by Heather Gray
Withdrawing through the door to his adjoining chamber, he removed his jacket, waistcoat, and cravat before returning to Grace's side to get her settled in for the night. Removing her slippers first, he thought to remove her dress, but wasn't sure how to accomplish the task while she was lying down in it.
"Are we there yet?" came her sleepy voice.
"Indeed we are. I was trying to get you comfortable so you could sleep."
"Will you stay with me tonight?"
"You need your sleep, Gracie."
She leaned up on one elbow and inspected her husband. Her eyes perused every part of him before lingering on his face. "I can't do anything about the fact you're leaving tomorrow. The only thing I have control over is how I spend my remaining time before you go, and I want to spend that time with you. Please give me that gift before you're gone from here."
Feeling he was more blessed than any man should have a right to be, Thomas leaned in and tenderly kissed his wife. Then, standing, he said, "Come here. Let me play lady's maid for you once again."
****
The sun was barely creeping into the bedroom when Grace awoke the next morning. Finding herself alone in her chamber, she called, "Thomas?" When she got no answer, she jumped out of bed, frantically searched through one of her trunks until she found a dressing gown, then raced out the door and down the stairs. If he left without bidding me farewell, I will…
She was met at the bottom of the stairs by Rupert. "Did he leave?" she demanded.
Before Rupert could even answer, Thomas's voice came from her left. "I would never leave without saying goodbye, Gracie. I wanted to let you sleep a bit longer while I took care of some items pertaining to the estate here."
She pivoted toward him, relief coursing through her veins. "How much longer?" she asked, her voice raw with emotion.
"About an hour," he said. "Go back up and get dressed. There's a second dress hanging in your wardrobe. I'll be up in a few minutes to help you. You want to look your best. Later today you and Rupert will be interviewing lady's maids."
I don't care about getting a lady's maid, you toad!
Trying to calm her racing heart and knowing she should be more refined than to race down the stairs in her sleep attire, Grace turned toward the steps that led back to her chamber and put her hand on the banister.
Thomas's voice stopped her. "And, Gracie?" She circled to look at him. He winked and said, "I'm glad to know I'll be missed."
Trying to smile past her sadness, she nodded before making her way back to her chamber. I can't let him see how upset I am. It will serve no good purpose if he leaves here fretting over me.
The dress she found in her wardrobe was a cross between purple and red, but with an earthier hue. It was bold, not the sort of color one normally found in a day dress. She dug through her trunk until she found a clean chemise. After quickly donning it, she washed her face and hands at the basin in her room. She brushed out her hair and pinned it up into place, detached from the action as though witnessing it from afar. That task complete, she began to climb into the new dress.
She heard the door behind her open and glanced over to see Thomas approaching. He gave her a broad smile and said, "I knew that color would suit you. Let's get you buttoned in, then I want to have a proper look at you."
Grace obliged by turning her back to him. "You're getting quite good at this," she said as his fingers deftly took care of the row of buttons.
Putting his hands on her shoulders, he lightly spun her until she faced him. He took a couple steps back and gave her an appraising look. "The color is called puce, you know."
"I wondered," she said. "Being I was unmarried, I've never been allowed to wear such bright colors before." I've always thought that was a senseless rule.
"It's beautiful on you." His loving words were a boon. She wished she could freeze this moment in time and lock it away in her heart for safekeeping.
There were so many things Grace wanted to say, but the ability to pull her chaotic emotions together into cohesive thoughts was beyond her. The pain of Thomas's leaving was already upon her. Instead, she asked, "Why do you keep staring?"
"I want to store up this memory to add to the others I have. I want to carry a picture of you vibrant and colorful and beautiful and mine."
This might be easier if he were still angry. Why'd he have to go and get over his problem and make this parting so painful?
She fought back the tears so close to the surface.
"Ah, Gracie, come here," he said, opening his arms in invitation. She flew into them. "You are a strong, brave, and wonderful woman. You will do fine in your own right. I am honored to call you wife and look forward to when I can return. Don't let my absence take your sparkle away. I shall continue picturing you as feisty, argumentative, and opinionated. I will believe you are here reading the newspaper and getting involved in things other women wouldn't dare. Promise me you will continue being you while I am gone. Don't sit around and pine for me. That will do neither of us any good."
Sniffling, she said, "I shall pine for you until the first newspaper arrives. Then I will put you firmly out of my mind and go about with my life." Liar!
Thomas pulled back and used his finger to tilt her chin up until their eyes met. "We have many years of marriage left ahead of us, Gracie. This separation is for a season, then it will be over." He gave her a lingering kiss before taking his leave.
She watched from her room as he mounted Hero and rode away. Before leaving the courtyard, he sought her out where she stood in the window and waved. Grace returned the wave, her hand remaining on the glass pane long after he was gone from sight.
Lord, please keep him safe. It feels that we've only just found each other.
Chapter Eight
"Your Grace?" Rupert's words broke into her thoughts. "There are six girls from the village coming today."
"Are they all looking to become a lady's maid?"
Rupert, his face impassive, replied, "You need to hire a lady's maid as well as a housemaid and a cleaning maid to help with the laundry and dishes."
"Are there any other positions that need to be filled?"
"I'm sure Mrs. Pembroke would appreciate it if the cleaning maid could also assist her in the kitchen. Other than that, no." Rupert shook his head. "We brought a driver and footman from Stafford. The driver will also act as groomsman while we're in residence." After a short pause, he said, "If you plan to do much entertaining, then perhaps we will need more staff."
Grace shook her head. "I have no need to entertain, but I do wonder if the village has a seamstress. It appears I need a wardrobe."
"Unfortunately, there's no seamstress nearby. There would not be enough business to support one. We have come to a humble place."
"I suppose all these girls are in need of the work, and a job here at the castle will be a lifeline to any one of them." Maybe doing something good for someone else will make this day seem less wretched.
"That is likely so, Your Grace."
She nodded and said, "I'd like to meet each one of them individually. Is there a salon downstairs I can use?"
Rupert nodded and said, "I'll see to it."
****
She was exhausted by the emotion of the day and interviewing the girls, the youngest of which was barely twelve. Later that evening, Grace sat at the kitchen table with Rupert and the Pembrokes. "I can't abide Edith. Don't ask me why, but something about her personality grated. Seeing her in my home on a daily basis would be worse than living downwind from the stable." Rupert, who held a list of the girls, drew a line through Edith's name.
"Elsie is so young. It seems she should be in school."
Mrs. Pembroke spoke up and said, "We don't have one of those fancy schools in the parish, Your Grace."
Intent on her duty to select the household staff, Grace said, "I liked Margaret. She struck me as quite friendly."
Mr. Pembroke muttered something, and Grace watched husband and wife inquiringly. Mrs. P
embroke glared at her husband and said, "What Mr. Pembroke means to say is that Margaret is quite friendly, but sometimes she's friendly to the wrong people. She might be a distraction for the male servants."
Grace glanced back and forth between the Pembrokes before telling Rupert to cross her name off the list.
It's a shame. I liked her, but it wouldn't do to alienate the existing staff.
Suddenly realizing what Mrs. Pembroke had said a short time ago, Grace asked, "There's no school?"
"I didn't mean any harm, Your Grace. There's nowhere for the children to learn their letters and numbers and the like. Most of them will grow up to be farmers or will follow in their parents' trade, or maybe get an apprenticeship, so it's never mattered."
Grace took a moment to process Mrs. Pembroke's words. It was true, schooling for commoners was rare, but there were shires that provided it. She would need to find out whether schooling was the responsibility of the landowner or the shire church. In the meantime, while she sorted that out, she could still take some action.
Glancing over the names on Rupert's list, she said, "Very well. That settles it. Elsie shall be my lady's maid. She's young and will have a lot to learn, but I believe we'll get on famously. Hire Anna to take care of laundry and dishes. I'd like you to hire Sarah and Dorothea as housemaids, but not for every day. Rupert, you'll have to arrange the schedule so they each work part of the week. If someone doesn’t work out, then we'll let that person go, and whoever remains can have the additional work."
"You want me to split the one housemaid job between the two women? Are you sure that will be enough for them?" Rupert questioned.
"I conversed with each at length. Sarah and Dorothea are unmarried and living at home with their parents. Their income will greatly help their families, but neither family is in a desperate situation. Anna lost her parents when she was young and has been moved from family to family within the parish as a charity case. She has no real home. Elsie's father was badly injured and can't walk anymore, and her mother isn't skilled enough to do any work other than caring for her family. She would take in laundry for people, but nobody around these parts can afford to pay. Sarah and Dorothea may want jobs, but both Anna and Elsie need one."
Grace stood to exit the room. As she was leaving, though, she recalled another of her current dilemmas. Turning to the Pembrokes, she said, "I understand there's no seamstress in town. Do you know of anyone handy enough with a needle to make me some dresses? I'm afraid I have but three, including the one I was wed in, until my things arrive from Stafford."
Husband and wife exchanged a look before Mrs. Pembroke said, "Margaret is the best there is around these parts. She doesn't have a shop or material to offer you, but she can sew almost anything and make it look fancier than you'd ever imagine."
That's an interesting turn of events.
Grace mulled that over for a moment before saying, "I aim for this estate to do what it can to help the people of this village for as long as I'm in residence. I appreciate your honesty," she said, nodding to Mr. Pembroke, "and hope you will continue to be honest with me. You know the people here much better than I do." Then, turning to Rupert, she said "Please inform the girls of my decision and work out a schedule. The housemaid can start tomorrow, but I'll need Elsie tonight. Anna can start tonight or tomorrow, whatever is best for her. Give Elsie a chance to let her parents know, but then she needs to return with her belongings and plan to stay on here until further notice."
"In the meantime," she added, "do some checking around town for me, Rupert. Find out if the families would be interested in sending their children up here two days per week. I am most assuredly not a teacher, but I'd like to do what I can to help anyone interested in learning their letters and numbers." She paused momentarily, thinking about how best to handle her next order. When she did finally speak, it was to say, "Inform Margaret I will be employing her services with a needle. One of my trunks upstairs has some material in it. Make sure she understands it is to be temporary. There is no reason to get her hopes up needlessly."
I hope she works out. Perhaps I should speak to her about relations with other staff.
Chapter Nine
May 1815
It had been two months since Thomas's departure. Everyone had settled into a sort of pattern at Castle Felton. Elsie had at first been horrified when told she needed to bathe and wash her hair at least twice weekly. When the subject of clean clothes came up, the poor girl had paled more than the albino shrew Grace had once seen in a field back in Stafford Shire.
After Margaret had completed some dresses for her, Grace set her to sewing uniforms for Elsie and the other staff. Margaret did most of the sewing at home, but she made frequent trips to the castle. As Grace had the opportunity to spend time with her, she came to like the lithe girl with her irrepressible sable curls.
Mr. Pembroke took care of the grounds. Mrs. Pembroke oversaw the work of all the maids except Elsie. Rupert saw to the footman and groomsman, as well as all household-related business that came up. The remainder of Grace's belongings from Stafford arrived, and she felt better having some of her familiar items around her in this new strange land.
Grace insisted on eating her evening meal in the kitchen with the staff. She saw no reason for them to make a formal affair of serving her in the dining room when she was the only one there. Everyone, especially Mr. and Mrs. Pembroke, had been terribly uncomfortable when she'd first joined them in the kitchen. Over time, they became less agog and accepted her presence there.
In compromise, Grace instructed the staff to put on a formal luncheon on those days when the children came to the castle for their studies. She was learning to find a balance between her instinctively rebellious nature and the needs of her staff. While some servants might have rebelled against serving what amounted to a group of peasant children, her staff had embraced the opportunity to demonstrate their skill and knowledge of propriety. One thing Grace's mother had always taught her was that people want to feel needed and need to feel wanted.
In the meantime, she hoped the exposure the children received would benefit them someday if any of them ever wanted to seek employment in service. Depending on one's situation, employment in service could be a step up, possibly the difference between starvation and survival.
As they sat around the dinner table one evening, Grace asked, "Did you hear parliament passed the Importation Act?"
Rupert, nodding, was the only one to respond. "His Grace will not be pleased to hear it."
Curious, Grace asked, "What does Thomas plan to do with his tenants? Is he going to raise their rents?"
Rupert lifted his attention from his plate again and said, "Not yet. The Act is going to cause food prices to go up across the country, which will spill over onto other products, impacting farmers enough already."
"If food prices go up, then the price of everything else will increase. How will the newspaperman be able to afford to feed his family unless he raises the cost of his newspaper? How will the milliner be able to feed her family unless she raises the price of her goods?" Grace frowned as she again considered the full import of the Act.
Rupert glanced from Grace to the others at the table before answering. "It's a concern, and I'll be monitoring things closely. I send weekly reports to His Grace, and if he wants me to make any changes, I'll see to it."
Grace smiled and said, "Thank you," to Mrs. Pembroke as the woman brought a delicate pudding to the table for everyone to enjoy. Turning back to Rupert, she said, "It must be a bit odd for you."
"How so?"
"Soldier turned valet. Valet turned butler and steward of sorts."
Mr. Pembroke declared, "What's a valet without a master, I say. I'm not even sure being butler to this old place is a step up."
I dare say I may never get used to this man! He always says the oddest things at the most peculiar times.
Turning her attention to the youngest diner, Grace asked, "Elsie, how are your parents getting on?"
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The girl's hazel eyes lit up, "They're both ever so grateful you let me 'ave this job, Your Grace. My da is still in a bad way, but 'e doesn't have t' worry so much anymore, and the doctor says that's good for 'im. And the kids pester Mum all week askin' when they can next come up t' the castle for learnin'. Mum is so thankful t' 'ave them out from underfoot for a spell." Elsie, who walked her younger brothers and sisters back home on the days they came for lessons, went on to say, "You should 'ave seen the look on Mum's face when Fran told her you make me bathe twice a week. I thought she was going t' faint dead away!"
At least I’m endearing myself to the locals!
Grace chuckled at the thought and said, "Let me guess. Fran wants to be like you?"
Elsie's youthful laughter filled the room. "Fran insists she'll 'eat 'er own water and fill the tub 'erself so she's no extra trouble for Mum. I don't think Mum knows 'ow t' tell 'er no. She can't punish 'er for wantin' t' be clean, now can she?"
"Clean, no," Grace said. "Fran wasn't being impertinent, was she?" With Fran one can never tell what she might say or do next…
"Oh no, Your Grace. Fran wants so much to be a lady like you. She hasn't thrown a fit even once since you told 'er ladies don't behave that way. She hardly even fights with the other kids anymore. I know it's good and all, but it's so funny. Fran used t' be the first one t' dive into a fight fist-first. Mum always said she'd been born into the wrong body. Now suddenly she wants t' be all ladylike, and nobody knows what t' do with 'er."
****
That night, before she retired, she sought out Rupert. He was reading in the library, a room she'd told the staff they could all enjoy anytime they wanted as long as their work was done. Looking up when she came in, he asked, "Did you need something?"