Secrets in Mourning Read online

  He arched a brow at her tone. “Yes. I expect that while I am providing a roof over your head and food in your belly, that you will contribute in some way to this household.”

  “I believe I shall. Your mother has made it abundantly clear what she expects of me,” she said dryly.

  He shook his head slowly. “My mother might have a task or two for you to do, but more will be required. Everyone pulls their own weight here. Everyone. Myself included. I work the land with my tenants, help with the harvests, and care for the estate. There isn’t a day that I don’t labor beside the people that depend upon me. I have no wife, and unfortunately, the house isn’t being run as it should.”

  “Shouldn’t that be your mother’s duty?”

  “No. Nothing is expected of her. She has been through enough in her life.” He poured scotch into his glass and drank deeply. “During your stay, I will expect you to take over the duties of running the house.”

  “You can’t be serious. I am not your wife, nor your mother. My purpose here is to fulfill the stipulation in the Duke’s will. That is all.”

  He set the glass down slowly. “And so you will, if you live here. However, the condition of your living here is that you take up these duties. I have no doubt that you have been trained to run a household of this size. Or am I mistaken? Do you lack the ability?”

  She knew he was baiting her, but she couldn’t stop herself from answering him. “Of course I can manage this estate. And not just the running of a handful of servants. I am capable of much more.” She couldn’t help but set him straight. Her pride was on the line. “How much of it would I need to take over?”

  He shrugged. “Managing the servants, coordinating the laundry days, preparing menus, and seeing to the welfare of the villagers.”

  The tasks he mentioned were nothing out of the ordinary, but that didn’t mean she wanted to take over the responsibility. But what choice did she have? She wanted the freedom and independence that the Duke’s inheritance would give her, and to receive it, she needed to live in this household. Taking over duties she could easily see to wasn’t too much to pay to receive the money.

  “All right. I will do as you ask. For the period of mourning, I will act as the lady of the house and see to its needs.”

  “Good.” He gave another stiff nod. “I’ll inform you if there is another task to be done, but the list I gave you should suffice. Mrs. Waversly is the housekeeper here. You may meet with her in the morning.”

  “All right. If you don’t mind, I would like to retire for the evening.”

  “Not at all. Good night.”

  She knew he watched her as she walked out of the room, but not with avid interest that other men might. He watched her in suspicion.

  If he wanted her to run the household, she would. And she would do a great job of it. She didn’t know if he questioned her abilities to get a rise out of her, but she would show him just how valuable her skills could be.

  Starting tomorrow, the house would run more efficiently than he had ever seen. A slow smile started on her lips as she walked up the stairs, her hand on the glossy banister.

  Passing a servant, she asked for a bath to be brought to her room before continuing on. Surprisingly, a tub was quickly produced and hot water not longer after that.

  After drying, then dressing in a clean nightgown, she happily climbed under the slightly musty bedclothes. Without much thought, she fell hard into a dreamless sleep.

  Morning came too quickly for her liking. She would have enjoyed to stay in bed the rest of the day, but she knew she couldn’t. There was too much that needed to be done.

  Making her way down to the kitchens, she wasn’t surprised to find several kitchen maids there, making bread for the day and preparing the morning meal.

  An older woman looked up from her perch. “Your Grace, I was informed that you would be meeting with me with morning.” Standing up, she dusted a few crumbs off her dress. “If it is agreeable to you, we can move to the parlor.”

  “Yes, thank you,” Victoria nodded her agreement, but looked over the staff in the kitchen before following the plump housekeeper. The two women working on the meal seemed to be at a disadvantage, too shorthanded to handle food preparation for the estate. She might need to assign another woman or two to help. Turning on her heel, she gestured for Mrs. Waversly to lead. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’m still not certain where the rooms are located.”

  “Of course.” Catching the eye of a maid, she said, “Please have a tray brought into the parlor as soon as possible.” After receiving a nod of acceptance, the housekeeper turned and led the way. If her tone was a bit stiff, Victoria didn’t mind. She was new here, jumping into the woman’s position. Besides, the servants hadn’t exactly endeared themselves to her when she arrived.

  With her father’s ambitions for her to marry a duke so firmly in her mind, she hadn’t made many friends during her time in society. She wasn’t ignorant of the fact that she had alienated more people than she had befriended. But what other choice had she had? A friend would only be competition to her, so she had been forced to distance herself from the other debutantes, to upset them to the point where they feared her and would let her have anything she wanted.

  Would her life always be so empty? Now that she had become a duchess, she wasn’t sure she had made the best choices during her seasons in London. Perhaps she had gone too far, pushed too hard for the one thing that had always given her value in her father’s eyes.

  She could always change. She would change.

  Having attained her goal, she now had the rest of her life to make whatever she wanted of it. She didn’t have to push people away like she always had, but did she even know how to make friends at this point?

  The thought was unsettling. She had never tried to make friends and didn’t exactly know how to go about it. Shaking off the thought, she focused on what needed to be done today. She would have plenty of time over the next year to think about her future.

  Glancing at the tables in the hallway, she noticed a few places that needed to be dusted a bit more thoroughly, and made a mental note to mention that to the housekeeper.

  It was rather dark in this section of the manor, still oppressed by the old décor. She would need to ask about the renovation schedule as well.

  Opening the doors to the parlor, the housekeeper sailed into the room as if she owned it, but waited for an invitation to be seated.

  “I appreciate the time you took out of your busy schedule to meet with me, Mrs. Waversly.”

  The small deference to her responsibility seemed to make the ice around the woman crack. She looked more open, although cautious, to hear what Victoria wanted to say.

  “As I’m sure you are aware, the Earl has asked me to take over the running of the household, and since I am new here, I will need help getting familiar with how things are handled. Because of your knowledge of the house and the servants here, I hope that I may count on you.”

  The rest of the cool façade melted away from the housekeeper.

  See, that wasn’t hard, Victoria thought. Making friends should be easy enough when she wanted to. Flattery was a powerful tool.

  “I would be honored to, Your Grace. What is it that you wish to know?”

  “To start, how many footmen and maids are there? Looking around, it is obvious that the house is understaffed.”

  The woman nodded slowly. “Yes. Currently, there are two housemaids, and another that acts as both housemaid and lady’s maid to the Dowager Countess.”

  “So few?” It was unheard of. For a house this size, with only three women working to keep it in order, it was a minor miracle that the walls weren’t crumbling down.

  “Yes. And we have two footmen.” As Victoria’s mouth fell open, the housekeeper hurried to finish. “They also help in the gardens. Other than that, we have a cook, and one kitchen girl, myself, and Mr. Baton, the butler. Also, a girl from the village comes to help in the kitchens when needed.”
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  Robbed of speech, Victoria could only sit and stare at the woman. The idea of such little help on an estate this size was ludicrous. The Earl wanted her to run the house, but she wasn’t a magician. She would need servants to accomplish this task. But Mrs. Waversly had no way of approving the expense for more servants. “When is the scheduled laundry day?”

  “There’s not, my lady. The laundry is seen to when possible.”

  There was an awkward pause. Victoria didn’t even want to guess what that meant or how often the linens were cleaned.

  “I see. Well, that is definitely something we will need to see to.”

  The housekeeper’s eyes narrowed in concern as if she were rearranging the schedule to see how they would make it work. “I’m not sure that will be possible, Your Grace.”

  “We will make it possible. I will speak with the Earl myself to see if we can get additional help. It is astonishing how well the house has been kept up with so few servants.”

  “Thank you.” While the housekeeper looked grateful that Victoria would broach the subject with the Earl, she also looked a little perturbed.

  Sigh. Victoria had no intention of offending the woman, but it was obvious that she had. It was something she would have to deal with later. “Do you know where the Earl is now?”

  “From what I understand, he is in the south gardens.”

  “All right.” Victoria stood, ready to leave. “I appreciate your help. With any hope, we will be able to have new hires within the week.”

  Nodding briskly, Mrs. Waversly stood. “Very well.” Knowing she wasn’t needed any longer, the housekeeper made her way out of the room.

  Victoria let out a pent-up breath. She had no desire to ask the Earl for anything, but there was no way she could work a miracle with a skeleton crew. She would need help, and to get that help, she would need to appeal to His Lordship.

  Oh how that grated her pride. She had fully expected to not speak with him for some time, only when the house was running smoothly. He would have kissed her feet, apologized profusely for his heavy-handed demands.

  Now he would gloat. In less than one day at her new task, she needed his help.

  Smoothing her hair, she calmed her emotions. She may not like it, but there was no way around it.

  Weaving through the house, she didn’t bother to inspect the level of cleanliness. She was on a mission, and she was focused solely on the Earl.

  Hiring more servants would not only help her in her task, but it would help his servants as well. And she was certain that he cared about their welfare if not her own.

  Yes, that was the way to approach him. Speak with him about the plight of his servants.

  With it fixed firmly in her mind, she stepped out of the manor and into the gardens. Approaching the sweatstained group not far from the exit, she heard the Earl give a few last instructions for the gardens. Counting four in all, Victoria wondered who the additional two men were. Mrs. Waversly had only mentioned that the two helped in the gardens.

  Trying to look submissive, Victoria waited away from the group until they were finished.

  Not wasting time, the Earl approached her, a look of strained patience on his face. “Is there something you need?” he asked abruptly. “I’m a little busy here.”

  She took a step in retreat, thrown off by his rudeness. He was the first man to ever speak to her in that way. Well, not the first, she quickly remembered a night not so long ago where the Duke of Wathersby had given her a set down she wouldn’t soon forget. “Yes. I wanted to speak with you about the servants.”

  “Can it wait?”

  “Actually, no. It can’t.”

  “All right. What about the servants?” He leaned against the short gate. Looking ready to stay there all day for her explanation, her hackles rose. He got under her skin. She didn’t know the how or the why of it, he just did. He bothered her more than any man ever had before. In her time in the Ton, Victoria had been able to brush off any unpleasantness, not really caring about the person’s feelings.

  But this was different. She couldn’t escape her annoyance that was slowly turning into rage. She would only be able to take his rude arrogance for so long.

  “You are understaffed, and your servants are overworked.”

  His jaw clenched slightly. “I’m aware that there should be more servants. But that is none of your concern.”

  “Forgive me.” She said the polite words, but there was an edge to them. “I was under the impression you wanted me to oversee household matters.”

  “Oversee them, not step in and change everything.”

  “I see. If you want things to continue on as they are, why did you even ask me to do it at all?”

  A half smile curved his lips, but he didn’t look amused. “As I told you before, everyone pulls their weight here. Even debutantes.”

  Her eyes narrowed. Did he truly think her some brainless woman, only able to catch a husband with her looks? She had more to offer than that, was capable of much more. He may not want to help her, but as she knew, he cared about his servants. “I understand. You put this task to me and I am trying to accommodate you. However, it isn’t just for my benefit that you need to hire more servants. Your maids are overworked, and it is starting to show.”

  “How so?”

  “Their dusting is getting sloppy. The kitchen staff is running at a minimum, almost to the point where they can’t work fast enough to feed the household. And those are only two of the things I noticed this morning.”

  “What do you suggest?”

  It wasn’t the question that threw her off but his sincereity. “At least two more maids, and another full-time kitchen girl. I would also suggest another footman or two.”

  “Done.” He gave a firm nod. “Make the arrangements with Mrs. Waversly. Until then, I’m sure you can manage to improvise.”

  Victoria felt her jaw drop.

  “Was there something else?” he asked, humor winking in his eyes.

  “Just like that?” Victoria asked, finally able to regain her balance.

  “Yes. Just like that. I’m not unreasonable, Your Grace. You’ve made your point and have shown that there is a need. I want my servants to work at maximum capacity, but I do not expect them to accomplish something that is far beyond the realm of possibility. Two of the maids have recently left, and as for the footmen, I haven’t gotten around to hiring them yet. As you have already seen, there hasn’t been too much of a need for them.”

  “Yes. I can see that.” Victoria looked over his dirt-smeared clothes. “Perhaps you might consider having one double as your valet.”

  A grin flashed to his face. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to our rustic way of life in no time.” With that final statement, he walked away. Watching a man other than her brother or father leave was something she had never done in her life. It was an odd feeling. She had always been the one to walk away from a conversation.

  They were the ones supposed to be left wanting. Not her.

  The Earl had the power to unnerve her, and she didn’t like it.

  Turning on her heel, she made her way back into the house and to Mrs. Waversly. She had been prepared to battle to get the extra help that was needed, but that hadn’t been necessary. She stopped abruptly, looking up at the house.

  The black stones were still in place, but the windows winked in the sunlight, the roses in the nearest flowerbed waved in a slight breeze. It had seemed so imposing, hideous even, with its ebony stones. But not anymore.

  In a way it was beautiful. It was striking and unlike any other place she had seen. And the people there seemed happy. Well, maybe not the Dowager Countess, she thought, rolling her eyes. But people like that never were.

  But what about her son? Had she misjudged him perhaps? He was rough around the edges no doubt, but was he as cruel and dark as she first thought the house to be?

  He genuinely cared about those that worked around him. And the servants seemed to have a great respect for hi
m. Perhaps she had just caught him at bad times.

  Yes, that seemed reasonable to her. She nodded as she continued on to the house. He was probably just hungry or tired. Any man would behave in such a way. He couldn’t possibly have anything against her, could he?

  No, her confidence sang through her mind as she walked into the manor. Locating Mrs. Waversly, she summoned her for another meeting. They would get more servants today if she was able to do anything about it.

  Chapter 4

  It was two weeks later that Victoria found herself with no more servants and an even more demanding Countess than she had expected.

  “She’s asking for you again, Your Grace,” Molly, the red-haired maid, said before bobbing a curtsy to leave.

  “Good Lord.” Victoria looked up and sighed. The Countess had started slowly in her requests, but those small tasks were quickly mounting.

  With her other duties, Victoria was beginning to feel like a servant herself. Taking stock of the household, Victoria had found that while the dusting needed to be seen to more frequently, and the linens changed with more regularity, there was no problem with stocking the pantry. The house may be lacking in other areas, but they wouldn’t starve. Victoria said a small prayer of gratitude before rounding the corner into the parlor where the ‘Old Bat,’ as Victoria loved to refer to her, was waiting.

  “What can I help you with, my lady?” Victoria asked sweetly, but there was steel underneath.

  Not bothering to move away from a small writing desk, Lady Evelyn held out a sealed letter, wrinkles deepening as she narrowed her eyes. “Have Mr. Baton send this out directly.”

  Moving forward, Victoria took the letter, glancing at the address in London. Her heart clenched. How she wished she was back there. “I’ll see to it immediately.” Victoria turned, hoping to dash to the door before the woman could issue another command. She wasn’t so lucky.

  “There’s something else.” The older woman didn’t raise her voice, but Victoria couldn’t stop herself from wincing.

  Sighing, she turned back around. “Yes?”