, I pulled the sitting room door shut behind me. "I'm afraid they are not at home, Miss Sharpe," I said as I walked to the front door. "Would you like to leave a message?"

"Oh, no. No need for that. I'm sure I will find Mrs. Burke at home another time." Miss Sharpe paused. "But could I trouble you for something to drink? It is such a warm day out."

It really wasn't that warm, but from the way Miss Sharpe raised her eyebrows at me, I guessed that she was looking for an excuse to speak to me. "Of course, ma'am," I said cheerfully. "Come this way."

I led Miss Sharpe the few steps to the kitchen. "I know we will only have a few minutes before she gets suspicious," Miss Sharpe said in a low voice. "I just wanted to make sure you were well. It has been some time since I've seen you."

So much had happened since I'd last seen her! Would a few minutes be enough tiime to explain it all? "I'm as well as I can be," I said, hoping I sounded sincere. "I cannot complain."

She raised an eyebrow. Glancing over my shoulder, I made sure no one was lurking near the kitchen door. "Mr. Turner learned the truth," I whispered. "He knows Harriet is not Miss Burke."

"He has?" Miss Sharpe also looked over her shoulder and kept her voice lowered. "I must say he is more intelligent than I gave him credit for. What does he intend to do with this information?"

"He is going to look for proof to show the earl."

The delight that had appeared in my friend's face faded. "But the ball is tomorrow. He does not have enough time to find anything."

"So I have been telling her," Mrs. Haynes said, putting a tea cup on the table.

"No, you said the earl would not do anything because it would look bad on him if he were to admit he made a mistake and presented the wrong lady to his friends," I corrected, annoyed at their pessimistic view. Why couldn't they see that this was a good thing?

My growing regard for Mr. Turner wasn't making me blind, was it?

"Well, the earl will certainly want proof positive before he does anything," Miss Sharpe said, her tone reproving. "What was it that convinced Mr. Turner?"

In a whisper, I explained how I had hinted to him about wanting to see my parents' marriage lines in the parish records. This had led him to making the discovery that the page with my baptism was missing. "And then he saw that my mother's middle name was Elinor."

The front door clanged, signalling a new visitor. Holding back a groan, I hurried to admit the visitor. It was Mrs. Enson, who had barely acknowledged me before. I was not surprised when Mrs. Burke eagerly agreed to see the woman.

She was going to make sure the neighborhood knew about Lord Berdwell's ward, Miss Harriet Burke.

Hanging my head, I returned to the kitchen. I'd played a part in this horrible scheme. I'd given my word to keep my tongue still, and that put me right into the middle of the plot. If I had stood up to her fron the start, none of this would hve happened.

Or I would be in Bedlam hospital, locked away with no hope of ever escaping and all of this would be happening out of my sight.

Mrs. Haynes and Miss SHarpe had their heads together when I stepped in. I barely had time to wonder what they had been talking about when Miss Sharpe announced, "I've almost finished the dress."

Though I had mentioned it to Mr. Turner, I'd forgotten the details of Miss Sharpe's plan to sneak me into the manor for the msaqurade. "Do you really think that a good idea?"

"Did Mr. Turner tell you to sit and wait for him?" Miss Sharpe sat down at the kitchen table.

"No," I said slowly. "He advised me not to do anything rash."

"That, at least, is good advice." Miss Sharpe glanced towards the doorway leading to the hallway. Her lips quivered as though she were hiding a smile at the sound of voice talking. "Has she said anymore about her London physician?"

"Not in the last few days." And I wasn't sure if I should be grateful for that or concerned that she was planning something new.

Miss Sharpe shook her head. "Well, we will proceed with caution and hope we are not playing right into her plans, whatever they may be. If anything untoward happens, come to me immediately."

I didn't tell her that Mr. Turner had already made the offer to me. As much as I was fond of Miss Sharpe and appreciated her fierce nature, I felt Mr. Turner would be better able to protect me.

With that, the former governess took her leave. That's when I noticed Mrs. Haynes was shaknig her head. "What's wrong?" I asked, half afraid of what her answer would be.

"I may not be a cook in one of the big houses but even I know there's going to be trouble when too many people put their spoons in the pot," she said cryptically. The insistent ring of the sitting room bell kept her from explaining. "They'll be wanting tea, then."

"I will take it in." At least it would give me something to do."

~*~

That evening my stepmother summoned me to her bedroom and ordered me to brush her hair. "It was a successful day, Elinor," she said, her tone satisfied.

Biting my lip, I kept from commenting. Was she expecting me to argue? It was next to impossible to know what she expected from me. Remaining silent seemed to be the only way I could win.

"Come now, Elinor," she said, smiling at me in the mirror's reflection. "Surely you and that gossipy old governess discussed it when she spent so much time with you in the kitchen. Needing a cup of tea, indeed! A flimsy excuse if I've ever heard anything. Almost as bad as her claiming to need the help of a maid."

My cheeks heated up, but I kept quiet.

"I hope you enjoyed your conversation with her for it will be the last one you have for some time."

The threat made me go still. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I will not let you conspire with her anymore."

"Conspire?"

"There's no need to repeat me, Elinor. Did you think I wouldn't be able to guess what your friend wants to do? I'm not an idiot."

"And what do you think she wants to do?" I asked, feeling suddenly tired of it all. I didn't want to be a part of this. I hadn't asked for any of this.

"She wants to use the masquerade to smuggle you in and ruin my careful planning. See? I've thought of everything. Once I knew she was a friend to you, I knew I would have to make sure I thought of what she might plan. It wouldn't work, you know. You'd never get through the front door."

"Then, what have you to worry about?"

"I would be a fool if I let you plot against me, even if you aren't clever enough for it. You're not to speak to her again."

"Or what?"

Twisting around, my stepmother glared at me. "You know what I will do if you disobey me. I will not be so occupied with Harriet's success I will not be able to write to my doctor and he will—."

"Then, maybe you should just do so already!" I threw the brush down and backed away. "Why wait for this doctor? Summon Doctor Johnson! Just get me out of the way so you can do whatever you please without me interfering."

The other woman blinked, obviously taken aback by my outburst. "Are you that eager to enjoy the pleasures of Bedlam? You truly are a strange child"

"Well, it certainly couldn't be any worse than being in this house!" I was tempted to ask if she was eager to have her lies revealed, but it wouldn't do to make her know the flaw that Miss Sharpe had reasoned out a few weeks ago.

Mrs. Burke's jaw dropped and she stood up. "I beg your pardon? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said! At least I would know where I stood at Bedlam Hospital, instead of being treated in this atrocious manner!"

The slap came so suddenly, I didn't feel it for a moment. From Mrs. Burke's expression, she was just as surprised. My cheek stung with pain a moment later and I raised her hand to cover the spot.

"You are an annoyance and I refuse to listen to you prattel on in this manner," Mrs. Burke said, her voice trembling. "I could have turned you out the day after your father died. I should have! All advice was to do so, but no. I was kind. I brought you here. You should be grateful for that."

Even still, the woman acted as though she had done something praiseworthy. "Grateful to be ignored for twelve years? To be denied what is mine? And now I should be grateful you are stealing my life?"

"Do you really think the earl would have been impressed with you? Dressed like a maid with no education? Nothing to recommend you to anyone?"

"And who's fault is that!" I knew I was shouting and yet I couldn't stop myself. "You did nothing for me! Not even send me to school as you were supposed to! All you did was take what was meant for me!"

"Get out of my sight," Mrs. Burke hissed. "Before I make you regret your words."

My lips were quivering as I backed out of the room but I kept my head high. Had I just made everything worse?