"It is an absolute human certainty that no one can know his own beauty or perceive a sense of his own worth until it has been reflected back to him in the mirror of another loving, caring human being." John Joseph Powell, The Secret of Staying in Love

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I.

February 1806

Katy Fairchild was awake before the household, as usual. Her bed was made, her hair brushed and pinned, her plain, linen dress buttoned, and her apron affixed, all before dawn.

Katy crept out of her small attic bedroom, avoiding the floorboards that she knew liked to squeal, and quietly made her way downstairs.

She first entered the sitting room, where Mrs Banes liked to sit and read her letters. She laid and lit the fire so that it would be nice and toasty in an hour or so when Mrs Banes came in after breakfast. She followed suit in laying the fire in Mr Banes' study. He would be in a little later, which was why this fire was lit second. Mr Banes liked to sit at the dining room table for an hour or so after breakfast and read the newspaper.

Katy then made her way down the narrow, hallway towards the working rooms of the house. She lit the stove, put on some water, and collected a basket and some feed from the larder before making her way out to the chicken coop in the garden.

It was a cold February morning, and the fog was still apparent in the air. The dew on the grass dampened the hem of Katy's dress, but she didn't mind. Cold air was good air. It was fresh, and she filled her lungs with it.

As soon as they saw her making her way towards them, the hens started to cluck like mad.

Katy reached into the corn she had brought with her and tossed it on the ground, and the hens flocked to it in a frenzy. With the chickens happily distracted by their breakfast, Katy scampered inside the coop and began to collect this morning's eggs. The hens had done well overnight, as Katy counted four and twenty eggs.

Katy then fed the pig, milked their goat, and brought her spoils inside the house, where their cook, Mrs Meade, had just arrived for the day.

Mrs Meade was an older lady, with a plump, rosy face, kind, grey eyes, and greying auburn hair. Mrs Meade had worked for the Banes family for years and years. She was a widow, with grown children in London that she visited as often as she could.

"Good morning, Katy," greeted Mrs Meade kindly as she got to work on making dough for the day's bread.

"It is a lovely morning, isn't it?" Katy thought out loud. Now that the water was boiled, she took it off to steep the tea. She put on a fresh pot of water with several of the eggs inside to boil for this morning's breakfast.

"What are you and Miss Eliza up to today?"

Katy would have no idea what Eliza wanted to do until she impulsively thought something up. Eliza was very spontaneous, eager to try anything, and was always ready for an adventure.

"I have not the faintest idea," replied Katy as she collected some cold meats and cheeses from the larder.

Yesterday Eliza had wanted to go sea bathing. In February. She had been convinced it was romantic, and Katy had an inkling that she had read about a drowning rescue in one of her novels.

Katy's friend was a tragic romantic. Eliza's passion was one of her many virtues, though it could often get her into trouble if Katy was not there to pull her out of it.

"Knowing Miss Eliza," Mrs Meade said humorously, "she could have a plan to play on the moon."

Katy laughed.

"Go on then," encouraged Mrs Meade. "I'll see to breakfast. You go and finish your chores, and then you can be off with Miss Eliza having fun for the rest of the day." Mrs Meade shooed Katy, and she obeyed.

Katy collected Mr Banes' newspaper and ironed it, drying the ink, before setting it neatly on the dining table by his place. She collected the post and put it in the sitting room for Mrs Banes, and then set about opening up the house for the day.

Katy was not a servant. The Baneses employed two girls in the village to see to the cleaning, but their modest income could not keep them all the time. Katy was never asked, nor expected to do the chores that she did. She did them because she liked to look after the Baneses, just as they had looked after her all these years.

It had been difficult when Katy was younger to fully understand her place, but she did know it now. She was not a servant, but she was not Mr and Mrs Banes' daughter either. She was the companion of their daughter. Eliza's live-in friend and confidante.

It had once been confusing why she did not attend family invitations, but she was allowed to attend village gatherings. But once she understood rank, Katy knew her place.

Mr Banes was a gentleman, no matter his modest income. His father before him had fallen on hard times, and with economy, Mrs Banes, the daughter of a gentleman, was restoring the Banes family to their former glory. Their daughter, Eliza, was thus the daughter of a gentleman as well. Their rank in their Devonshire village was one of elevated standing.

Katy Fairchild was an orphan and did not share the same rank as the Baneses. She had the rank of a village girl. At gatherings where village girls were permitted, there would be Katy. Otherwise, she, and others of her rank, were not welcome.

But in this house, Katy was never made to feel her rank, or anything other than deeply valued.

Mr George Banes came downstairs just as soon as Katy had finished her chores. Mr Banes was a middle-aged gentleman, with fine, handsome features, thick, dark hair that was speckled with grey, and the kindest brown eyes one would ever see. He was tall, and a little portly around the middle, but Katy adored him as if he were her own father, though she would never call him that.

"Ah, good morning, Katy," he greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning, Mr Banes," Katy returned the greeting.

Mr Banes entered the dining room and sighed happily when he saw his newspaper waiting for him. "What would we do without you, Katy?" he asked as he dutifully pulled out Katy's chair for her, and then sat down himself.

"I have no idea," Katy murmured with a smile. "Is Eliza not down?" she asked.

"I am sure she will be along," replied Mr Banes. "You know how difficult it is for Eliza pulling herself out of bed," he added knowingly.

Katy smiled as the dining room door opened and Mrs Meade entered carrying a tray of delicious breakfast things.

Mr Banes and Mrs Meade chatted animatedly for a few minutes while Mrs Meade set down breakfast, and then she departed to assemble Mrs Banes' breakfast.

Katy helped herself to two eggs, some cold meat, cheese and bread, while Mr Banes opened his newspaper and settled in to learn all the goings on in London.

Occasionally, Mr Banes would remark on something, and Katy would share her opinion. She liked talking to Mr Banes about the news. It almost felt like their own little tradition.

Katy was just about finished her cup of tea when she and Mr Banes were startled by a joyous cry coming from the direction of Mrs Banes' sitting room. The door to the dining room was quickly opened and Mr Banes jumped up to assist his wife.

Katy, too, rushed to Mrs Banes' side.

"My dear, what is it?" asked Mr Banes curiously.

Katy did not think she had ever seen Mrs Banes so happy in the ten years she had been living with the family. Mrs Banes was not nearly as cheerful as her husband. Katy thought it because she was the more practical, sensible spouse, and such people did not have time for amusement as Mr Banes did. But this morning, her cheeks were flushed, her mouth was agape, and her green eyes were as wide as eyes could be.

"Oh, they found him!" she cried gleefully, waving an opened letter in her husband's face. "They found him finally!" Mrs Banes let out a shriek of delight and hugged the letter to her chest.

"Who, my love?" Mr Banes pressed.

Katy was just as confused as to what news would give Mrs Banes such delight.

"I've just had it here, directly from Mrs Spencer," Mrs Banes told him in utter delight.

Katy resisted making a face that she knew would result in a scolding from Mrs Banes. Mrs Spencer was Mrs Banes' particular friend. In Katy's opinion, Mrs Spencer was an old, intolerable gossip, who never had a nice thing to say about the orphan charge of the Baneses. Her husband, Mr Spencer, the village solicitor, was a much more tolerable man. He always made sure to wish her good day, and to ask after her health, every time he saw her.

"Pray, if you insist on keeping us all in suspense, I shall quickly lose interest and you will not have anyone to tell. Katy will not hear it either, will you, Katy?"

Katy knew that Mr Banes enjoyed teasing and vexing Mrs Banes. She was an easy woman to tease. Katy merely smile as Mrs Banes huffed.

"The mystery earl, of course," Mrs Banes informed them. "Quite the tricky lad to track down, so it seems."

Katy's own mouth gaped as she realised the news.

The old Earl of Wilshire, the man who owned most of the land, including the house that the Banes family rented, had died last summer, unmarried and childless. There had been an heir, supposedly, a cousin of some description, but when he had been tracked down by the earl's solicitor, Mr Spencer, he was found to have died, too.

So began an extensive search of the earl's family tree to find the legitimate heir to the Wilshire title, lands, and property. The entire Wilshire village had been so abuzz to learn who it would be. But after months of no news, gossip tended to move on.

Until now, apparently.

"A lad is he?" asked Mr Banes. "What is his name?"

"Oh, I do not know if he is a lad, or exactly how old he is, but Mrs Spencer assures me that the new earl is quite unattached." Mrs Banes smiled deviously.

Mr Banes laughed. "Is Mrs Spencer marrying Emilie off already?"

Mrs Banes' eyes flared. "Certainly not. Emilie is barely sixteen. If there is a girl in the village who must be wed to the earl then it will be Eliza," she insisted.

Katy wondered if Eliza would have a say in this. She already knew her friend had much too much to do before she became a wife, no matter if she was considered of age or not. But she didn't say a word.

"His name is John Everett," Mrs Banes said slowly, referring back to Mrs Spencer's letter. "Oh, is that not a marvellous name? So strong, and sensible." Her eyes were practically dancing.

Katy knew that Mrs Banes had a particular liking for sensible names. She had on more than one occasion insisted that Katy be called Catherine. But Katy's name had never been Catherine. Katy had been the name her dearly departed parents had given her, and that is what she would always be called.

"Oh, very," Mr Banes played along. "Why, just as strong and sensible as the fifty thousand other Johns in the country."

Mrs Banes slapped him playfully. "Do not tease me, my dear. You know as well as I that this match could solve all our problems much sooner than we had planned. Eliza would do so well as the wife of an earl."

Katy wondered if Mrs Banes was thinking of the same Eliza that wanted to go sea bathing in February yesterday. Eliza would sooner marry a pirate than a peer.

"Mrs Spencer tells me that he will be arriving with his party in this coming week. I will write back to her immediately to see if there has been any more news in his coming. For as soon as he arrives, you must make his acquaintance. I cannot afford for anybody to be in front of Eliza in the quest for his affection."