Read Online True Story (The Deverells, Book One) by Jayne Fresina - Free Book Online

known
three husbands— married each one in opposition to her stepbrother's
opinion— and just because she wasn't capable of keeping any of them
alive, that was no reason not to want better fortune for
Christopher. He could be very smug and had the uncanny ability to
keep his boots well-polished in all weathers, but it was hardly his
fault that all the puddles lurked in wait for her.
    Putting that thought to rest, and with
it any temptation toward uncharitable feelings, she opened her
scuffed trunk at the foot of the bed. Too tired last night to
tackle the job, she'd left her unpacking until morning, draping her
coat, gown and stockings over a chair to dry, and sleeping in her
petticoats. The devil only knew what a crumpled mess her carefully
packed garments and belongings would be in now after so many days
of rough travel.
    Fortunately the first item she
encountered was her old woolen shawl. She quickly threw it around
her shoulders in a warm hug, holding it to her face just to inhale
a breath of familiar scent. How could she have considered letting
her luggage fall into the sea yesterday? That proved how tired she
must have been.
    She thought over her conversation with
Mr. Deverell last night. Not a very good start. But Olivia would
never have said many of those things to her employer, had she known
who he was when he entered the kitchen. Today, well rested from her
journey, she must keep her opinions and thoughts to herself, not
let him goad her into any sort of debate.
    One by one she rediscovered her old
gowns from inside the trunk, shook them out and laid them in a
thin, neat pile on the bed. Fortunately, she'd never been able to
afford servants, so she'd sewn all her garments in a way that meant
she could dress and undress herself. That would be useful now,
since there was no maid at Roscarrock Castle either. Olivia's gowns
possessed no troublesome out-of-reach hooks, so she was entirely
self-sufficient. As for her hair, she'd never been one to try new
styles. A simple braided bun was quite enough for her, could be
managed easily with her own pair of hands and didn't even require
any heart-breaking consultation with a mirror.
    Reaching further into her trunk she
recovered the small, framed silhouette of her last husband, where
it was nestled protectively in the soft, worn velvet of her best
evening gown. The need to keep his picture safe from damage was the
only reason why she packed that particular gown, for she certainly
didn't expect to wear it here. But poor, dear William deserved to
be kept safe in the folds of her best gown. Theirs might not have
been a passionate love match— his greatest devotion was to his
faith— but it was a practical union that saved them both from
loneliness and helped steer Olivia onto a better path, away from
the wayward direction in which her bad temper and sinful
imagination might otherwise take her.
    After a first brief marriage embarked
upon in lust, and a second short union initiated by her pride and
wrath, a penitent life with William Monday had probably saved her
soul. Or, at least, it was on its way to saving her, until sudden
death took him too from her side, and then Olivia was forced to
find another purpose. She certainly couldn't risk getting married
again.
    What would William make of her coming
here and taking this position?
    Why, he would say she must go where
she could be most useful, of course! That was her kindly William,
always so wise and never a thought for his own comfort.
    On the other hand..."If you take that
position so far away in Cornwall you won't be here for my wedding,"
her stepbrother had protested. "Who will make certain everything is
done correctly and on time? Lucinda has no mother to look after all
those little things, and we were relying upon you to sort it out."
That was her stepbrother Christopher— full of his own immediate
needs and never able to understand hers. Always hard-done-by in his
own mind.
    It would surely do her stepbrother
good to