by Lisa Campell
That’s called using a twelve-year-old. Don’t lie and make yourself feel better.
A bumping sound from her bedchamber had Emilia spinning around. Then she heard voices fading away. It sounded like her trunk had arrived. Maybe she should spend her morning sorting out her bedroom before approaching Anna Andrews. Goodness only knew when they were coming back.
Emilia headed into her bedchamber. And stopped. A woman was in her room, coming out of another door across the room. She was carrying towels, her face red and sweaty. She stopped short when she saw Emilia.
“Oh! Goodness me!”
“Forgive me, I…” Emilia peered at her. “I didn’t realize anyone was still in here.”
“I was just putting fresh towels in all the rooms.” The woman shifted the towels in her arms and gave Emilia a friendly smile. “I’m Mabel Gallagher, the housekeeper. You’ll be bumping into my husband shortly. He’s the head gardener. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Perry.”
“And you.”
Emilia looked the woman up and down. She was middle-aged, a little over fifty perhaps, and of a slightly heavier weight. Her face was clear of any wrinkles with a nice smile and bright, sparkling eyes. She was certainly a very attractive woman, and from the way she held herself, Mrs. Gallagher expected herself to be in charge.
Emilia found herself thinking about her own housekeeper. She adored the lady, who was no-nonsense, but the sweetest person Emilia had ever met. Her chest tightened at the memory, and Emilia pushed it aside. She couldn’t start missing people now.
Chapter Ten
“I saw the gardens just now.” Emilia nodded towards the window. “Was your husband the one who created the maze?”
“It was Mr. Andrews’ idea after hearing about someone over in Grafham who had created a maze for his family. He wanted the same for Miss Anna.” Mrs. Gallagher chuckled. “If given half a chance, I think his daughter would live in there. She could get lost in that maze for hours and still want to go back for more.”
“I’m surprised she has time to do anything else.”
“If you want Miss Anna distracted for a while and wear her out, get her to go running around that maze. It works wonders.”
“I’ll remember that.”
This woman was the best choice to discuss Thomas Andrews. She was one of the servants who could go anywhere and everywhere in the house, and she would be privy to a lot of things. Gossip didn’t get past the housekeeper. Emilia headed towards the window.
“Your husband did a magnificent job. And the rest of the garden, too?”
“Of course. He’s done his back in many times, but my Jeffrey wants it to look perfect. Mrs. Andrews did love her garden, and my husband did whatever he could to accommodate her.”
“Mr. Andrews has no say over the garden?”
“Other than the maze, no. I think if he had his way, it would be a jungle of overgrown weeds. He doesn’t have any interest in gardening and flowers.” Mrs. Gallagher shrugged. “But his wife loved it, and his daughter loves it now. He’ll do anything for the ladies in his life.”
“You remember Mrs. Andrews fondly, then?”
“I do. She was a lovely woman.”
The woman was beginning to do a lot of talking. Emilia wasn’t about to pass up on this. She headed towards the door.
“Would you mind if I walked with you? I want to explore the house a little more. It feels like a maze in itself.”
“Of course. I’ll just put these in Miss Anna’s room, and I’ll give you a walk-through.” Mrs. Gallagher headed towards the door. “Come with me.”
Emilia followed her out into the hallway and tried not to look left as she went two doors down and into the child’s room. It was in pale pink and white, the furniture pretty much the same as Emilia’s, but on a slighter smaller scale and a toy box next to another huge bookcase. It didn’t quite fit what a twelve-year-old would sleep in, but children grew very fast. It was difficult to keep up with their tastes and demands.
“Let me put these in the washroom.” Mrs. Gallagher crossed to a door at the far end of the room. “I’ll be with you shortly.”
“All right.” Emilia debated for a second about her next question. “May I ask how did Mrs. Andrews die?”
“Pneumonia. Hit her harder than anyone expected.” Mrs. Gallagher stepped into the washroom and disappeared out of sight. “I don’t think I’ve seen anyone deteriorate as fast as she did, nor seen anyone more devastated than Mr. Andrews. He just went to pieces.”
“He loved her.”
“Without a doubt.” Mrs. Gallagher reappeared; her arms now free. She sighed. “Now he’s trying to balance his work with raising Miss Anna. It’s not easy. We’ve all offered to look after Miss Anna while he’s working - so he doesn’t need to wait until the next governess runs out on him. But Mr. Andrews doesn’t want us to shirk our other duties because we’re watching his daughter. For me, I don’t mind. Miss Anna has helped me around the house several times. We just can’t give her the schooling that she needs.”
From the way she spoke, this woman was greatly fond of both father and daughter. Emilia wasn’t sure how a woman could be so fond of a man like Thomas Andrews knowing his behaviour. Then again, she could see why any woman would be fond of that handsome man.
Stop thinking about how handsome he is. That’s not helping. Think of something to say.
“I heard about all the governesses.”
“I see.” Mrs. Gallagher arched an eyebrow. “Gossip getting around, is it?”
“It’s a little hard to miss.” Emilia rubbed her hands on her skirts, hoping she looked convincing. “There was so much speculation as to why. I couldn’t understand why they would leave like that. Unless there was something Mr. Andrews did they didn’t like. That’s all I could come up with in my own speculations.”
Mrs. Gallagher’s eyes widened.
“You think Mr. Andrews did something inappropriate? Of course not! He’s always been the perfect gentleman. He would never cross that line.”
“Not even when he loses his temper?”
“What temper? Sure, he gets angry, but his temper is not out of control and he’s normally more level-headed when it comes to everything else. As far as I’ve witnessed, he’s never lost his temper at the governesses. They had no reason to fear him.”
She sounded so determined about that. Emilia knew her decision couldn’t be swayed. She would have to be careful with how she asked her questions. Housekeepers were a good source of information, but they were more likely to be the most loyal.
“I heard about these other women, and I got rather confused, if I’m honest. So many people coming here to look after his daughter and then they vanished.” Emilia managed a slight giggle. “I was beginning to think there was a conspiracy going on.”
“You and everyone else.” Mrs. Gallagher crossed the room, beckoning Emilia to follow her. “People have speculated about the reasons why, but even we don’t know. They never shared anything with us. As far as I’m aware, they were happy and perfectly content. And I know what’s going on in this house.”
I’m sure you do.
The housekeeper led the way back to the stairs and then started showing Emilia around the house. She pointed out the guest wing, the servants’ wing, and Andrews’ own suite of rooms. They were close enough to his daughter’s room but far enough away that he wouldn’t be disturbed. Then they headed downstairs and Mrs. Gallagher walked through the rooms. Emilia was sure her eyes were getting bigger and bigger the further into the house they went. So many rooms. Too many for who was living here. Mrs. Gallagher had explained that a relative of Andrews’ was a very wealthy peer and he didn’t have any children, so Andrews’ father became the heir to the estate when he was twenty, and then Andrews inherited it on his father’s death.
Emilia didn’t want to look at the household bill for this place. It would make her wince.
They finally finished in the drawing room, which was simply one long room down o
ne side of the house. Mrs. Gallagher was getting a little red-faced again and was puffing and panting.
“Do you mind if I sit down a moment? I’m not as young as I was.”
“That’s fine.” Emilia sat in a chair as the housekeeper slumped onto the window seat, fanning herself with her hand. “You would have to be very fit to work in this place, I’m sure.”
“And I was able to go around this house without breaking a sweat when I first started here fifteen years ago. Two children later, and I think it’s gotten the better of me now.” Mrs. Gallagher peered at her. “May I ask you a question, Mrs. Perry?”
“You may.”
“If you knew about the other governesses, why did you apply for the position?”
Emilia had planned this over and over again in her head. The story she should know backwards by now. But even so, she found herself hesitating.
“I needed something stable for myself. This came up at the right time.”
“You’re not scared that you might go the same way as the others?”
“I’m not easily scared, Mrs. Gallagher.”
“I hope you’re not.” The housekeeper looked pensive. “It’s not fair on Miss Anna to have so many people come in and out of her life. She’s too young to go through all that.”
Why did that sound like a warning? Before Emilia could let the words sink in, Mrs. Gallagher was back on her feet, brushing down her skirts and apron.
“Right, I can’t sit here all day. I’ve got a lot to do. I’ll have to leave you to it, Mrs. Perry. Miss Anna and Mr. Andrews will be back shortly, so you’ll be able to get to know Miss Anna later.” She paused, looking Emilia up and down. “I hope you stay longer than everyone else. It’s not Mr. Andrews who suffers, it’s that little girl. She doesn’t deserve this.”
Thomas watched Emilia across the table as they sat down to dinner, Anna sitting beside her. She was maintaining her grace and poise throughout their meal, not a hair out of place. He couldn’t help but admire how lovely she looked in black, her hair piled up on her head to reveal a long, swanlike neck.
All day, when he was supposed to be working, Thomas had found himself wandering through the house to watch Emilia with Anna. Their first interaction seemed a little stilted on Anna’s part - understandable, given how many times she had to be introduced to a governess - but throughout the day as Emilia took charge of the girl, they seemed to soften towards each other. By the time dinner was announced, Anna was practically bouncing into the room. She looked like she had been enjoying herself.
This was the quickest Anna had warmed to a governess, and Emilia certainly seemed to have taken the position in her stride for someone who had never worked in that capacity. Thomas was sure that would change in a few days.
He had to stop looking at her. Emilia was one of the staff now. She was, in some capacity, an equal, but Thomas had to remember her position in his household. But he couldn’t help it. Emilia just drew his attention and she didn’t seem to be interested in letting go anytime soon.
Did she know how much she was affecting him? Probably not, but from the way Emilia kept glancing at him and looking away with reddening cheeks, he was certainly affecting her. Thomas’ gut tightened at the thought.
Steady, Andrews. She’s a member of your staff now. Don’t go wandering down that path.
Anna was eating her meal with gusto, almost spilling gravy down her dress. Thomas laughed and leaned over to tap his daughter on the arm.
“Slow down there, Anna. You’re going to end up with a stomach-ache if you keep going like that.”
“Apologies, Father.” Anna grabbed her napkin, bumping her plate, and dabbed at her mouth. “I’m just so hungry!”
“I can tell. You’ve been busy, then?”
“Very busy!” Anna’s eyes were sparkling, talking so fast Thomas could hardly keep up. “First it was riding, and then Emilia and I talked about different countries, and then we went into the garden to name all the flowers we could find, then we went for a walk, then we did some sums, then Emilia…”
“Whoa, take a breath there!” Thomas laughed. He looked up at Emilia to see her smiling at Anna. “Sounds like today’s been very productive. And you only arrived this morning.”
Emilia shrugged.
“My father said it was always best to keep bright little minds busy. Keeps them from getting into trouble.”
“I’m not trouble!” Anna protested.
Emilia laughed. “No, you most certainly aren’t. I just don’t want your father to get upset because you did something you shouldn’t.”
“Not much gets me upset with Anna nowadays.” Thomas leaned over and affectionately tugged his daughter’s locks. “She’s a good girl.”
“Father!” Anna slapped his hand away. “I’m not a baby.”
“Apologies.”
Emilia glanced from father to daughter and back again.
“You mean she got you upset before?”
“Isn’t that the way with children?”
Emilia’s mouth opened and closed. Then she looked away. “I suppose.”
Had she been expecting him to say something else? It was like she was searching for something. Thomas reached for his glass and took a sip.
“Did you not have any brothers or sisters you bickered with? Or did you not get your parents upset?”
“I didn’t like getting scolded, so I was good.” Emilia bit her lip, focusing on her meal. “And I’m an only child. I did have a lot of cousins, but I don’t really have much contact with them. We...we’re just not of similar minds.”
“Too many arguments?”
“Pretty much.” Emilia frowned. “Everything you say we will grow out of as we get older. That doesn’t happen. Not with my family.”
It had been the same when they talked briefly about family earlier when Emilia met them after Thomas and Anna came back from riding, and again during dinner. Emilia seemed to close up a little when there was any mention of family, as if it was a sore point. Given what had happened with her husband and her family seemed to have turned their back on her, it was not really a surprise.
They finished their dinner with Thomas slipping back to mundane topics. Anna was animated and chattered away with her mouth full, looking like she was close to dropping to sleep and was clearly fighting it. Emilia looked a little more relaxed when there was talk about anything that wasn’t about her family. Thomas tried not to stare at her as she started to smile, even laugh at something Anna said. He had watched her from the window as the two of them walked through the gardens and saw the way her smile made her eyes sparkle. It lit up her whole face.
Her husband had to have been mad to treat her the way he had. Thomas couldn’t imagine anyone treating Emilia Perry with anything other than love and doting attention.
But that was other people. Thomas couldn’t compare others to him. He was certainly not the best role model for anyone. Nobody would want the problems that seemed to follow him around like a bad smell.
Dinner finished, and Anna was almost falling asleep in her dessert. Thomas wiped his mouth with his napkin and rose to his feet.
“All right, Anna, it’s up to bed with you.”
“What?” Anna blinked up at her. “But I want to stay up!”
“You know the rules we agreed upon, and you look like you’re about to keel over.” Thomas eased his daughter to her feet and nudged her towards the door. “Up you go.”
Anna tried to protest again, but she didn’t have much fight in her. Then Emilia was there, wrapping an arm around the girl’s shoulders.
“Come on, Anna, I’ll make sure you stay up there.”
“You’re not fun anymore.” Anna muttered.
Thomas laughed. “Ignore that. She’s always like that at bedtime. I don’t think she really understands that she’s tired until she’s in bed.”
“I know the feeling.” Emilia said mildly. She guided Anna towards the door. “Come on, you. Let’s get to bed.”
The tw
o of them left the room. Thomas had a feeling that Emilia was going to face one of the tougher challenges. Anna could sleep like the dead, but it was getting her into bed that was the problem. She wanted to be like the grown-ups and stay awake for longer, which wasn’t easy when she was close to dropping to sleep in her food. Whatever Emilia had done to wear her out today, but it was certainly working.
His daughter was very grumpy when she was tired and made to do something she didn’t want. Thomas didn’t envy Emilia right now.
He headed through the house and into the library. Jenkins was already there, pouring out a glass of brandy.