The Forbidden Fruit

I wiped the sweat off my brow as I looked at the heap of clothes beside me. My hands were aching. Grace was hanging the clothes on the line. We had become closer the night before. She had come to my room to give me my temporary maid uniform. She had also posted the letter I had written for Albert and Gwendolyn.
Grace curtsied and I turned round to see who was there, only to find Darius standing behind me with an older man.
"Grace, this is the Earl of Essex, Count D'Aubigne," he introduced, "this is Grace van der Hoek. Granddaughter of Demelza. Do you still wish for her to....work for you?"
"Oh that won't be necessary," Count D'Aubigne smiled, "I found myself a worker. She is still a child, but she will suffice. My wife said I would be pleased with the girl she chose. She is a peasant girl from Winchseter."
My heart began to beat fast.
"Oh," Darius said as the both of them began to walk out, "did your wife mention her name?"
Darius looked my way and smiled. I quickly turned my back on him.
"As a matter of fact she did," the Count laughed, "it was an unusual name so I've decided to name her something I can pronounce instead, like Matilda or Amy."
Hearing that the name was unusual had given me consolation that it was not Gwendolyn, but when I began to think about it, Gwendolyn was not the most common name either.
"Is something the trouble?" Grace asked.
"No," I lied, "not at all."
I resumed washing the clothes, but I had not fooled Grace.
"You lost all the colour in your face when you heard Count D'Aubigne had a mistress," she pointed out,
I had expected nothing less. Grace was quite vigilant.
"Oh no, I was just shocked that you are Demelza's granddaughter," I lied again.
She just laughed and nodded, "I didn't tell you yesterday? Well, she is my grandmother. She was actually talking about you. We haven't been hiring. The Manor has more than enough maids, but you were able to get a job here?"
"Well..."
"You know what you want?" he asked, amused by my decisiveness, "what is it that you want Elise?"
"I will pay back earnestly," I said, "even if it means that my family will continue paying the debt for generations to come. I could not possibly sleep with a man for money. It is wrong and I think women who do so are not worthy to be called women at all."
He laughed heartily at my comment, before smiling again.
"I see there is more to you than what meets the eye," he finally said, "I like you."
I felt my cheeks going red. Why was I blushing at his comment. Was it because the only men who had ever liked me was Albert and my father?
"You may work here as my maid, but I will not give up on you," he said as he got up, "eventually you are going to sleep with me when you realize how futile this is. All women do in the end."
"You don't need to tell me," Grace laughed awkwardly. I didn't realize I had spaced out for so long.
"Oh sorry, no," I said, "I have to pay my father's debt to him and I didn't really have a job, so..."
"I see," Grace replied.
I nodded and we continued working in silence, but I could not shake away the feeling that Gwendolyn had agreed to becoming Count D'Aubigne's mistress. The money sure was tempting, as Darius' offer had been for me. I had to research more on the matter. All I could do was hope Albert would reply to me soon.