Page 67 of Beauty and the Rake
“I’ll leave the details to the pair of you. The only thing I ask is that the two of you keep me up to date.”
“I will. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get started.” He leaned down as he began to leave and kissed her softly on the cheek. “I’m going to miss you.”
“As will I.”
She listened to his footfalls as he walked toward the door. Picking up a cup of tea, she took a sip and leaned back in her chair, savoring the distinct notes of this new blend. It was a popular blend because of the hint of cinnamon infused with the black Chinese tea.
Gathering up the calling cards from the blue and white bowl, she began to go through them, looking for any sort of note that may have been added to the back. Then she did the exact same thing with the correspondence she found with the calling cards. These would prove a bit more time consuming, but she would take the time to reply to each one. After all, she had a new title, and she was still the dowager duchess. She wanted to leave a good impression with her peers.
She sat down at the writing desk in the countess’s room and sorted everything out. She had always been meticulous about how she did things and it drove some people crazy. Everything had its place and order. Opening the drawer, Roxanne took out a small book in which she kept notes and things that needed tobe done in. Placing it to the left side of the desk, she next pulled out a small stack of heavier card stock and envelopes plus a sheet of parchment to write her reply on. She picked up the first card and, with fountain pen in hand, began to write.
The calling cards were the easiest to reply to, but when she started on the actual letters it slowed her down. She needed to read each before deciding how to respond. For the most part she took a simple approach, thanking the writer and then letting them know she wouldn’t be in town and available, but that she looked forward to getting together once she returned.
Finally finished with her daunting task, Roxanne peered down at the large stack of envelopes. She would find the butler shortly and let him make sure her correspondence was sent out today. She then opened the leather notebook and found a blank page to begin writing things needing to be purchased before they left, what she needed to take with her.
The list of what she needed to purchase was fairly short. The village always carried what she needed and, if not, one of the merchants would order for her from London. Plates for the camera would be a must, and the easiest way to do that would be to write the emporium where the equipment was purchased and have them send her a decent supply. She wanted to make sure she had plenty of them on hand so she could get some shots of the estate, the streams and old trees. The beauty she saw on the whole estate would be her focus. She would also begin photographing Mary on a regular basis. Babies grew so fast, it was sad that most were only seen by their nannies. At least now, parents would have an alternative to formal portraits.
Taking her pen, she quickly wrote a missive to them and what she needed and asked that it be sent to Kent rather than London. Taking all the correspondence she’d written in one hand, she then walked downstairs to the drawing room where she used the bellpull to summon the butler. Once she handedthe man all the letters, she would go back upstairs to the nursery where she’d speak to the nanny about putting some time aside so she could, for now, have some time with Mary. Right now, the babe slept more than she was awake, or at least that’s what she assumed, and once she began to mature, Roxanne would extend the amount of time she spent with her. And as she grew up, there would be lots of mother-daughter activities, hopefully with sisters and brothers. She and Graham did want children, and hoped that they would be blessed soon.
She found the older woman in the middle of packing when she arrived at the nursery. Roxanne crossed the room, not wanting the woman to see she was smiling. Smiling at how much had to be brought along for Mary. It easily rivaled what she’d be taking as far as quantity.
They chatted for a while about Mary, children in general, and how to raise well-adjusted girls and boys in the ever-changing world. The woman also gave Roxanne a brief rundown of her background and how she came to be a nanny. She also had high praises for Roxanne for taking her husband’s bastard in and raising her as her own. It was not something many women would do.
The sound of Mary waking up and vocalizing caused both women to smile. Roxanne insisted she would go in and take care of her even if it meant changing a nappy for the first time. She had watched Nanny do it, so Roxanne figured she should have no problem, but a fussing, hungry babe, one who was flailing her arms and kicking her legs about, proved to be almost more than she could handle. She talked softly to the child, reassuring her everything would be fine in a matter of minutes.
It took Roxanne a couple of tries, but she had the wet nappy replaced by a dry one. By the end of it, Mary had calmed down and followed what Roxanne was doing by listening to her voice.Roxanne picked her up and found the older woman standing in the doorway with a smile and a bottle of milk.
“She likes you,” she told Roxanne. “She doesn’t always calm that quickly.”
“I just talked to her. I think I got her taken care of. At least she’s dry.”
“I’m sure you did fine. Would you like to feed her?”
“You don’t mind?” Roxanne asked as she followed Nanny to a rocking chair. She sat down and arranged the infant in her arms and took the bottle of milk from her.
“Of course not. Why would I? She’s your daughter, and she needs to get to know you as well if not more than me.”
“I just wanted to make sure. I have a couple of friends, and their nannies don’t care for the child’s schedule to be disturbed.”
“I would be sacking them or sitting them down and going over what their job entails.”
Looking down at the babe sucking the milk bottle, Roxanne found herself in awe of how such a small thing could twist herself around everyone’s finger or heart. How could her own mother give her up without a second thought? At least the woman had taken her to Graham, the child’s father, and not left her at an orphanage or who knew where else. Still, she worried the mother might come back and try to claim her child. Graham had his lawyer taking care of that sort of thing.
Mary was quick to finish her bottle and fell asleep to Roxanne’s rocking. Nanny took her and placed her back in her bed. She thanked the woman for the fine job she was doing with Mary. Walking out the door to the nursery, she felt at peace and was surprised such a small person could do that.
She walked down the stairs and to her dressing room to see if the maid was preparing and packing things for the journey. The chamber was completely devoid of anyone. Perhaps she was downstairs with some of her dresses that needed ironing. Butthe further she looked, she noted the trunks sat right where they would have been placed but none had been opened. Walking into the sitting area, Roxanne could hear Graham’s valet hard at work next door. Going over to the desk, she gathered the journal she used to write anything in. Reminders, lists, anything she needed to remember went in the book. She placed it in the pocket of her skirt and went in search of her maid.
People raised their heads and tried not to stare at the mistress of the house as she quickly walked past them and in the direction of the housekeeper’s office. Unaware of why the countess would come to the kitchen could be anyone’s guess. The housekeeper led Roxanne into her office and closed the door quietly.
“What may I help you with, milady?”
“I know you might find this silly, but have you seen my maid?”
“Have you looked to see if she’s packing?”
“Yes, that’s where I just came from. It doesn’t look like she’s even been in there.”
“That’s not like her. Let me do some digging. Perhaps she’s helping one of the other girls. Wouldn’t be the first time.”
