No Regrets: A Novel of Love and Lies in World War II England (The Thornton Trilogy Book 1) by Mary Christian Payne Read Free Book Online Page A

butlers wear. Giselle wore a grey, shirtwaist dress, with a belted skirt that fell to her calves. She’d also donned short white gloves and a simple hat. Richmond asked her to enter. Then he summoned Mrs. Littleton, the housekeeper. He introduced Giselle and said she was searching for employment in a great house. Mrs. Littleton was very kind. She took Giselle into her small office and offered a cup of tea. Once they were settled, a discussion ensued about Giselle’s previous experience. Giselle managed to answer the questions with her previously rehearsed lines, followed by the fact that she had excellent skills in a wide variety of tasks, including housekeeping, care of fragile items, setting a formal table and the personal toilette of ladies. The latter appealed greatly, as Lady Celia Thornton, the Countess at Highcroft Hall, was searching for a lady’s maid. The lovely, young French woman, sitting in front of Mrs. Littleton, was a rare find. Mrs. Littleton knew Lady Celia would adore having a French accent in her boudoir. While neither Lord Rowan nor Lady Celia put on airs, they weren’t above adding a pretty, French girl to their staff. Mrs. Littleton made arrangements for Giselle to speak privately with the countess.
    The day turned out to be a long one, but in the end, Giselle walked away from Highcroft Hall over-the-moon. Lady Celia had hired her, at better wages than she’d anticipated, and told her she could begin in two weeks. That allowed Giselle time to find a place to live and to summon Elise and Chloe.
    She rose early the next morning and set about looking for a cottage to lease. There were no advertisements in the local newspaper, so she visited a property agent’s office. While standing on the street, outside of the large window, displaying pictures of homes, she spotted a photo of a sweet cottage. It was surrounded by a picket fence. A typical English garden dominated the entrance. It resembled the cottage she and Elise had day-dreamed about. Giselle was certain it wouldn’t be available to them, because it was probably not for lease, or the price would be prohibitive. Before Giselle had left Brighton, the two friends had put pen to paper, figuring how much they could afford. Giselle’s wages had turned out to be much better than hoped for, but the cottage looked as though its price would be very dear. Entering the office, she spied a middle-aged woman, sitting behind a desk, doing paperwork. She glanced up and smiled. Giselle introduced herself, and the other woman acted in kind.
    “My name is Paula Jordan. I’m the manager here. I’ll be happy to help you. I’m very familiar with the cottage you’re talking about – the one in the window. It’s a little jewel.”
    “I don’t suppose it can be let?” Giselle asked.
    “Yes – yes, it can be. It was owned by an elderly lady. She’s passed on. Her heirs are quite flexible. They’d let it, or it can be bought. Would you like to see it?”
    “Not until I know what the cost would be. I’m interested for a widowed friend of mine and her daughter – and, of course, for me. We’re on a rigid budget, so there’s no point in seeing it, if it isn’t in our price range.”
    “I understand,” replied Mrs. Jordan. “Let me get the folder with particulars. We can go over them.”
    She opened a drawer and, after a moment, pulled out a file with the cottage’s address printed on a label at the top. Instead of a street number, it simply had a name – ‘ No Regrets’ . Giselle laughed. She liked the name. Mrs. Jordan chuckled along with her.
    “Everyone around here is familiar with the cottage. For as long as I can recall that’s been the name. As I said, the previous owner was older. She and her husband originally purchased and named it. I suppose it could be changed, if you wanted something else. I don’t think the heirs care one way or the other.”
    “Actually, I think it might fit us perfectly,” Giselle smiled. “Since we’re