Craddock came forward to take the reins, his expression revealing his displeasure, as if Phineas were the one who was out of line. Phineas did not care what effect it might have on Kitty’s heart to send the groom away, but away Craddock must go. However, Phineas had not yet found a replacement, and he did not embrace the idea of leaving his stable in the hands of mere lads, none of whom showed the necessary skill to keep the stable running smoothly until a new groom might be found. He would bide his time until he heard back from Carter.
On impulse, Phineas lifted a hand to stay Craddock. “I will be giving Lady Hayworth and Samuel riding lessons until we leave for Bath. You may have our horses ready every morning by ten.”
“Yes, my lord.” Craddock muttered the words through clenched teeth.
16
“Mrs. Morley, I would like to have a word with you.” Phineas entered the room that served as an office for the housekeeper, down the narrow corridor beyond the kitchen. When Mrs. Morley saw him, she jumped to her feet in surprise. “I have received word that you have not been treating Lady Hayworth with the respect she deserves.” He waited for a response, and as he studied her expression, he thought he detected a flash of guilt.
“My lord, I apologize if I have given that impression. It is certainly not my intention to show a lack of respect.” Mrs. Morley smoothed her apron and patted the ring of keys on her waist. “I do not have an overly friendly disposition. I believe that is why your wife has chosen to speak out against me.”
“It was not my wife who complained of your behavior. I heard it from another source—”
“Who?” The question left the housekeeper’s lips abruptly, and she seemed to realize she had overstepped her bounds. “I beg your pardon, my lord. I will make sure Lady Hayworth has no cause for complaint in the future.”
“Very good.” Phineas had not looked forward to the interview, but now he was glad he had done it, and that it had gone so well. He exited the small space and returned to his study.
He had little realized that good servants were hard to come by before setting up residence. Phineas had never before had to fill all the positions at Giddenhall because he was so focused on his father's estate. He had relied on Carter to staff the few positions not already held by retainers.
But now with a wife in residence, there was much more at stake. They were here to stay for a good many years, and the tenants needed to be taken care of by a steward who would do the job properly. He had a beautiful wife, and he had no need for an impudent groom, who treated her with familiarity; their capable, but cunning, housekeeper had no right to treat her with disrespect. If anything, Phineas would replace every post in the estate if it meant that his wife would be welcome and protected.
He spotted Kitty heading up the stairs. On impulse, he almost told her about the conversation he had just had with Mrs. Morley but decided against it. He had never let her know that Samuel spoke out against the housekeeper. Better that Kitty see for herself how well-disposed Mrs. Morley was toward her mistress.
“Kitty.”
She stopped midway to peer over the bannister and greeted him with a conspiratorial smile. “Phineas, you will never believe this. We have visitors,” she said in a loud whisper. “It is such a shocking thing to have actual visitors, I little know how to respond.” He came up the steps to meet her and was tempted to match her smile with one of his own, but her words brought a crease to his brow. He could not be sure whether she was teasing.
“Did you not have visitors in Bristol? Do you really not know how to receive them?” Even though Phineas thought she might be joking, he was plagued by a sudden fear that this was another example of their difference in upbringing.
Her smile faltered, and she put a hand on her hip as she stepped down to eye level. “No, Phineas. Can you not see I am jesting?” Her voice had lost some of its playfulness. “Of course I know how to receive visitors. It is only that we have had none so far, apart from the detestable Mrs. Dutton and her daughter, Lucretia, who seems to be altogether a different creature. I am just surprised that at last someone has decided to drop by.”
Phineas’s brow cleared, but he was left with the sinking notion that he had missed an opportunity somehow. “Forgive me. Of course you were jesting.”
Kitty turned to go, and Phineas reached for her hand and held it, coaxing her eyes up to his. “Perhaps we will get to the bottom of our lack of visitors before now. Shall I come with you?”
Kitty paused, an arrested look in her eyes. “Would you do so? I would like that very much if you are willing.”
“I own to some curiosity. My visits in the past have been so brief, I have not met any of the neighbors. I shall wait for you here then.”
“I will not be long. I did not like to have the guests shown into the drawing room with no one to receive them, but I needed a few minutes to retrieve something in my room.”
Phineas walked down the few steps to reach the entryway. Muted voices filtered out of the drawing room. It would be the first time he and Kitty appeared in society as man and wife. Phineas rubbed his hand on the carved wooden knob on top of the bannister. The thought pleased him.
In minutes, Kitty joined him in the entryway, carrying a light shawl. “It is a little chilly in the drawing room. I asked the footman to build up the fire.” She flashed him a self-conscious smile. “This will reveal to them at once that we are not accustomed to entertaining.”
“Never mind that.” Phineas held out his arm, and Kitty slipped her hand into it. He had offered his arm deliberately, despite her claim that she would not take his arm indoors, but he had begun to wonder if that were not really so. Perhaps it was only those first days of marriage she’d needed distance from him. At any event, in this instance, he wished to present a unified front.
Inside the drawing room were two ladies of an advanced age. Both women curtsied, and the one with gray curls addressed them. “My lord, my lady. I am Mrs. Abrams, and this is Mrs. Wallace. We would both like to extend our apologies for not coming to visit you earlier. We had not realized you had come to take up residence here. We thought yours a brief stay and did not wish to trouble you.”
Phineas gestured for the two women to sit. “It is our pleasure to have you.” He turned to his wife. “I believe you have already sent for the tea service?”
“I have.” Kitty answered him with an intimate smile that he privately found irresistible. Turning to her guests, she said, “We are pleased to receive you. I am glad there is no more confusion regarding our situation here. We should like to become acquainted with the people in the village, as this is now our home.” Kitty spoke with natural grace. How much easier it was to entertain with a wife at his side.
“My lord,” Mrs. Abrams said, “I knew your grandmother a very little. She was rather reclusive and was not well known in the village. However, I am the doctor’s wife and had been in the habit of visiting her. I assist my husband in delivering medicine to some of the women, for it gives me a chance to visit with them at the same time.”
Phineas had barely known his grandmother, having only met her twice. The visits merely served to give him an indication of where his mother's stiff demeanor came from. He could not summon any particular feelings of sorrow when his grandmother had passed away. “You must be of great assistance to your husband in his work.”
Mrs. Abrams smiled. “He says he does not know what he would do without me, but it is no hardship to visit neighbors.”
Mrs. Wallace was the younger of the two, although she had the beginnings of a matronly look with a broad chest and the hint of a double chin. She turned to Kitty. “Where do you come from? And how long have you been married now?”
“Mere weeks,” Kitty answered. “I come from Bristol.”
Mrs. Wallace raised an eyebrow. “Such a busy place. And how are you settling into Castle Combe? It is a small village here. Everyone knows each other.”
“I like it very well,” Kitty replied. “A small village has its own bene
fits attached to it.” Phineas wondered if that was how she felt. It was a beautiful part of the country, but Kitty had not exactly received a warm welcome here.
“Well, as Mrs. Abrams said, we were not aware of your being in residence.” There was a slight pause, and she continued. “But I hear you are to attend Mrs. Dutton's dinner party?”
Kitty exchanged a glance with Phineas and nodded. Word traveled fast. “We did receive an invitation and will be there. I am looking forward to meeting more of our neighbors.”
The footman brought in the tea service, and Kitty asked the women how they took their tea. When she was done preparing theirs, she prepared one for Phineas and handed it to him. His wife had paid attention. She had made his tea exactly the way he liked it—sweet with no milk.
The visit did not last long, but they made promises to send invitations to future events, and Kitty assured them she would visit as soon as they had returned from their trip to Bath.
When the ladies were shown out, Phineas crossed one leg over the other. “So that was what had happened—why they did not come. The neighbors did not realize we had taken up residence here, and thought we had come for a short stay only.”
“Hmn.” Kitty glanced at him from the corner of her eye and poured herself a second cup of tea, lifting the cup to her lips.
“You do not think it so?” Phineas could not read her expression.
Kitty made a wry face. “It does not seem a difficult thing to find out. Servants talk. They will know if we are here for some time. After all, wasn't Sterling from the village? She is Bexley’s niece. Yet she left her home to work here as my maid and has not returned once. News of that would surely reach the servants in other houses, who are ready to share the gossip with whichever employer thinks to ask.”
“True.” Phineas had never given the matter much thought. He knew almost instinctively from birth that one did not talk about personal matters in front of the servants. But he had not bent his mind to consider that there might be a network of information passing from the servants of one house to another. Even more reason to have finally shaken off his father’s reins and start running his own estate. It was the only way he could learn how to do things on his own.
Over the course of that week, Phineas and Kitty received other visitors, each with similar excuses. And each time, Kitty smiled at her husband with a mischievous glint that included him in their private joke. Each visitor came and inquired after their plans, seemingly unaware of their intentions to remain. Kitty patiently corrected the notion, and they all promised to send invitations for upcoming events. Phineas enjoyed the visits, for it gave him a chance to sit back and watch his wife host with as much grace as one born to the role.
They said goodbye to yet another woman from the village, and Phineas took his courage in his hand and put his arm around Kitty’s waist as they saw the woman to the door. He felt her startle under his touch, but he kept his hand firmly in place. Her waist was warm, and he drank in the comfort of her nearness.
When the door closed behind them, Kitty darted her gaze to his, a question in her eyes, and he detected heightened color in her cheeks. When she did not speak, he let go with reluctance and took a step back. “That was the last of the women from the village, I believe.”
Kitty clasped her hands in front of her waist, but she did not move farther from him. “How do you know?”
“Mrs. Morley told me there was only one family that had not yet visited, and that we would likely receive their visit soon.” He peered more closely at her expression. “What is it?”
She lifted a shoulder. “It is nothing. It is good the housekeeper is keeping you informed on these matters.”
Kitty gave the ghost of a smile and moved away at last, and he followed her with his eyes. She sounded disappointed, and he could not figure out why.
The Dutton party was held two days before they were to leave for Bath. “Must I stay with Mrs. Morley?” Samuel asked. “I would much rather go with you.”
Kitty rested her hand on Samuel's shoulder. “I know you have been given free reign of the house here, and I do love having you. But you were not invited to the dinner party, and children are not generally included in these things. You will see when you get older that dinner parties are not so very exciting.”
“I know that,” he said, folding his arms and kicking the toe of his shoe against the floor. “It is only that I do not wish to stay home with Mrs. Morley.” Kitty hugged her brother but did not try to reason with him. She could find no argument with that.
Kitty chose her second-best gown after the one she wore for her wedding, and it was a dress Phineas had never seen. The color was a rich gold, and the gown had puffed sleeves that pleated at the sides, with a more fitted sleeve underneath that extended the length of her arm. The empire waist had a thick ribbon of the same color, and the dress opened in front to reveal an ivory silk underlay. Sterling twisted Kitty’s hair up and arranged the curls to frame her face. And Kitty wore, for the first time, the necklace and earrings Phineas had bought her.
The look on his face was well worth the effort she had made in her appearance. “You look very fine, Kitty.” He had come to her room, and when she exited into the corridor, he turned around her, admiring her from all directions. She blossomed under his praise. “I knew those sapphires would become you. The yellow reminded me of the golden leaves from the day we married, and the green reminded me of your wedding dress.”
Kitty’s mouth opened slightly. He bought the necklace because it reminded him of her wedding dress? Her stomach gave a little whoosh, and she felt a warmth run through her. The sensation of being important to someone was entirely foreign to her, and she attempted to appear unaffected.
“Shall we go?”
Why did she need to hide how she felt when they were married? Kitty tried to discern the answer as Phineas helped her on with her cloak and walked with her outdoors, where he assisted her into the carriage. Fear, I suppose. Kitty shivered from the frosty air that crept inside. Phineas looked at her more than once in the dark, and she wondered what he was thinking, but he did not say anything.
The Dutton house, lit with blazing candles, was a cheerful refuge coming in from the cold. There were up to twenty couples invited to dine, and Kitty was seated far from her husband, where she had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Dutton. Mr. Abrams, the doctor, was on the other side of her. Mr. Dutton appeared to possess greater sense and a warmer nature than his wife, and it helped her to trust that Lucretia’s apparent goodness was genuine. As Kitty ate, she sent glances across the table, watching Phineas speak with the young women placed at either side. He seemed to be at his ease, listening to them and showing interest in their conversation. When he looked up and caught her staring, she turned away, feeling foolish.
The men stayed behind for port, and the women went into the drawing room where Lucretia wasted no time pulling Kitty aside for private conversation. They stood in one of the alcoves, watching the various groups of women gather together around the room. It seemed Lucretia chose the spot because it gave her the best view of the room.
“Tell me,” Kitty said when no one was within earshot, “do you know where I might have some riding habits made up? I have the fabrics but need the dresses made.” Kitty had decided in advance to approach Lucretia with the question since Mrs. Morley had not been helpful.
“You must try Miss Tour. She is as good as they get in these parts. You can tell her that I sent you—not that you, married to the viscount, would need an introduction from me. However, she has known me since my coming out.”
Kitty smiled. “An introduction would be very helpful. Thank you. We are to go to Bath in two days, so I may have two of the riding habits made up while I'm there, but I will be very glad to have the rest made up here.”
Lucretia turned to her in surprise. “Do you intend to have so many made up? You must be a notable horsewoman.”
Kitty could not help the laugh that bubbled up. “Not in the least.
It is only that Lord Hayworth has been encouraging me to ride more and bought perhaps more fabric than I needed. I am only a novice, I assure you.”
Lucretia’s eyes sparkled. “So you were right in saying it was a love match.” Before Kitty could assess how to correct her own lie, Lucretia went on. “I assume you have been receiving a great number of visitors?”
Kitty turned to her, her brows knit. “Why, yes, how did you know?”
“Oh…” Lucretia shrugged with an air of nonchalance, but her dimples were prominent. “It was just a hunch. No, the truth is, my mother has not been kind where you are concerned. She has deliberately held off the knowledge that you have come to stay, and instead let it be known that you were at Giddenhall in passage. She was spitting mad when I sent you an invitation to tonight’s party, I can tell you. But I don’t care. Of course, once the invitation had gone out, the rest of the town had to recognize you. That's why I did it—I mean, other than the pleasure of seeing you—to rectify a wrong.”
Kitty widened her eyes. “That was kind of you. Why did you go to such trouble for me?”
“Apart from having had enough of my mother’s unkindness? Please do not take this amiss, but I am bored. I have known the same people since I was young, and I found you to be perfectly agreeable. I was hoping we might be friends.”
“Well, then we shall,” Kitty answered with a smile.
They were interrupted by the sounds of the men coming into the drawing room. They had not spent a great deal of time with just the women, and Kitty was glad. Although she did have a new friend, she was not keen to be thrown to the wolves of female society so quickly.
“There you are,” Mrs. Dutton said, addressing Phineas. “I was just saying to Mrs. Wallace how happy we are to have new society here. Giddenhall has once again full-time residents.” Mrs. Dutton's voice carried across the drawing room. “We are happy to have this dinner party in your honor, and I welcome you and Lady Hayworth. Castle Combe can only be richer for such a union…”—she paused and glanced at Kitty with an enigmatic smile—“especially knowing that yours was a love match.”
His Disinclined Bride (Seasons of Change Book 7) Page 15