“Excuse me, milord,” said Mrs. Stemple, as she approached the cot, carrying a pot of grey salve. “We should put these on her current spots, then cover new ones as they appear. It will help with the itching.”
“Thank you, Maude,” said James, as Maude began to gently apply the salve.
Irene and Rose helped her and Anna’s restless sleep appeared to improve almost immediately.
“Rose and Letty, would you like to take the first two-hour shift?” Colin asked.
“I want to stay up all night,” said Letty.
“I’m sure you do, poppet,” said Colin. “But we may be doing this for several days. You’ll need your sleep. Who would like to watch Anna after that?”
“Maude and I would like a shift, milord,” said Stemple as he placed wood near the fire.
“Thank you,” said Colin. “Then if you would not mind, perhaps you and your good wife can take the shift after Rose and Letty. Ava and I would go next, leaving the last shift to James and Miss Wallace. That should give them some time to rest between now and then. And before you remind me you don’t need sleep, James, I would ask you to remember that Miss Wallace almost certainly does.”
“I do not deny that. In fact, I have been telling her that very thing to no avail. But she simply will not listen.”
Colin sighed melodramatically. “Alas, I have found during these brief weeks of marriage that while women come equipped with ears, sound does not always penetrate them.”
“And I have found,” said his wife, “that while men are capable of speech, it is often nonsensical.”
Colin kissed his wife on the lips. Irene was embarrassed by – and envious of – the intimacy, but everyone else just grinned at the couple.
When the earl finished kissing his wife for the time being, he turned back to James. “Anna is in good hands, James. If anyone falls down in their duties, I am quite certain Jasper will punish them for it. I have never heard that cat purr before. Perhaps it is an imposter come to fool us,” he said, as he moved to pet him.
Jasper’s response was a yowl, accompanied by a paw swipe. Then he turned his back on Colin and carefully nestled against Anna again as he resumed purring.
“No, same old Jasper. What say you, James? Will you agree to my well-formulated plan?”
James grunted his assent. He kissed Anna’s forehead, then wiped hair from her brow. After a moment’s hesitation, he nodded to the others and took Irene’s hand. “Come with me,” he said to her, as he led her into the servants’ hall.
They paused at a small suite just off the kitchen. “This is usually the cook’s room, though now that Maude and Stemple are married, they share his quarters. But I can see this is where Stemple retrieved the cot for Anna.”
They went to the next suite, this one a bit larger. “This is the housekeeper’s suite, vacant since the position is not filled.” It was a two-room suite, a bit larger than the cook’s quarters. The outer chamber had a small settee, along with a table and chairs. The back room was equipped with a small wardrobe and dresser, as well as a bed that could sleep two.
Irene tried not to stare at the bed.
“This is where I will stay,” said James. “I’ll be close enough to hear Anna if she needs me.”
“And where shall I be?” asked Irene.
“We have a few empty bedchambers upstairs. You may have your choice of them. I’m sure Ava will help you get settled.”
“I am not staying all the way upstairs. I would also like to be able to hear Anna if she calls out in the night.”
“There is no need for that,” said James. “I am here.”
“And I would like to be down here, as well. I realize I am not a relative, nor anyone of importance to her…”
“You are very important to her,” said James. “From the very beginning, she has taken a liking to you. And you have been an enormous help to me since she fell ill.”
“Thank you. But I want to do what I can for Anna.” She raised her chin. “I will not sleep upstairs. Do not ask me to. I will sleep in the cook’s room, with or without a bed.”
Perhaps realizing she would not be dissuaded, James led her back to the kitchen. “Ava, I will sleep in the housekeeper’s suite and Miss Wallace has decided she would like to stay in Maude’s former room to be closer to Anna. But it is in need of a cot. Do you know where I can find one?”
Stemple began moving to fulfill that very request when Ava stopped him. “I am afraid that will be quite impossible,” she said. “We have no other cots.”
Stemple looked confused. “I believe there may be some in the servants’ quarters in the attic.”
“Unfortunately, those are in terrible shape. Quite lumpy,” said Ava. “We cannot ask Miss Wallace to bed down on them.”
“Then I will sleep on one of the lumpy cots,” said James, “and Miss Wallace can have the bed in the housekeeper’s suite.”
“No, James,” said Ava. “I cannot have you waking with a stiff back with everything there is to do for Anna. I am afraid the two of you will simply have to share the housekeeper’s suite.”
James narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “What about one of the guest chambers in the family wing?”
“Unfortunately,” said Rose, “they are all in use.”
“How is that possible?” asked James. “Have you taken in lodgers during my absence?”
“Not as of yet,” said Rose. “But I am currently working on altering several gowns and have strewn material and supplies throughout all the unused chambers. It would be terribly inconvenient to have to move them.”
“So, if I went through those bedchambers I would find evidence of this?” asked James. “Maude, please stay where you are. I would hate to have you go to all the trouble of scattering gowns for the sake of my sister’s lie.” His tone was rather resigned, despite the accusation.
Maude, who’d been about to slip out, rather guiltily went back to the stove.
“That’s a fine thing,” said Rose. “Accusing me of lying. Miss Wallace, I must apologize for my brother’s terrible manners, though I imagine you are already aware of them.”
“Lord James and I have a rather keen understanding of each other by now, my lady.”
“You must call me Rose.”
“And you must call me Ava,” added the countess. “I do apologize for the accommodations being what they are, but since you and James already shared a bedchamber – for Anna’s sake, of course – it would be most helpful to us if you were to continue doing so.”
James had a rather bemused look on his face. “Colin, are you going to do anything to rein in your wife and our sister?”
The earl must have seen the expectant looks on his wife and sister’s faces, for he shrugged and said, “I am at the mercy of the ladies in this arena.”
“Anna and I share a room,” said Letty. “Not now, of course. But as soon as she’s better, we’re going to again, aren’t we, James?”
“Yes, love,” said James. “I daresay I could not keep you two apart.”
“My lords, my ladies, would you like to eat now or later?” asked Mrs. Stemple.
“I believe now would be a good time,” said Ava. “That way James and Irene can eat before they rest.”
Mr. Stemple carried the serving dishes to the oak kitchen table and Irene was astounded to see the earl set out plates.
“Our household is not what you might expect,” said Colin. “Mr. and Mrs. Stemple are sorely overworked and sadly underpaid as it is. The rest of us help out whenever possible. I do hope you’ll excuse our informality, but it is how we live.”
“I am grateful to be a guest, my lord.”
“My name is Colin.”
“Thank you, Colin.” She heard James grunt. “And I am Irene. Thank you for giving me such a warm welcome at this trying time.”
“Thank you for looking after Anna so well,” said Ava. “And James.”
“Believe me, Ava, they have given me just as much as I have given them.”
/> The meal was simple but delicious. The conversation was pleasant, but subdued. Everyone was worried about Anna, though they tried to keep the conversation light for James’s sake.
After dinner, Irene helped Ava wash dishes. It was the first time she’d ever engaged in such an activity, but she wanted to be of use.
“You are our guest, Irene,” said Ava. “I do wish you’d go rest instead of helping me.”
“I cannot allow everyone to work except for me. And I admire the way you all band together.”
“It started as a necessity,” said Ava. “Though I daresay we are quite used to it by now. I find that keeping my hands busy helps occupy my mind as well.”
“I agree with your theory,” said Irene as she found a towel, then began drying. It was an awkward process at first, but she soon became better at it. “Unfortunately, I do not often get the chance to be of use. My grandmother does not approve of most charitable causes.”
“Yet she allowed you to travel with James and Anna to Portsmouth?”
Irene wished the countess was not quite so perceptive. “Well, she does not exactly know about it.”
“I see,” said Ava slowly. “I do not mean to pry. Well, actually I do, but does your father know?”
“They believe me to be visiting a friend in the country. They would not approve of my current trip, were they to learn of it. They were not as….receptive as they perhaps should have been when James told them his story.”
“But you believed him.”
“Not at first. ‘Struth, I do not know what I believe. I cannot countenance that my brother is a thief but neither can I imagine that James is a liar. I do hope a way can be found for him to pursue his dream of becoming a farmer.”
“Are you fond of farmers?” asked Ava.
“I am fond of fathers taking care of their families. If that is the course James wishes to pursue, then I wish him good fortune and happiness.”
“What of you? What course do you see for yourself?”
“I always presumed I would marry one day. More than likely to a man chosen by my grandmother, with my father’s approval.”
“Has that presumption changed?”
Irene looked at James’s sister-in-law, who seemed wholly engrossed in washing a plate well past the point it was ever dirty.
“I believe,” said Irene carefully, “that love is quite important, as is evident between James and Anna, and among the rest of you. I am not certain I could now accept the type of marriage my grandmother would sanction.”
“You have the right of it. Love, in any of its forms, is something to be cherished. It is why I would gladly do every chore on this estate, if it meant being with Colin. I would follow him anywhere. Though honesty compels me to admit that if his novel makes him a rich man I shan’t complain. What about you, Irene? What would you give up for love?”
It was a question Irene had been asking herself over the past few days. She wasn’t sure she had an answer. Or at least an answer that didn’t frighten her. “It is hard to say, since the question is purely an academic one. But I do have obligations. My father is not well and it would be difficult, if not impossible to leave him, especially since I do not know when Cedric will return.”
If the answer disappointed the countess she did not show it. Instead, she smiled. “I am certain your father and grandmother appreciate your dedication.”
Irene was not sure that was the case at all. But instead, she reached for the next dish and continued drying. “Family is an odd thing, Ava. One never knows what they’ll think.”
“Or where you’ll find one.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Anna was sleeping well when James and Irene left her in Letty and Rose’s care. Stemple had collected enough wood to keep the stove burning all night, and the pots of water only needed to be refreshed from time to time.
With Rose shooing them from the kitchen and James thoroughly exhausted, he ushered Irene up the servants’ hallway to the housekeeper’s suite.
“This is a lovely room,” Irene said, trying to hide her nerves.
“I believe Ava cleaned this entire house during the time she should have been on her wedding trip. And Mrs. Stemple put fresh sheets on the bed this evening.” James watched as Irene’s face flooded with color at the mention of the bed. “Are you certain you do not wish to have your own bedchamber? Or to send me off somewhere else? I do not exactly understand what my family is about by forcing us to be in here together, but if you are uncomfortable, we will make new arrangements.”
Despite his words, James knew perfectly well what his family was about. They had somehow gotten it into their heads that he and Irene should marry. Which was preposterous, of course, because…. No reason immediately popped into his head, but he was incredibly tired and quite certain that any number of them would make themselves known after a few hours’ rest. “I shall leave as you change into your nightclothes. If you need assistance, I can send Ava or Maude in to you.”
“My nightclothes?” Irene all but squeaked.
“Surely you do not wish to sleep fully clothed for yet another night do you? I do not believe that bed would accommodate you, me and your petticoats.”
“We’re going to share the bed?”
“We have once before.”
“But Anna was between us.”
“My dear Irene, you are safe with me.”
“Because you’re too tired for…dalliance?”
“I am never too tired for that. No, you are safe with me because I am a gentleman, it is not your wish to ‘dally’ and this is my brother’s house. Now, pray change into your nightclothes, while I do the same in my chamber upstairs. I shall return in a quarter of an hour. If you have not accomplished your task in that time, I cannot be responsible for any resultant embarrassment.”
He bowed, then took his leave. He tried without much success to ignore thoughts of Irene disrobing in the chamber they would share. As he prepared to change into his nightclothes in his bedchamber, he took a look at the threadbare flannel nightshirt that had served him well during his years in America. If he truly wanted to dissuade Irene from any attachment to him, he could simply parade around in that a bit. Then he picked up his dressing gown which was also rather shapeless and faded.
He sighed. There was nothing to it but to present himself as he was.
But then he remembered Colin’s silk dressing gown. Given the family’s finances, it was several years old, but well-tended. Surely his brother would not mind if he borrowed it for a night or two.
After changing into his flannel nightshirt and purloining Colin’s dressing gown, James checked on Anna once again. She was covered in salve, but mercifully sleeping. Then he knocked on the door to the housekeeper’s suite.
A delightfully proper Irene answered his knock, then ushered him inside. She was wearing a nightrail of finest silk, with delicate embroidery about the collar. Her dressing gown was cinched tight. Her beautiful fair hair was in a long braid to her waist. She had a nightcap in her hand.
“You cannot use a nightcap,” said James, as he took the offending item and tossed it onto the table.
“Whyever not?” she asked.
“It would frighten Anna.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Somehow, I do not think so.”
“You do not know her as I do. Besides, your hair is too beautiful to cover.”
“It is the nightcap that helps preserve its appearance. I fear my hair will be a rat’s nest in the morning if I do not wear it.”
“And I am sure it will be the most delightful rat’s nest ever produced. Shall we?”
He motioned for her to proceed him into the bedchamber. She hesitated for a moment, then did so. “I turned down the bed,” she said.
She had not yet taken a good look at him. But once they were in the inner chamber and she was too embarrassed to look at the bed, she turned to him and her gaze immediately fixated on the small v-shaped opening at his throat and collarbone. Her eyes grew round and h
er jaw eased downward.
It was the best compliment he’d received in an age, even if it was completely silent.
Perhaps realizing she’d been staring, she dragged her eyes away and turned to the bed. “I did not know which side you take when you usually share a bed with a lady.”
“What makes you think I make a habit of it?”
“Please, Lord James, do not try to gull me. I am quite certain this is far from the first time you have been in a bedchamber with a female.”
“True. But it is the first time I have done so with nothing but sleep on my mind.” Mostly nothing but sleep. He was worried sick about his daughter, but he would have to be dead not to have sensual thoughts about Irene. “You may choose your side, Irene.”
“Miss Wallace. In such intimate quarters, I believe we should observe the proprieties as much as possible.”
“If we were to observe the proprieties as much as possible we would not be sharing a bed.” When she flashed him a panicked look, he quickly added, “In the most innocent of ways, of course. Now, pick a side, Miss Wallace, and do not worry overly much since I am certain to fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow.”
She studied the bed, considering the matter for a prolonged period of time.
“Why don’t you take the right, Miss Wallace?”
“Very good, sir. My right or yours?”
She was very, very nervous.
“Why don’t you take the one over there?” he said, gently sending her to the right. He got to his side of the bed and took off Colin’s dressing gown.
“You’re not undressing, are you?” she asked from the other side of the bed, facing the wall.
“Only my dressing gown.”
“But nothing else, correct?”
“Yes, Miss Wallace. Everything else stays on.”
She blew out the candle on her side, even as he sat on the bed that would sleep only one comfortably. The two of them would be pressed against each other. He looked over to see that she had crawled into bed and was now lying on her side facing away from him, hugging the very edge of the bed.
Always True to Her (Emerson Book 2) Page 14