Winterberry Spark: A Silver Foxes of Westminster Novella (The Silver Foxes of Westminster #2.5)(9)

“I despise purchasing new shoes,” Alex grumbled behind him, shaking Gil out of his thoughts.

He turned, cursing himself for being distracted yet again and forcing himself to focus. “Sir?”

Alex sighed and handed the inventory list back to him. “It appears as though we’ll be making a visit to Oxford Street when we return to London next week.”

“Sir.” Gil nodded. Uneasiness spilled through him. He’d forgotten their return to London was so imminent. That in itself was a sure sign he was distracted beyond what was good for him. There was a mountain of preparations to be made. At least those preparations would require his full attention. And once they were in London, he’d be too busy with Alex’s parliamentary business to worry about Ruby.

He turned to leave, eager to dive into some sort of work that would take all of his energy, but before he could go two steps, Mrs. Musgrave stormed into the room.

“Mr. Croydon, sir,” she began without waiting for acknowledgement, which irritated Gil to no end. “And Mrs. Croydon,” Mrs. Musgrave added. “I need to speak with both of you on a matter of utmost urgency.”

Alex and Mrs. Croydon exchanged a surprised look. Gil swayed on his spot, wondering if he should leave to give his employers privacy or if they would need him to assist with whatever Mrs. Musgrave had to say.

The decision was made for him when Mrs. Musgrave charged on with, “Ruby Murdoch must be dismissed at once.”

Gil’s heart dropped to his feet. He tensed reflexively, his instinct to come to Ruby’s rescue almost overpowering. But sense kept his mouth shut and told him to listen to whatever the housekeeper had to say.

Mrs. Croydon stood. “Mrs. Musgrave,” she began in a soothing tone, wearing a patient smile. “You know that Ruby is here for very special reasons. She is under our protection after enduring a great deal of hardship.”

Mrs. Musgrave’s expression remained firm and fiery. “It has come to my attention, ma’am, that those hardships involve being arrested for the crime of prostitution.” Her voice rose to an indignant squeak that was highly unlike the stern housekeeper’s usual manner.

Mrs. Croydon and Alex exchanged a look that was both knowing and sheepish, as though they’d been caught pulling one over on their staff.

“We are aware of Miss Murdoch’s past,” Alex said, though he didn’t look as sympathetic to it as Mrs. Croydon did.

Mrs. Musgrave blinked at him in astonishment. “Forgive me, sir, but you knowingly set a viper loose amongst my staff?”

“Ruby isn’t a viper,” Mrs. Croydon insisted, stepping toward Mrs. Musgrave with a frustrated frown. “She is a sweet woman who has been through so, so much.”

Gil’s heart leapt in agreement, but he clenched his jaw, mirroring Alex’s unsettled frown.

“All the same,” Mrs. Musgrave said, looking as though she were trying to master her temper in front of her employers, “it is completely and utterly unheard of for a woman of such low character to work in a respectable house such as this. Now that the rest of the staff has learned of her despicable past—” Gil’s gut clenched at the revelation. “—I insist that she be removed.”

“Has she caused trouble with the staff?” Mrs. Croydon asked.

“The knowledge of her past has caused a stir, ma’am,” Mrs. Musgrave answered.

“But has she provoked direct conflict with any members of the staff, the maids or the footmen?” Mrs. Croydon pressed on.

Mrs. Musgrave clenched her hands into fists at her sides. “She has not, but now that her true nature is known, I have no doubt it will only be a matter of time before order is disrupted below-stairs.”

“But order has been maintained in the many months since she first came here,” Mrs. Croydon argued.

A crackling silence followed as Mrs. Musgrave pursed her lips and looked as though she were praying for patience. Gil felt caught between two tidal waves himself, and as much as he wanted to leap into the situation to smooth things over, he didn’t have a clue which of the women he sided with.

At last, Mrs. Musgrave drew in a breath and said, “I simply don’t see how you can, in good conscience, ma’am, with all due respect and deference, continue to give employment to a woman who was instrumental in the…difficulties Master James faced several months ago.”

Lightning could have struck and no one in the room would have noticed. James glanced up from the papers he was scribbling on at the table, but he wasn’t interested in what the adults were talking about. Alex’s frown had grown dark, etching his face with lines. Gil recognized the signs of the man’s internal conflict as he rubbed his chin. Mrs. Croydon looked as though she were ready to scream.

The silence was only broken when Alex let out a breath and said, “If Miss Murdoch’s presence is causing so much upset downstairs, perhaps we should dismiss her.”

Gil nearly choked. His heart pounded with horror at the idea of Ruby disappearing from his life, drowning out every rational and reasonable argument of his head.

Mrs. Croydon looked every bit as alarmed as he felt. “You can’t just cast Ruby aside. Not after everything she’s been through.” She crossed the room to argue with Alex directly. “She depends on us. Without our help, what would become of her?”

“I know, my love,” Alex said, resting his hands on her arms and fixing her with a loving but frustrated look. “I know you care about Miss Murdoch’s welfare, but Mrs. Musgrave has a point. I can’t think of any house of our standing that would hire a woman with Miss Murdoch’s background, no matter what the circumstances.”