If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 76

Fleeing back to her room, Georgiana locked the door to prevent the maid from entering. Her heart pounded loudly enough to be heard.

Did they see me?

Since she couldn’t hear any footsteps in the corridor, it seemed unlikely.

“Hah…”

Leaning against the door, Georgiana placed her hand over her still-racing heart and took a deep breath.

She had done nothing wrong, but if they discovered she had seen such a scene, she feared the threats against her would escalate to a different level. No, it was certain.

Just the sight of them accepting an untested sedative was proof enough.

They would deal with anyone who hindered their interests by any means.

She should pretend she hadn’t seen anything—but was that the right choice?

It was obviously a large-scale embezzlement operation.

She didn’t know the value of tobacco leaves, but the pouch handed over had seemed quite heavy, and their conversation confirmed that this wasn’t the first time.

What exactly was the head maid up to?

Seeing how she didn’t hesitate to engage in such risky activities, Georgiana was convinced she was also stealing from other places.

How extensive was this, and how many people were involved?

Even though it wasn’t her problem, she couldn’t simply ignore it, fearing that Angela might eventually be affected.

Could she overlook such actions when Raymond and Evan had taken her in despite her uncertain status? Her conscience gnawed at her.

Should she tell the butler or Raymond?

But would they believe her?

Would they trust the words of someone who had only recently arrived from another country, especially when she had no evidence beyond what she had witnessed?

If she recklessly stirred up trouble, she might end up being the one punished.

She decided to remain silent for now and, like Catherine, devise her own plan.

Since they seemed to work at the same time, she thought of “accidentally” bringing the butler there next time.

For now, she had to wait and see.

Still catching her breath, she looked at Angela sleeping on her bed, deep in thought.

It seemed best to move Angela to the adjoining room before the maid arrived, but imagining her disappointment upon waking up and finding Georgiana gone, she hesitated.

She had promised to stay with her.

Angela’s small smile, as though she was having a pleasant dream, made it hard to wake her.

Resting her hands on her hips, Georgiana eventually decided to let Angela sleep a little longer.

Being together shouldn’t be a problem.

Leaving the connecting door open would let the maid know she was in the room with Angela. Changing into fresh clothes, she lay down beside the child.

Becky, watching from the windowsill, came over to settle between them.

Not long after, hurried footsteps approached, and the door to Angela’s room opened.

“Where did she go?”

The maid, startled by the empty bed, soon noticed the open connecting door and stepped into Georgiana’s room. Approaching the bed, her shadow loomed over Georgiana, who kept her eyes tightly shut.

“There you are.”

Feeling the presence so close made Georgiana’s mouth go dry. She knew the maid wouldn’t harm her outright, but the fact that she was Catherine’s subordinate heightened her unease.

“It’s strange that the young lady follows you even though you don’t resemble Madam Veronica. And this ill-tempered cat, too.”

Clicking her tongue, the maid stared down at them for a while.

“If I let her sleep like this, it might become a habit. I can’t let them grow too attached. I’ll wake her and take her back now.”

The maid reached out to take Angela, but at that moment, Becky jumped up and scratched her arm with her claws.

“Ow! This damn cat!”

The furious maid tried to grab Becky, but the usually sluggish cat darted around with astonishing speed, evading her grasp several times. Becky managed to scratch her a few more times in the process.

“Just wait until I catch you!”

The maid’s heavy breathing seemed to reverberate to Georgiana, who decided she couldn’t let the commotion continue. Pretending to wake up, she stirred.

“Mmm…”

The maid froze mid-motion.

“Just wait. I won’t let this slide.”

Dripping blood onto the sheets from what appeared to be deep scratches, the maid quickly left the room, slamming the door behind her. Only then did Georgiana sit up.

Angela, fortunately, was still fast asleep.

“Good job, Becky.”

Georgiana patted Becky’s rear several times, proud of the cat, who sat watching the doorway intently.

For the next two days, the maid seemed to stay close to Angela, but then Liv began leaving the child alone at night again. Having seen it happen multiple times, Georgiana could only guess how often Angela had been left unattended.

Each time, Angela would wake and come to Georgiana’s room, where Georgiana would comfort her until she fell asleep again, only to carry her back to her own bed at dawn.

Explaining to Angela beforehand that she had to be in her own room in the mornings, the little girl nodded as if she understood, allowing the arrangement.

Seeing Angela’s maturity, so unusual for her age, tugged at Georgiana’s heartstrings. She seemed to have been forced to grow up, much like Georgiana herself.

Holding Angela tightly, Georgiana reassured her that she could come to her whenever she wanted.

She didn’t know how long she’d be responsible for Angela, but she vowed to love her unreservedly for as long as she could.

After all, Georgiana would never have children of her own.

She no longer believed in love or men.

Marriage was a distant, unlikely prospect, and having children was out of the question.

Perhaps that was why Angela held such a special place in her heart.

I have to do my best.

But what about Angela’s father, Raymond? What was he doing these days?

Recently, she hadn’t seen him in the mansion at all.

In the past, he could always be found either heading to the large library attached to the mansion with Angela or appearing without fail during meals. Now, however, it was as if he never left his office—it was hard even to catch a glimpse of his coat hem.

Even when their eyes happened to meet from a distance as he walked by, he would quickly avert his gaze and disappear.

Is he uncomfortable around me?

At first, she thought it might just be a coincidence, but by now, it was clear he was avoiding her.

She couldn’t begin to guess why.

Did I do something he didn’t like? she wondered. But that didn’t seem to make sense. After all, she was still using the gun Evan had handed her, and her shooting lessons with Bill were continuing as scheduled. Raymond didn’t seem like the type to be that obliging toward someone he disliked.

Since she needed his permission for something, Georgiana asked the head butler, whom she encountered in the hallway, for a moment of his time.

Though he looked puzzled, the butler stopped and sent another servant ahead.

“What is it?”

“Mr. Butler, is Mr. Rivern very busy these days?”

“Well… he’s always quite busy.”

The response was ambiguous at best.

Should she ask the butler to pass on her message instead?

Seeing her hesitate, the butler asked, “Do you have something to tell the master?”

“Yes. It’s not urgent. I was wondering if I could borrow a carriage after the afternoon class to go out. Is there anywhere nearby to buy clothes?”

Of the three dresses she had purchased in the South, one had been ruined by the innkeeper, leaving her to rotate between the remaining two. With frequent handwashing, the poor-quality fabric was already showing signs of wear. She needed at least three more dresses of similar price.

“There’s a boutique in town that sells ladies’ clothing. They also offer home service, as the madam used to use them.”

“Oh, no. I’m fine without a boutique or home service.”

Georgiana quickly waved her hands, alarmed.

She had never bought or worn such expensive clothes, except for the ones she had worn on the ship at Lockwood’s insistence. That had been the pinnacle of luxury in her life.

And she had paid dearly for wearing them after leaving the ship.

Although her weekly wage was more than expected, she wanted to save as much as possible, uncertain of when she might have to leave again.

Even combined with her remaining money, it wasn’t enough to fund an escape.

‘Perhaps poverty is my destiny.’

The ship had been an exception.

A gloomy expression appeared on her face, and she reminded herself that she was standing in front of the butler and shook off her gloomy thoughts.

“The maids would know more about general stores than I do. Would you like me to ask them for you?”

Aware of Georgiana’s situation, the butler offered an alternative.

“Oh, no, thank you. I’ll find something in town. If you could just ask about the carriage, I’d be grateful.”

Not wanting to take up any more of his time,  she immediately declined.

At that moment, a small shadow approached the two of them.

“There’s no need for that. The master has said you’re welcome to wear clothes in the mansion.”

For some reason, Catherine appeared with a benevolent expression, delivering an unexpected message.