Page 4 of His Grace, the Duke
“Miss—who, sir?”
Until that moment, James had been standing in front of the carriage door, blocking Rosalie in. He stepped aside now and held out a hand for her. She took it, letting him help her down the step.
“Gracious,” cried Mrs. Robbins. She was a short and stout lady with a ruffed collar at her neck and frizzy blonde hair tucked under a mop cap. She glanced from Rosalie to James. “Good morning, miss. Welcome to Corbin House.”
“Good morning,” Rosalie replied, giving the woman a smile.
James still held onto her hand, leading her forward. The footmen bustled around behind, shutting the carriage door and flipping up the step.
“Mrs. Robbins, may I present Miss Rosalie Harrow,” James said, his tone almost bored. “She is my mother’s ward. She was indispensable in arranging the Michaelmas ball. When I told her of my mission to plan a society soiree in less than a fortnight, she was only too happy to lend a hand.”
Rosalie watched Mrs. Robbins take in her disheveled hair, her ball gown and jewels, James’ coat. “Well, let’s get you both inside, then. A spot of tea and breakfast—”
“Nothing for me,” James replied. “But please show Miss Harrow up to the Burgundy Room.” He turned to Rosalie. “I have business this morning. We can meet this afternoon to go over the schedule of events. Does that suit you?”
Rosalie knew what he was doing. He needed to confer a sense of authority to her. He wanted the staff to see her as more than a guest. “Yes, of course, my lord,” she replied.
He gave a curt nod. “Excellent.” With that, he turned and walked off, leaving her in the company of Mrs. Robbins and the two footmen.
“Well then, John, Tanner, you heard Lord James. Bring the lady’s luggage to the Burgundy Room,” said Mrs. Robbins with a snap of her fingers.
The young footmen exchanged a confused look. “But... she has no luggage.”
***
Corbin House was just as beautiful as Alcott Hall, though on a vastly different scale. The halls were narrower, the ceilings unpainted, and the architecture and furniture stylings all had a more modern feel. Rosalie followed dutifully behind Mrs. Robbins up to the second floor. With no luggage to tote, the footmen had quickly disappeared.
“You must have had a terrible journey,” Mrs. Robbins said, keys jangling at her hip. “If we had known to expect the family, we would have opened the house.”
“Please don’t make yourself uneasy on our account,” Rosalie replied, trotting to keep up. “It was beastly of us to arrive like this, but His Grace says ‘jump’ and it falls to us to say ‘how high.’”
Mrs. Robbins turned left at the stairs, taking Rosalie down a long hall. “Larders empty, half the staff on leave. If I had even a day’s warning...”
Rosalie let the woman fret aloud as they made another turn at the end of the hall. Mrs. Robbins opened the first door on the right and disappeared into a dark bedroom. She immediately went over to the window and opened the curtain a crack, just enough to let a little light pool inside. Then she moved over to the mantel and pulled a servant’s cord. Rosalie was sure a bell was ringing somewhere in the depths of the house.
“You’re welcome to take a rest, dear,” said Mrs. Robbins, turning down the coverlet on the bed. “You look dead on your feet. There’s a wash basin in the corner. Fanny will bring you some hot water. And there’s a proper washroom in the hall.”
A knock at the door had both women turning. “Come in, Fanny,” Mrs. Robbins called.
A pretty, red-haired maid with copious freckles steppedinto the room. She had a sleepy look on her face that disappeared as she took in Rosalie standing by the bed.
“Fanny, this is Miss Harrow. Please see she has everything she needs. Miss Harrow, should you require anything, please let any of the staff know.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Robbins,” Rosalie replied, offering the woman a grateful smile.
The maid glanced around the room confused. “But... why is she in here?”
Mrs. Robbins tsked. “Lord James expressly requested this room. We’ll bring in some flowers and I’ll have the girls dust it up a bit, and it will be right as rain.” She moved towards the door, keys still jangling at her hip. “And it sounds like we’ll soon have a houseful, so we’ll need every room we can get.”
The housekeeper ducked out, leaving Rosalie alone with young Fanny.
The maid was still surveying Rosalie from her tousled hair to her satin slippered feet. “How can I help, miss?”
“Umm, perhaps some hot water,” Rosalie replied. She desperately needed a wash, especially after the events of last night.
Oh, heavens.She was all but naked under her gown. She’d quite forgotten that Burke ruined her chemise. When Fanny helped her undress, she’d find Rosalie in nothing but her stockings and stays!
“Andumm...” Rosalie would surely die of mortification. “Could—could you perhaps... find me a spare chemise?”
