An Affair of Honor (Rebel Hearts Book 2) by Heather Boyd Read Free Book Online Page A

him, if there was such a thing even possible.
    She sipped the cup of tea that had been set before her plate, pushing Captain Ford and his critical gaze from her mind. Her easier duties were in the past. She must face the realities of life in service once more. Every brief moment of idleness at his side had been a precious respite, gone and soon to be forgotten.
    She swallowed another mouthful, noticing absently her tea left a strange taste in her mouth. She took another sip and then spluttered as she realized the tea had been laced with salt rather than the usual single spoon of sugar she’d been granted.
    Across the table, the other maids were struggling not to laugh. Matilda pushed to her feet, begged to be excused, and without waiting for a response fled for the kitchen to find fresh water to rinse her mouth out with.
    She spat the disgusting taste out into the nearby washroom basin several times until the vile flavor was gone. She hated this place. No one was kind here.
    Heavy treads approached. “Miss Winslow? Are you all right?”
    Matilda hurried to pat her mouth with her only handkerchief before Mr. Dawson saw what she’d been doing. She could never be sure if Mr. Dawson should be considered her friend or not. He was the captain’s man and almost as critical as their employer. “The tea was too hot.”
    He lifted his hand. He had her cup judging by the familiar chip next to the handle. He poked in one finger. “Lukewarm at best. Are you sure that’s all it was?”
    “Yes, Mr. Dawson.” Matilda didn’t want trouble.
    The way he’d been looking at her this past week made her suspect he’d seen her in the captain’s arms last week too. He’d been different toward her lately. Concerned for her welfare in a way he never had before, asking her opinion about everything she ought not to care about as a lowly maid. Almost to the point of embarrassing her even more in front of the other servants with his deference.
    Dawson slowly lifted the cup to his nose and sniffed, and then, as if he intended to take a sip, he brought the cup to his mouth.
    She stopped him before he was able to taste the evil brew. “You don’t want to drink that.”
    Regardless of her warning, he took a sip and promptly spat it out into the basin. After he rinsed his mouth with fresh water, he asked, “Who did this?”
    Matilda shrugged.
    “I’ll speak to the housekeeper and make it stop.”
    That was amusing. Was Dawson really so naïve? “Who says she doesn’t already know?”
    His mouth gaped.
    “Mrs. Young has been indifferent to my happiness for a long time,” she remarked in a soft voice. Matilda suspected it was not just because of the time she’d spent alone with the captain. They did not rub together well—never had from the very beginning of her employment. Since those early days of gratitude, Matilda had come to see the housekeeper as a lazy old woman who lived well off the captain’s largesse. The woman did as little as possible and never noticed Matilda did the work of two maids. Now the captain was recovered, it was only a matter of time before Mrs. Young found a way to be rid of her for good. Or was the woman hoping to overwork Matilda to the point she would leave without a reference or die of exhaustion? More than likely.
    Dawson glanced over his shoulder. “I’ll speak to the captain.”
    “And make things worse.” Matilda shook her head firmly. “You’d better not.”
    “What will you do then?” He stared at the contents of the cup before upending it in the sink. “This must stop. You cannot wait until someone makes you ill.”
    She shuddered, knowing he was right. “It won’t come to that. I have a plan.”
    Dawson paled. “You’re not thinking of leaving, are you?”
    She didn’t answer him at first. Who knew who could be listening around the corner? A servant had no privacy and certainly wasn’t allowed too many secrets. As it was, she always ran the risk of being caught scanning the newssheets