Page 32 of A Housekeeper for the Earl of Drinkwater
“Forgive me,” he said, bowing once more. “I do not mean to hold you up from your duties. I shall take my leave now and leave you to it. Thank you again, Miss White.”
She smiled, more brightly this time, and he nearly melted.
“Again, you are too kind,” she said, dipping her head. “Thank you.”
With that, she stepped back, but notably, she did not walk away. Edward, with great reluctance, moved past her and continued on to his study to work on the plans for the estate. But the whole way, he thought of nothing but the young housekeeper’s pink dimpled cheeks and bright, sweet smile. What had taken hold of him?
Chapter Thirteen
Serena found her employer to be very warm and kind, and he was easy to work for. He was certainly not quite as eccentric as she’d first thought on arriving at Chimneys. His praise when she’d finished cleaning the Dower House in just a couple of days astounded her. Judging by the way he’d gushed and thanked her, one would have thought she’d just saved his life.
From then on, whenever he saw her in the halls of the quickly reviving mansion, he made sure to tell her what a wonderful job she was doing. It was all too easy for her to imagine he felt more than gratitude towards her. But she knew that was ridiculous. She was only a housekeeper, and he was an earl. There was not a chance that he felt anything romantic for her.
Though the idea of never being anything more than the earl’s employee filled her with sorrow, her job did not. She took great pleasure in watching the manor come back to life, and she grew fonder of the old mansion every day.
Taking care of the neglected home helped her to forget her losses and troubles. It gave her purpose, and more hope than ever before for her future. She was then grateful for her job for a whole new reason; it seemed to be bringing her back to life, as well.
Two days after speaking with the earl about the completion of the cleaning of the Dower House, Serena hurried to finish breakfast, then made her way to Mrs. Chantry’s apartments for her daily discussion about her duties. She found the woman not only friendly and welcoming, but also very knowledgeable. She’d grown rather close to her in her short time of working at Chimneys.
Serena had always known that she had enough housekeeping experience to maintain her own home, but she’d had no illusions about knowing everything about the housekeeper’s job. Mrs. Chantry was always more than happy to tutor her, even from her sickbed. Serena knew she would be sad when the housekeeper finally retired.
“Come in, dear,” Mrs. Chantry said before Serena could knock on the half-open door of her apartment.
Serena smiled, pushing open the door and entering the room.
“Good morning, Mrs. Chantry,” she said. “How are you today?”
The elderly woman laughed and shrugged.
“I don’t feel quite so much like death anymore,” she said. “That makes today a good day to me.”
Serena nodded.
“I am glad to hear you’re feeling better,” she said. “Do you need me to get you anything?”
The housekeeper nodded, patting the seat beside her bed.
“Just pour us some tea, if you would,” she said. “And then come and talk with me. I have something very important to tell you.”
Serena’s breath caught, and she felt the colour drain from her face. The housekeeper must have noticed, too, because she giggled as Serena did as she was asked.
“Do not fret,” she said. “It is good news.”
Serena sighed, handing Mrs. Chantry her cup of tea and sitting down beside her bed.
“Thank heavens,” she said. “You scared me to death.”
The housekeeper shook her head.
“I am sorry, dear,” she said. “I just wanted to let you know that I am beginning to envy your talents. Lord Drinkwater raves about your progress on the house. I think the improvements are giving him a little more hope for the future.” She paused and winked. “And I believe you’ve impressed him a great deal by making such a good job of the Dower House so quickly.”
Serena blushed, trying to hide it behind her teacup. She wondered if she would ever become accustomed to receiving such praise. She well recalled the day when he had thanked her personally, and she could not help smiling. Was he truly so impressed with her just because of that one task? Or was there something more to his lavish complements?
“It was not so much,” she said. “I have only been here for just over a week. I have just begun, truthfully. And the Dower House mainly just needed a good clean, that was all. I suppose it was easier since it was completely vacant.”
The elderly woman took her hand and patted it.
“Serena, dear, I think you have done more than you may ever understand,” she said, sipping her tea. “Lord Drinkwater has had a very tough time as of late, and I think it became easy for him to believe that nothing would ever get any better. And to see his home being restored is encouraging to him.”
