"My lady," Claire replied flatly.
"Claire!" Charles said with a fair amount of feeling, releasing Ellie so quickly that she bumped into the wall. He walked toward his cousin, who beamed at him.
Ellie merely rubbed her elbow where she'd hit the wall and muttered all sorts of unflattering things about her husband.
"Claire," Charles said again, "I understand that you were the one who first discovered the fire."
"Indeed. It began not ten minutes after you and your new wife exited the kitchen."
Ellie narrowed her eyes. Was that a slight note of derision she'd heard in Claire's voice as she said the word "wife"? She knew that girl didn't like her!
"Do you have any idea what caused it?" Charles asked.
Claire looked surprised that he'd even asked. "Why, I... well..." She looked meaningfully over at Ellie.
"Just say it, Claire," Ellie ground out. "You think I set the fire."
"I do not think you did it on purpose," Claire replied, placing her hand over her heart.
"We know that Ellie would never do such a thing," Charles said.
"Accidents happen to everyone," Claire murmured, casting a pitying look toward Ellie.
Ellie wanted to strangle her. She didn't particularly like being condescended to by a chit of fourteen years.
"I am certain you thought you knew what you were doing," Claire continued.
At that point Ellie realized she had a choice to make. She could leave the room and take a bath, or stay and kill Claire. With great reluctance, she decided to bathe. She turned to Charles, affected her best shrinking violet posture, and said, "If you'll excuse me, I believe I will retire to my chamber. I'm feeling terribly faint."
Charles eyed her suspiciously and said under his breath, "You've never fainted a day in your life."
"How would you know?" Ellie returned in an equally low voice. "You didn't even know I existed until last week."
"It feels like forever."
Ellie stuck her nose in the air and whispered sharply, "I concur." Then she straightened her spine and swept from the room, hoping that her grand exit wasn't too terribly marred by the fact that she was covered with soot, limping slightly, and wearing a dress that was now torn in three places.
Chapter 9
Ellie nursed her wounds for the rest of the day, pleading fatigue when a maid came to her room to fetch her for the evening meal. She knew she'd appear the worst sort of coward, but the truth was that she was so blasted angry with Charles and his entire family that she didn't trust herself to sit with them for an entire meal.
Sulking in one's room was rather boring, however, so she sneaked downstairs and grabbed the latest copy of the newspaper to go over the financial pages. She checked her investments, as was her habit, but then she realized that she no longer knew the status of her savings. Had Charles transferred her accounts yet, as he had promised? Probably not, Ellie thought, trying to be patient. They had only been married for one day. She'd have to remind him, though. She'd read a favorable report on a new cotton mill in Derbyshire, and she was eager to invest a portion of her funds.
She read the newspaper three times, rearranged the knickknacks on her vanity table twice, and stared out the window for an hour before she finally flopped onto her bed with a loud groan. She was bored, hungry, and alone, and it was all the fault of her husband and his blasted family. She could happily strangle the lot of them.
Then Judith knocked on her door.
Ellie smiled reluctantly. She supposed she wasn't furious with her husband's entire family. After all, it was rather difficult to be angry with a six-year-old.
"Are you sick?" Judith asked, climbing up on Ellie's bed.
"Not really. Just tired."
Judith frowned. "When I am tired, Miss Dobbin makes me get out of bed, anyway. Sometimes she puts a cold, wet cloth on my neck."
"I bet that works."
The little girl nodded solemnly. "It is difficult to sleep with a wet neck."
"I'm sure it is."
"Mama said she would send a tray up to your room."
"That is very nice of her."
"Are you hungry?"
Before Ellie could respond, her stomach growled.
Judith squealed with laughter. "You are hungry!"
"I guess I must be."
"I think I like you."
Ellie smiled, feeling better than she had all day. "Good. I like you, too."
"Claire said you made a fire today."
Ellie counted to three before she said, "There was a fire, but it was an accident. I didn't cause it."
Judith cocked her head to the side as she considered Ellie's words. "I think I'll believe you. Claire is frequently wrong, although she doesn't like to admit it."
"Most people don't."
"I am rarely wrong about anything."
Ellie smiled and tousled her hair. A maid appeared in the doorway with a supper tray. Judith jumped down off the bed, saying, "I had best get back to my room. Miss Dobbin will likely hide my pudding if I am late."
"Goodness, that would be dreadful!"
Judith made a face. "She eats it after I go to bed."
Ellie crooked her finger and whispered, "Come back here for a moment."
Intrigued, Judith climbed back onto the bed and put her face near Ellie's.
"Next time Miss Dobbin eats your pudding," Ellie whispered, "you come to me. We'll sneak down to the kitchens together and find you something even tastier."
Judith clapped her hands together, her face a perfect picture of delight. "Oh, my lady, you are going to be the very best of cousins!"