Page 33 of Three Rules to Wed a Duke

“Of course, thank you, Mrs. Barrett,” Frances answered, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

She was struck with a sudden inspiration.

“I’m actually quite tired this morning. It must be all of the activity yesterday. As for dressing for breakfast and coming down, I don’t know that I feel up to it.”

Mrs. Barrett smiled weakly, though she didn’t respond at first. She looked uncomfortable, as though she wasn’t prepared for this possibility.

“I see,” she finally managed to say.

“Please tell His Grace we shall have breakfast later this morning if he would like to wait until then. Perhaps two hours from now, if you’ll please wake me then,” she said before turning over on her other side and closing her eyes.

Frances held her breath as she waited for Mrs. Barrett to leave. By her count, it took the housekeeper nearly an entire minute to go out and close the door behind her. Frances grimaced, already wondering what the woman must think of her.

It cannot be helped, she decided.I must learn more about Anthony, and if he will not speak during polite conversation, he must at least react to more bothersome tactics.

By the time Mrs. Barrett returned to wake her once again, Frances was very uneasy. The housekeeper seemed to be rather put out as well, which had not been her intention.

“His Grace is still seated at the table,” Mrs. Barrett said as she helped Frances dress and style her hair.

“Still? Do you mean he’s been there this whole time?” Frances asked, frowning at Mrs. Barrett’s reflection behind her in the looking glass.

“Yes, Your Grace,” the housekeeper said simply, not meeting her eye.

“Why on earth?”

“It’s as I told you,” Mrs. Barrett said with a great sigh. “The duke does and says things a little differently than most. He asked you to take your meals with him, and you agreed. This morning, you decided to delay. Therefore, he has been waiting for you all this time.”

Without another word, Mrs. Barrett finished helping her and raced out of the room. Frances looked at herself in the glass and saw that her cheeks burned a bright red with embarrassment. She had only meant to prod the man into some sort of reaction—she certainly hadn’t intended for Anthony to sit alone at a table and wait for her.

After he explained that he was tired of being alone, you go and do something so heartless!Frances thought briefly, but that sad feeling was soon pushed aside, replaced with a sort of indignation.If he merely needed a silent companion, he should have bought himself a hound! I am a person, and it is not my responsibility to prevent him from feeling lonely if he will not even speak with me.

With her head high and her shoulders proudly pulled back, Frances took her time coming down the stairs and going to the dining room. As Mrs. Barrett had said, Anthony sat in his seat at the table, simply waiting. For her part, the housekeeper wasalready in the dining room assembling the food and plates on the sideboard.

“Good day, Frances. I would appreciate it very much if you could come down for meals when they’re planned,” he said, though there was no hint of anger in the way he carried himself.

“Good day, Anthony,” Frances said simply, overlooking the request on purpose before turning to the housekeeper. “Mrs. Barrett, I now realize that you do a great many tasks in this house. I’m very sorry that I did not come down when you woke me, for I didn’t think about the extra work I was putting on you. I will not treat you with such disregard again.”

The housekeeper slowly looked up at Frances, her expression shifting from mistrust to gratitude. She nodded her thanks and returned to the plates.

“And further, Mrs. Barrett, though I can already see that you do an excellent job here, I fear we are asking too much of you. A housekeeper is a proud position of dignity, one that you have no doubt earned all these years you’ve been in service. You should not also be tidying the rooms, helping me dress, seeing to the chamber pots, and cooking the meals. His Grace and I will discuss hiring more staff right away so that you may enjoy your rightful position, starting with a maid or two and lady’s maid.”

Mrs. Barrett blinked in surprise, her mouth hanging open for a moment. She darted her eyes to the duke and back to Frances, then nodded again.

“That would be wonderful, Your Grace. I cannot tell you how grateful I am that you’re thinking of me,” she answered slowly.

Frances smiled and took her seat, thanking Mrs. Barrett again when she placed a plate in front of her. Anthony looked dumbfounded, but he did not say anything.

“I trust you slept well?” Frances asked Anthony brightly as she unfolded her napkin and took a sip of her tea.

“I did, thank you,” he said plainly before starting to eat.

“Excellent. I did, as well. I think the bedroom will be even more inviting once it’s painted,” she said, watching him carefully.

As she expected, there was something of a tremor that came over him when she spoke about the paint. He did not say anything, though, so Frances struggled to think of other topics to keep the conversation moving.

“As I was just explaining to Mrs. Barrett, I feel as though the house is too large to be maintained by only three members of your staff,” Frances began.

“There are four. You met the driver when we left the wedding feast,” he corrected simply, then resumed eating.

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