Page 16 of Unmasking the Silver Heiress
He was truly magnificent. She had never seen anyone hold their own with such casual disinterest against her aunt. Nathaniel had sat next to her, holding her hand in what must have been a true and devoted gesture of sympathy, while they were barraged with cryptic instructions that would throw their lives into further tumult. He had borne it all with a polite non-nonchalance, and when she had finished, he simply agreed to her terms, as though it were no bother whatsoever.
Peter had offered to accompany them, his brow still furrowed in senseless worry over Nell's safety with her new husband. Zelda had responded in no uncertain terms that she had her own plans for Peter and "his sword arm," whatever that meant. He had appeared just as baffled as she was, but they could draw no further details from their aunt at that time.
"We have two tasks to attend to tonight before we depart London in the morn," he said, startling her out of her reverie.
She blinked back to the present, realizing she'd been gripping her fork so tight that it had put angry, red rivets in the flesh of her hand. She dropped the offending item immediately, and quickly lifted her head to meet her husband's eye.
"One of us must write the marriage announcement for theEvening Standard,and a generic one for some of the smaller circulations. The other will need to take up the task of compiling a list of purchases to be made ahead of our arrival in Kent. We will send a rider out tonight ahead of the furniture transport. Do you have a preference in the matter?"
"I am capable of either," she replied honestly. If nothing else, Nell knew she was useful.
"Then if you don't mind, I much prefer the frivolous matter of penning an advantageous set of announcements," he said with a little quirk of his finely sculpted lips. "I hope you do not think me vapid."
"Never," she assured him, perhaps a little more reverent in her tone than she had intended.
That was how she had come to find herself next to Sarah, the maid who had assisted her the night before, with a stiff bit of parchment balanced on a book in her lap.
"Pardon my saying so, ma'am, but I truly think we are all going to arrive in Kent and realize we've forgotten a great many important things."
"Oh, doubtless so." Nell sighed. "That is always the way with any travel, isn't it?"
"Oh, I wouldn't know, would I?" Sarah said with a grin. "I've never left London."
"Never?" Nell said, aghast. It wasn't that she herself was terribly well traveled, but to never leave the confines of London seemed impossible. It was a place the whole of Society could only tolerate for half the year, while they all spent the other half recovering from the endless bustle in various country hideaways. "Do you mean to join us in Kent, then? It is, of course, your choice."
"Oh, yes, I might as well." Sarah shrugged, her good nature seemingly extending to uncharted adventure. Her blue eyes sparkled, dimples deep in her cheeks as she spoke. "I'd like to see the ocean, after all. And I hear the countryside is full of strapping men in need of a good wife. Maybe I'll find one out there, hm? Anything's possible."
"Certainly possible," Nell agreed. "I found a husband, after all."
"And how," Sarah agreed with a little giggle. "The master is quite the catch."
Nell tilted her head, considering the other girl. She was unmarried for certain, but perhaps she might offer something in the way of feminine guidance, along the lines that she had been contemplating earlier. She couldn't ask right now, of course. There was no telling how much of a gossip the girl might be or where her loyalties might truly lie, but maybe, if they continued to get on so well ...
It was worth considering, anyhow.
"Plates and cutlery will be necessary, though I rather think purchasing them in Kent is more sensible than transporting a large amount of fragile china, don't you agree?" Nell said absently, scratching at the list she was building. "What about books? Is Mr. Atlas a great reader?"
"There's a small library here," Sarah replied. "He most often prefers his study, though."
"Well, at the very least I will want something to read along the way," Nell said. "I suppose stocking a library in Kent is not a major priority, as much as it pains me. Someone ought to employ a stable hand and general tack and supplies to receive us. I do not know what state the stables at Meridian will be in, but it will benefit us more to repair them than to pay to have the mounts lodged elsewhere. Do you know how much of the staff intends to join us on this caper, by any chance?"
"I haven't heard of anyone who doesn't wish to go," Sarah said earnestly. "It's a strange and exciting prospect for the likes of us. I doubt many will pass up the opportunity."
"Well, at least there's that." Nell sighed. "Transport for so many is going to be a bit of a pain to arrange, but at least we know the quality of each worker from the outset. I think this is as thorough as the list is going to get, Sarah. If you can't think of anything else, you might as well deliver it to Mr. Humphrey now."
"Yes, ma'am," Sarah said, coming quickly to her feet to bob a curtsey. "Will you want another bath tonight? Will you and the master be heading out into the city? I can return to help you dress if so."
"No, no," Nell said, shaking her head. "We must rise very early to begin our journey. I will likely retire soon. If you could just show me to the library you mentioned, I will choose some books for my journey."
"Of course, ma'am," Sarah said brightly, motioning in the direction they were headed. "It's just across from the master's bedchambers. It's a big house, but you get used to it."
It was a big house. Not quite so big as the country estate where she'd passed the majority of the autumn, to be certain, for it was still wedged into a row of London, where space was scarce. Still, it was much larger than the home she'd been raised in as a child and of course much larger than her aunt's outfitted flat above the print shop.
She felt a pang of regret that she must leave so soon, before having a chance to properly explore the place. Though, of course, they would be back in the spring when Parliament resumed ... or, Nathaniel would be anyway. He might not wish to bring his wife along for the Season. Many men did not.
She frowned, waving off the maid and stepping into the library, a tidy room made up of four shelves, two matching chairs, and a fireplace. Nell had always thought that reading spaces were messy by nature, a place where thoughts and belongings were toppled and built upon and rearranged too often to keep any sort of order. Evidently, her new husband did not subscribe to that line of thinking.
There was very little fiction to speak of on the shelves she was tall enough to reach. Only mythologies and a few classic novels were present, perhaps as a matter of academic necessity rather than a joy in the embrace of fantasy.
