Read Sari Robins - [Andersen Hall Orphanage 05] for Free Online

double doors at the side of the room. “In the master’s suitenext door, of course. His Lordship was quite explicit that he wants you within arm’s reach.”
    Abigail felt ill. Pressing her hand to her aching belly, she turned away, trying to sort out what to do. She already owed the moneylender the thirty shillings she’d used to pay off her rent. If she quit this job she’d be in the duns for sure! And what about Reggie? She needed to stay in London to find him.
    And the boys…in the few hours they’d spent together, Seth and Felix had managed to worm their way into her resistant little heart. Her charges were the only people that she truly allowed herself to love. And these two boys desperately needed the love she longed to give. This was the first time she’d ever had charges who were orphans, like her. And the boys’ grief was so painfully apparent that her heart ached in harmony with theirs.
    Could she desert them?
    Finishing the last spoon, Carlton adjusted the sleeve of his black swallow-tailed coat. “I don’t have the time for this. I have many pressing matters to attend to and have little patience for your discontent.”
    “Discontent…?” Gritting her teeth, Abigail held up her hand. “Just give me a moment.”
    She exhaled. If she left now, the boys were well off and Steele would certainly find another governess soon enough. Perhaps a woman willing to put up with the additional requirements of the job that Abigail had been blind to. She couldn’t quite believe that “servicing” the master was part and parcel of the duties. Steele had to know about her past and have selected her specifically because of it.
    She straightened. Did Mr. Linder-Myer know about this arrangement? Was that why he’d ignored her missing references? Had all this been a ploy? That meant that if she left now, she’d never gain a post through that agency, or probably any other agency in the city of London! Where did that leave her?
    Abigail looked up and caught a glimpse of her haunted face in the gilded mirror above the dressing table. She was so tired of playing the victim, so tired of being on her own.
    Suddenly Headmaster Dunn’s face swarmed her vision. Never compromise your principles , he spoke in her mind. For at the end of the day, they’ll stand by you as staunchly as any friend.
    Swallowing, Abigail turned back to Carlton. “There’s been some mistake. I thank you for your time, but I will not be taking this post.”
    Quickly she lifted her skirts and sprinted down the hall. She swept down the servants’ stairs and into the kitchen. The hustle and clamor of preparations for the evening meal were under way, and the odor of fish made Abigail even sicker. She barely avoided toppling a tray of liver and onions as she raced toward the door. “Sorry!”
    Once outside in the darkening evening, Abigail sucked in the fresh air and closed her eyes, hoping to block out the painful truth of it. She was on her own and in trouble; she was without employment, a place to live, food to eat…
    Angrily she wiped away a tear. She’d considered herself lucky, secure for a time, at least. She’d been such a fool not to have noticed that something was amiss, that Lord Steele was not as he’d appeared. Shewondered what additional consequences she’d have to face; a peer wouldn’t take kindly to not getting what he wanted.
    “Oh, dear Lord,” she groaned, recalling her words to Steele about not disappointing him. Pressing her hand to her forehead, she desperately tried to think of what to do. If only Headmaster Dunn were alive! He’d always helped her out in the past. If only she had a friend to talk to! Someone to help her think through her options. She glared up at the house, spying movements in the windows. What would Carlton say to Lord Steele? How would he react? Should she try to explain herself? How could she face the man, knowing what he wanted of her?
    With her heart racing and bile rising in her throat, she