Davenport House 4: Heiress Interrupted

by Marie Silk

  “Very good, Madam. I will be just downstairs if you need anything.” Mrs. Davis left the room and closed the door behind her.

  Abigail looked at Ethan and giggled. “She called me ‘Madam’,” she whispered amused.

  Ethan looked around the room with his hands in his pockets. “This room is ridiculous,” he finally said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “It feels like a giant cave, only worse. It’s so—empty. Do you like it?” he asked her.

  Abigail sighed. “I confess, I do not like it. Perhaps we could ask for something a bit more cozy.”

  “I don’t want to bother Mrs. Davis again right now. She already looked tired from the day. We can sleep here tonight and ask for a different room tomorrow,” Ethan suggested.

  “Sounds perfect,” Abigail agreed. But she lay awake throughout the night, feeling strange in the large, foreign room.

  The next day, Mrs. Davis set out a splendid breakfast buffet in the dining room. Ethan and Abigail ate heartily while admiring their new surroundings. “They are treating us like royalty,” Abigail remarked.

  “The food is good,” Ethan replied, filling his plate high at the buffet. After breakfast, they shyly asked Mrs. Davis to move them to a different room.

  “The room I showed you to last night belonged to the former Master. Is it not to your liking, Madam?” she asked Abigail.

  “It is a lovely room, Mrs. Davis, but we would like something cozier, if possible.”

  Mrs. Davis looked thoughtful. “Please follow me,” she said, leading them to the opposite side of the manor house. “I will have the maids dust this room from top to bottom if it is to your liking.”

  Abigail looked helplessly at Ethan. The room was almost as large and empty as the one they had just declined, and Abigail was certain that Ethan would not feel comfortable in it. “Mrs. Davis, would you mind showing us to the smallest room in the house?” she asked.

  Mrs. Davis’s eyes grew wide. “The smallest, Madam?”

  “If it is not too much trouble,” Abigail added.

  “Very well. Please come this way.” They walked another distance to a delightful little room with sunlight streaming in through small windows.

  “How darling!” exclaimed Abigail. “We would like to have this room. Did it belong to anyone in the family?”

  “This room was used for a nursery, Madam,” Mrs. Davis explained.

  Abigail gave Ethan a look and giggled. “Thank you, Mrs. Davis,” Ethan said quickly. “We won’t make you parade us through the whole house. This room will do nicely.”

  When Mrs. Davis left the room, Abigail looked thoughtfully at Ethan. “Do you know what Clara told me before we left Davenport House? A telegram arrived announcing that Nellie Whitmore has been married. Did you know that Nellie once talked to her father about marrying you?”

  Ethan shook his head and felt his face burning. “I never wanted to marry her.”

  “And now it is too late anyway, because you are all mine,” Abigail said playfully, putting her arms around him.

  Ethan hugged her tightly and turned serious. “I don’t know what I would have done if you left on that ship with her. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “I am still here. You need not worry about it anymore,” Abigail assured him.

  “But it wasn’t the only time that I have nearly lost you. It’s my greatest fear that something will happen to you, and I will lose you forever,” he said, beginning to get choked up.

  Abigail laid her head on his chest. “I am here right now. We have this lovely house to live in and neither of us is going anywhere. Right?”

  Ethan nodded and held her tighter, unable to shake the ominous feeling that something was going to happen, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

  The ladies at Davenport House were having lunch at the dining table. “Have you found anyone to be the new groundskeeper, Mother?” asked Clara.

  “I interviewed a man just today, but I am not sure about him,” Mrs. Price answered. “It will be difficult to find someone to fill John Smith’s shoes.”

  “Yes it will,” agreed Clara. “But I would not wish for Ethan to work double duty any longer than necessary. At least we may board Mary’s horse when Ethan and Abigail move to the manor house. We will not need a stable boy any longer.”

  “Just what Ethan was worried about,” Mary giggled. “Although he does not need to worry anymore, now that he has a grand house and stables of his own.”

  “We can offer the stable apartment as living quarters to the new groundskeeper,” suggested Mrs. Price. “If we ever hire another manservant for the house, he may stay there as well. We will reserve downstairs for only the female staff.”

  “A good idea, Mother,” Clara said.

  Aunt Catherine ate quietly but plentifully at the breakfast table. “Are you plannin’ another trip to New York?” she asked suddenly.

  “I was hoping we could go again soon,” Mrs. Price remarked. “Are you interested in going, Catherine?”

  Catherine smiled. “It’s been a dream of mine since I was a little girl.”

  “Then we must take you to New York just as soon as we can,” Clara decided cheerfully. “Oh, but I cannot leave poor Mary here to plan the wedding by herself!”

  Mary laughed. “Do not worry about me. Please, enjoy some time away. I can survive a few days on my own.”

  “Are you going into Yorktown to see William today?” asked Clara.

  Mary sighed. “Not today, I’m afraid. He said he can come for dinner tomorrow night—if it is alright with you, Clara.”

  “William is welcome to the house at anytime, just as he was before,” Clara answered. “Please do not hesitate to invite him whenever you wish.”

  “Thank you, Clara,” Mary said gratefully.

  Ethan and Abigail returned to Davenport House the next day. Abigail told Mary all about how they switched rooms at the manor house, and Mary told Abigail the news of her engagement. “I missed you dearly, Abigail,” Mary admitted. “I don’t know how I will live here without you.”

  “Won’t you and William wish to live in the manor house when you are married?” she asked.

  Mary shrugged. “I haven’t spoken to him about it yet. I don’t know if he wants to move to Philadelphia, now that his clinic is established here.”

  “Oh, I see,” Abigail replied. “Then I will come visit here as often as I am able. Ethan and I are staying in the stable apartment until a new groundskeeper is hired. So I am not leaving just yet.”

  Downstairs in the kitchen that night, Nora worked with Mrs. Malone to make dinner. Mrs. Malone noticed her scowling, and scolded Nora. “You won’t have a job here long if you act like that.”

  “I didn’t come here to be a lousy kitchen maid,” Nora retorted. “I thought I would be attending the girls soon after I was hired. And now I’m serving the woman who used to be the cook! Everything about this house is backwards!”

  Mrs. Malone turned away and said under her breath, “You have no idea.”

  Chapter 10

  “You want me to make cakes for who?” questioned Mrs. Malone.

  “Mr. Valenti. He is the neighbor as well as Miss Clara’s chauffeur,” Fiona explained.

  “I know who the man is, but why should he have cakes from my kitchen?” the cook continued skeptically.

  “Well—you see—” Fiona stammered. “It has become a bit of a tradition for the house to send sweets home with him. He has two small children, and he was very helpful with the horses and grounds while Mr. Ethan was away in Philadelphia.”

  Mrs. Malone raised her eyebrow at Fiona. “I suppose I could this one time. But if you want this to be a regular thing, I’ll have to hear that the order came from Miss Clara.”

  Fiona nodded. “Thank you, Mrs. Malone.” When she walked past the kitchen, she could hear Nora grumbling to Jane in the servants’ lobby. “Haven’t you any work to do, Nora?”

  “I do,” Nora grumbled. “B
ut how long until a kitchen maid is hired?”

  “The hiring of a groundskeeper is the house’s priority now. Miss Clara, Mrs. Price, and Miss Catherine will soon leave for New York. You won’t need to help in the kitchen then,” Fiona assured her.

  Bridget waited until she could talk to Fiona alone before she asked her question. “Fiona, have you heard anything from Miss Abigail? About me moving to the manor house with her?”

  “She has not said anything to me,” Fiona answered. “I thought she would speak to you about it first.”

  “I thought so too, but she has not mentioned anything since the wedding. I am worried that she has changed her mind,” Bridget replied in concern.

  “Miss Abigail has been busy,” Fiona stated. “I’m certain she will ask you soon and then I’ll have to find another housemaid. I will be sad to find your replacement.”

  “Who would attend to Miss Mary and Miss Clara after I leave?” asked Bridget.

  “I can’t decide. Nora has more experience, but I think Jane might be better suited.”

  “Nora will not like that at all,” Bridget said, shaking her head. “She is already sore at me for attending to the girls. She calls me ‘Child’ when you are not around and often taunts me, insisting that I get special treatment for being your sister.”

  Fiona was surprised. “I had no idea she treated you poorly. I’m sorry, Bridget.”

  Bridget shrugged. “I didn’t think it would matter if I was going away with Miss Abigail. I just hope that I hear from her about the manor house soon.”

  Fiona smiled at her sister. “I’m sure you will.”

  At the dinner table that evening, everyone wanted to hear what Abigail thought of the manor house. “Did you stay in the house or the cottage?” asked Mary.

  “We stayed in the house. It was even more beautiful than I imagined,” she answered Mary, then turned to Clara. “I hope you may see it soon, Clara.”

  “I would like to after we return from New York,” Clara replied. “It sounds fabulous!”

  “We’re goin’ to New York tomorrow,” Aunt Catherine beamed.

  Mrs. Price then said, “I have news for everyone. I have interviewed a man called Mr. Harvey to take over as groundskeeper. He will arrive in the morning to begin, and Ethan may show him around the estate. Mr. Harvey has worked as a gardener in town.”

  Ethan looked up from his plate. “Is Mr. Harvey fit for an estate this size?”

  “There is only one way to find out. There is a shortage of young men applying for positions because they are enlisting to help with the War effort. Mr. Harvey was available on short notice, and I did not wish to leave you without help while we are in New York,” answered Mrs. Price.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Price,” Ethan said. He nudged Mary who was sitting beside him. “May I speak to you after dinner?” he whispered.

  “Yes,” Mary whispered back. She had not talked with Ethan much since he married Abigail, and Mary was glad that he wanted to talk to her again. They met in the library right after dinner. “This seems mysterious,” Mary said with a twinkle in her eye. “What is it?”

  Ethan laughed. “I only wanted to congratulate you on your engagement to William.”

  “Is that all? You could have said so at the dinner table, but thank you just the same,” Mary replied.

  “There is one more thing,” he confessed. “Since Pa is gone, and he will not be here to give you away at your wedding—well—I wondered—”

  “Do you wish to give me away?” Mary cried.

  “Yes, if you want me to,” he replied.

  Mary put her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “I love you, dearest brother. Nothing would make me happier.”

  Clara was upstairs in her bedroom making last minute preparations for the trip when Abigail knocked on the open door. “Abigail, please come in,” Clara said cheerfully.

  “I have mended your gloves,” Abigail told her, handing her the delicate lace gloves.

  “Oh, thank you! These are my favorite and I was not sure if they could be saved.”

  “There is a request I would like to make, if it is alright,” Abigail began.

  “I am sure that my answer will be yes. You never ask for anything,” giggled Clara.

  Abigail smiled. “It is about the housemaid, Bridget. I would like to have her as my maid when we move to Philadelphia. Only if you are agreeable to it, of course.”

  “I will tell Fiona to make inquiries for a housemaid as soon as we get back. You must be quite taken with Bridget,” Clara remarked.

  “She is a dear girl. I do enjoy her company. Thank you, Clara, and I hope you have a brilliant time in New York.”

  The house was in a bustle the next day while Clara, Mrs. Price, and Aunt Catherine readied for their trip. Phillip Valenti, the chauffeur, loaded the ladies’ suitcases onto the back of the car, and soon they were on their way to New York.

  Mr. Harvey arrived early and Ethan showed him around the estate. Mr. Harvey appeared elderly, as if he experienced a hard life. Ethan became concerned that Mr. Harvey would not be able to keep up with work on the estate. He was slow and did not seem to catch on to what Ethan showed him over the next week. After Mr. Harvey went home for the night, Ethan retired to the stable apartment and walked right past Abigail and Bridget who were in the small sitting room. As Ethan collapsed on the bed, he could hear Abigail saying, “Now remember not to say a word to anyone downstairs. Clara should be the one to address the staff.”

  “I won’t say anything,” Bridget squealed in delight. “Thank you, Miss Abigail!” Bridget left the apartment and Abigail went into the bedroom to see Ethan.

  “You look exhausted,” she remarked. “Should I make you some tea?”

  “I think I just need to sleep now. Maybe if I wake up extra early tomorrow, I can get some real work done before Mr. Harvey arrives. So what is the big secret with the housemaid?”

  Abigail giggled. “Oh, that. She will be my maid at the manor house when we move into it. But I am beginning to worry that we might never leave if Mr. Harvey does not work out. What will you say about him to Mrs. Price when she returns?”

  “I feel bad about it, but I have to tell her that Mr. Harvey just isn’t fit to manage an estate this size. We’ve been needing to rebuild part of the fence around the pasture, but he takes so long to do anything, we’ve not even begun to work on it. I’m sorry, Abigail. We won’t be able to leave just yet.”

  “I understand,” Abigail sighed. “Poor Mr. Harvey. I hope he finds another job in town.” She looked at Ethan for a response, but he was already asleep on the bed. Abigail smiled and kissed his forehead before heading to the desk in the sitting room. She took out a pen and paper and began to write.

  Much to everyone’s surprise, Clara and Mrs. Price returned to Davenport House—without Aunt Catherine. Clara announced with glee what had happened in New York. “Can you believe it? My Aunt Catherine has married!” she exclaimed during lunch.

  “To who?” Mary laughed.

  “It was a man she met the day we arrived at the hotel. They fell in love and and decided they will live on his river boat on the Mississippi!”

  Mary laughed. “Who could have guessed that Catherine would be the next person in the house to get married? What a surprise!”

  “I am only happy to see my sister happy,” smiled Mrs. Price. “It amazes me how this house and the people in it are always changing. Abigail, will you be off to the manor house, now that Clara and I have returned?”

  “Um—not just yet,” Abigail stammered.

  Ethan looked uncomfortably at Mrs. Price. “Mr. Harvey is not quite working out…”

  “I am sorry to hear that,” Mrs. Price replied. “Could it be that he needs more time to adjust?”

  “I have shown him the best I can. It might not hurt to put out inquiries for the position again,” Ethan told her solemnly.

  “I see. I will do so as soon as we get settled in. We will at least give Mr. Harvey the chance to keep wor
king until the position is filled,” Mrs. Price said thoughtfully.

  Ethan nodded, but Abigail heard him groaning under his breath. She quickly turned to Mrs. Price. “I am certain that Mr. Harvey will appreciate you thinking of him. We will stay at Davenport House until the position is filled.”

  “How are your wedding plans coming along, Miss Mary?” asked Mrs. Price.

  “I’m afraid I have not made any progress while Clara was away,” Mary answered.

  “Then we will start again first thing in the morning,” Clara stated. “Not to worry, Mary. Your wedding will be spectacular!”

  “Not so fast,” Mrs. Price said sternly. “Your studies must come first, then the wedding planning.”

  Clara giggled. “Mother has made me promise to take courses by correspondence to learn more about business. I did not think that I would like it much at first, but now am beginning to enjoy it. Not to worry, Mother. I can do both at once.”

  Mrs. Price smiled at her daughter. “I have every faith that you will.”

  Clara spent the next days delving into her studies and helping Mary plan the wedding. Mary decided to have the ceremony in the little church in Yorktown, then the wedding reception at the house. Clara was only too happy to arrange for the flowers and cake.

  Mary was meeting with the minister in the drawing room to discuss the dates available for the ceremony. She became concerned when Abigail unexpectedly burst into the room. “What is it?” Mary asked, seeing that she was in distress.

  Abigail looked back and forth between the minister and Mary. “Where is Clara?” she asked suddenly.

  “I think she is upstairs in her room. What has happened?”

  Abigail did not answer. She left Mary abruptly and hurried upstairs to find Clara. After Mary had finished speaking with the minister, she went upstairs to find Abigail. Clara was alone in her room, sorting through her wardrobe. “Mary,” she smiled upon seeing her enter. “What do you think about this cheerful yellow gown for me to wear for the wedding? Oh, how did everything go with the minister?”

  “The dress is lovely, and the meeting was fine. But I wondered if Abigail was alright. Did she come up to see you?”