“You exchanged pleasantries with Simon?” the lady repeated with no little surprise. “What do you mean by that?”
“With the help of his sketchpad, of course, my lady. He wrote his thoughts and I did the same. As I said, Miss Webber came across us, and expressed her offense at the situation. I was amused, naturally, which only served to outrage her further. She accused me of being impertinent, and said she would tell the dowager and that I would be gone by morning.”
The woman heaved a sigh. “I see.” She paused before she continued, “Miss Webber can be protective of Simon at times. I suppose she thought she was doing the right thing.”
“I’m sorry if my actions have brought you more distress,” I said, genuinely sorry to have been the cause of added strife. “I’d wondered what could have caused Miss Webber to take me in dislike, but if she has been the sole caretaker for Mr. Leith all these years, I understand she would be hesitant to allow others near him.”
“It was good of you to show an interest in Simon. He does not have any friends due to his...well, his lack of hearing. He is so often in his own company, save for Miss Webber, of course.”
“He never had a tutor or some kind of instructor?”
She shook her head, hampering my efforts to secure her curls with hairpins. “The dowager deemed it unnecessary, so Miss Webber, who was a nursemaid, has been the only one to look after Simon all this time.”
“Well, he seems to be a charming young gentleman.”
In the mirror, I saw Lady Leith narrow her eyes at me. “Oh?”
“I have no intention of trying to trap Mr. Leith in marriage,” I said, holding back a sigh of my own. “He was polite, much like any other young gentleman I’ve had occasion to meet.”
“I would not be surprised if you had considered the idea now that Miss Webber has put it into your mind,” she said, her tone serious. “After all, such a marriage would elevate you from a life of service.”
I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at that. “True,” I said in as grave a tone as I could muster. “Only think of how much the dowager would react. Why, she may even come to appreciate you as a daughter if I were the only other candidate.”
Lady Leith let out a laugh and the seriousness in her face eased a bit. “Or, more likely, she will blame the downfall of the family reputation on me. After all, you are my maid and I am the one who brought you into the house.”
“Well, then, since it would serve to make the situation worse, I suppose I shall have to abandon my plan to improve myself.”
The woman sighed again and shook her head, once again hindering my efforts. “I suppose I ought to have known someone was causing mischief. Someone is always causing mischief in this house.”
“You cannot mean that the servants cause mischief.” After my attempt at subtle questioning of the maid some days earlier, I had been under the impression that the loyalty of the house was in Lady Leith’s favour.
“There are a few who do so. Mr. Stone is reluctant to discuss the state of the estate with me, but makes an almost daily report to the dowager,” Lady Leith confessed in a rush. “One of the footmen will announce visitors to her first before I am made aware that anyone has arrived, and I am sure one of the maids puts the worst of the linen on my bed.”
She heaved a sigh and shook her head before she continued, “I ought not to complain. After all, I cannot prove any of my suspicions.”
Though I know I ought to keep out of it, I asked, “Is the footman from one of the families who have served on Clarendon Estate for a hundred years?”
Pausing, Lady Leith frowned. “No,” she said slowly. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, what objection could Sir Horace have if you choose to dismiss the footman?”
Twisting around, she stared at me. “What are you talking about?”
“You said before that you did not feel you could dismiss someone who had lived on Clarendon all their life and their family were loyal servants. At the same time, as the mistress of the house, you have the right to choose who serves here?” I reasoned. “If, as you suspect, this footman is sowing trouble and being deliberately disrespectful, you would be well rid of him.”
“You mean for me to take a stand as the mistress of the house? What do you imagine I would accomplish in making such a decision?”
“Respect from those who remain,” I said, astonished that she was so resistant to the idea. “Naturally, you would not want to dismiss Mr. Stone, as he does so much for your husband. And as Miss Webber has been with the family for a number of years, it might be best to discuss a change when Sir Horace returns. There is no proof of the maid’s mistake, not unless Mrs. Horner makes an inspection of the linen herself. The footman’s disrespect, however, is blatant and should not be ignored.”
It had to be the most I’d said to her without pause. With her hair perfectly arranged and pinned into place, I stepped back. Without even checking her appearance in the mirror, Lady Leith rose and faced me. “I will consider it, but I don’t think this is the time for me to be making changes to the household. That will be all, Nelson.”
The dismissal was obvious. Pursing my lips to keep from trying to argue the point, I bobbed a curtsy. Lady Leith left the room without another word.
Chapter Six
Dressing myself in the morning was a task I had become proficient at in the last few months. Though I had been without a personal maid since the death of my parents, my great-aunt had been good enough to allow her maid, Carter, to assist me. In the Burnham household, one of the other maids had assisted me. When I’d joined the Dunbar house in Bath, however, I’d had to learn how to tie my stays on my own.
After I secured my hair in a low chignon, I walked to the small window and looked out. A low fog still clung to the grass, and the sun was just peeking over the horizon. There was a peacefulness in the morning that I appreciated as I grew accustomed to rising early in the morning.
Taking a deep breath, I turned away and walked out of my room. It was easier to simply begin my work than to think about how much I had to do.
When I entered the kitchen for Lady Leith’s tray, I found the usual chaos to be more hectic than any other day. Cook, a rail thin woman of uncertain age, barely glanced at me as she said, “On the table, Miss Nelson. And I trust her ladyship will not find fault in it.”
“Lady Leith has never found fault with her tea and toast,” I felt obliged to say. I’d never seen lady Leith send back an untouched tray, and certainly she had never complained about what the cook made. Why the sudden fear that she would?
“And she’s never ordered Mr. Stone to dismiss two maids and a footman either,” Mrs. Horner said as she rushed into the room. “It was good of her to ensure they received their full quarter wages, but to have them depart immediately has left us shorthanded.”
Fanny, the maid I saw the most of, brushed past me. “Shorthanded with a party approaching,” she said boldly. “I don’t understand why my lady would do such a thing to us.”
Lady Leith had taken my advice after all? When she had insisted that it was not the time to make drastic changes to the household. “No reason was given for the dismissals?” I asked, astonished.
“Her ladyship doesn’t need to give a reason. She is the mistress of this house,” Mrs. Horner said, her tone sharp. Her eyes held a warning that I didn’t understand. “What she did say informed me that some of the servants had become lax in their duties.”
“One thing is for sure, the dowager is going to be a dragon about it,” Cook commented, banging her spoon against the rim of a pot. “If she doesn’t bring down the roof when she finds out, I will eat my spoon.”
“I thought Mr. Stone was going to be the one to put up a fuss,” Fanny spoke up. “He was in a fury last night.”
“Fanny Kelly, that’s enough out of you!” Mrs. Horner said, her tone scolding. “You’re not paid to give an opinion, so you’d best keep it to yourself.”
Bowing my head to hide my conflicted feelings, I carried
the tray out of the busy kitchen. I was both pleased and confused. What had made Lady Leith change her mind so suddenly? When I assisted her right before bed, she’d said nothing and I hadn’t dared approach the subject again.
She was already sitting up in her bed when I entered the bedchamber. “We have three days before our guests begin to arrive,” she said without any preamble. “I suppose Mrs. Horner will not thank me for disrupting the household as I have done.”
“She had nothing untoward to say while I was in her presence,” I said, setting her tray down on her lap. I walked to the windows and drew the curtains open. “I have every confidence in her ability to organize the household.”
Lady Leith made a sound that sounded suspiciously like an unladylike snort. “Well, she wouldn’t say anything in front of you, would she.”
Suppressing the urge to laugh, I turned and gave a nod. “No, she wouldn’t, my lady. I will leave you to your chocolate.”
To my surprise, she was frowning down at her tray. “Nelson, take this away. I have no appetite this morning.”
“Surely, you ought to at least eat the toast,” I said, hurrying forward. I took in her pale face and grabbed the tray from her lap. “On the other hand, you know what’s best for yourself. I’ll set this to the side in case you change your mind.”
Cook would be offended and someone would have to appease her. A problem I set aside as not being one of my responsibilities.
“Later today, I have to formalize the planned activities for the party. The dowager has brought out too many games,” Lady Leith said, her voice unsteady. I saw her swallow hard. “Leave me for now, Nelson.”
“Of course, my lady.” Obediently, I set her tray on a small table against the wall and left the room, keeping my concerns to myself.
More than ever I was sure of the answer to Lady Leith’s sudden queasiness. Was she with child? If I, who had never been in such a state, suspected such a thing, surely, she who had wished for a child so long would have the same suspicion.
Would the stress and anxiety of hosting a party be detrimental to her health? I hoped that she would be able to eat a bit of the toast on her tray.
Trying to shake off my worry, I went to where my own breakfast was waiting for me in the housekeeper’s room. As I was eating my eggs and ham, Mrs. Horner entered. “You have another letter, Miss Nelson,” she said, holding out the missive. “You must have a devoted friend in London. This must be the second letter this week.”
Her interest made me smile despite my unease. “Thank you, Mrs. Horner,” I said as I took the letter from her. A glance showed that the handwriting was Aunt Beth’s, and I guessed it was thick because it contained all of the correspondence that had arrived for me in my absence. “This is actually from my great-aunt.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you had any family alive. You’ve never mentioned them before.”
“I don’t have much family left. My great-aunt does love to keep me apprised of all the news she hears.”
Her curiosity satisfied, Mrs. Horner went on her way. Breathing a sigh of relief, I unsealed the letter. Though she had addressed the letter, there was no note from Aunt Beth. Instead, as I had suspected, there were other letters. Of the three, only one was written in a hand I recognized. That one I set aside to read last.
The first was a kind note from Miss Grace Anderson, who had been engaged to my brother. She expressed her gratitude for my last letter and hoped that she would be able to meet me when she came to town after her marriage to Mr. Melbourne. There was something she wished to give me.
I couldn’t help but smile at the news she was to marry. When I’d left Bath, all I’d known was that Mr. Melbourne was intent on waiting until Miss Anderson was ready to accept him. In fact, he had declared he would wait until he was old and grey if that was what it took to win her hand.
Knowing the woman who had intended on marrying my brother had decided to find some happiness warmed my heart. She deserved to have a secure, contented future, and if Mr. Melbourne was the man I thought he was, she would have it.
A glance at the clock showed I still had some time before Lady Leith would expect me to be in the dressing room. I picked up the second letter and unfolded it. This one was from one Mrs. Gerard Landon.
“My dear Miss Sinclair,
“I hope that this letter finds you well. It has been far too long since I last spent a summer at your father’s estate. Of course I can only blame myself for not attempting to keep in contact. You may not even recall the little, wild-haired girl who wanted to spend every moment with you...
Tears welled up in my eyes as Eugenia Landon, née Burnham, informed me of her marriage to Mr. Landon. She described the little estate outside of London she now called home. The letter ended with the hope that I would write back so she would know how and where I was.
My pleasure at hearing such good news dimmed as my gaze landed on the final note that had been contained in the packet. It was from Henry Bladen. Aunt Beth’s maid, Carter, must have included the message when my aunt was not looking. I couldn’t blame her. She couldn’t know that I had told Mr. Bladen not to contact me anymore.
Since I’d made myself clear on that point when last we met, what more did he think he had to tell me?
Before I could bring myself to break the seal, I checked the time again. With relief, I saw that it was time for me to return to Lady Leith. Whatever Henry Bladen thought was so important could wait.
“BEFORE I FORGET, WE will have to make sure to have the materials for silhouettes on hand. It will be a fun pastime in the evenings.”
“Of course.” I made a note on the side of my list. Silhouettes was actually an entertainment I’d never tried my hand at, although my mother had kept one on her desk that she had made of my father. Whatever happened to that silhouette? Did my uncle have it?
No, why would he have kept his brother-in-law’s image? Had it been thrown out? Lost to time and an indifferent heir?
“Celia Leith!” The dowager swept into the room, rage glittering in her pale eyes. “What have you done?”
“I don’t know what you mean, ma’am” Lady Leith said calmly. She sent a glance at me. “Nelson, Mrs. Emerson on the edge of the estate is unwell. When you go down to the kitchen, ask Cook to put together a basket of food and have it ready for me to take.”
I’d expected her to send me off so that she could argue with the dowager without an audience. Uneasy, I scrambled to make a note of the request. Who had brought her the news about this Mrs. Emerson?
“Do not ignore me, Celia,” the dowager warned, striding across the room. “You have dismissed several members of the household. Don’t try to deny it! I have had it all from Hanson and Mr. Stone!”
“I see no reason to deny it.” Lady Leith maintained her calm demeanour. “I was not satisfied with their work, and Horace gave me leave to make any alterations to the house and servants that I found necessary. So, they were paid for the time they were head and instructed to leave.”
The dowager’s hands were balled in fists. “Perhaps you do not understand the consideration we must give the families who live on the estate.”
“I understand it very well, as you have been at pains to tell me how things are run at Clarendon. The maids and the footman I dismissed did not come from the estate families. I really do not understand what you are so alarmed about,” Lady Leith said, her tone becoming sharp. “Their work was mediocre at best.”
For a moment, the older woman stared at her. Then, her gaze swung to me. “Do you mean to tell me you intend to keep that creature here?” She raised her hand and pointed one finger accusingly at me. “After the information I learned about her? Does your hypocrisy know no bounds?”
“Nelson’s service has been exceptional.” Lady Leith stood up to face her mother-in-law. “I see no reason to deprive myself of her assistance over baseless rumours.”
“Baseless rumours? You would be willing to have a maid as your future sister?”
“Your fear that Nelson will entrap Simon into marriage is completely absurd, as I have already said. I see no reason for us to discuss it anymore. Nor do I see a reason to repeat or give credence to malicious gossip.”
With a scowl, the dowager shook her head. “You are unreasonable. When Horace returns—”
“When my husband returns, you can be sure I intend on informing him of everything you have said to me.” Lady Leith raised her chin, her blue eyes glinting with determination. “Now. I am busy with planning. Did you have an activity you wished for at the party?”
“What care have I for a party when I am about to see my family’s name and reputation dragged into the mud?”
“What a shame as you were so insistent about the party before,” Lady Leith said as she picked up the small pile of acceptances. “In a matter of days, we will have a houseful of guests and I’m sure you wouldn’t want to give them any hint of gossip to take away with them.”
For a moment, I was certain the dowager was trembling with rage. “If you were truly concerned about gossip and scandal, you would send that impertinent adventuress away!”
“I think this conversation has exhausted itself,” my employer said, lifting her pen. “If I do not take tea with you, I will see you at dinner.”
The dismissal was obvious. With a slight gasp, the dowager took a step back. She then spun around and left the sitting room. I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “My feelings exactly, Nelson,” Lady Leith said, her expression drawn and tired.
“If it would make things easier for you, I am willing to leave,” I said softly. Lady Leith did not need this stress.
“Easier? The dowager would win once again and that is the last thing I want to happen.” Lady Leith shook her head. “She may have more experience in getting her way but she will find that I am more determined.”
Her right hand slipped down to her stomach. The intimate gesture confirmed my suspicions. “You’re with child, aren’t you?” I said before I could stop myself.
Clarendon Estate (The Sinclair Society Series, #3) Page 5