Page 17 of A Duke for Stealing
“Pardon me, Your Grace.”
Rose jolted out of her thoughts, then blushed as she saw Mrs. Mulberry standing before her.
“Apologies, Mrs. Mulberry. I had lost myself to thought,” Rose offered.
“No trouble at all,” Mrs. Mulberry replied, clasping her hands together in front of her. “I am sure it must be quite pleasant to lose oneself in a daydream.”
Though Mrs. Mulberry’s tone was polite and her words were not particularly harsh, Rose sensed a bit of stiffness from the older woman. It seemed that she had more than just the twins to win over.
“Pleasant or not, you would be correct in assuming I do not have the time for it,” Rose replied, offering Mrs. Mulberry a kind smile. “I suspect I should not waste any time in getting to work. Would you be so kind as to have some tea with me and inform me of the late Duchess’s duties? I should very much like to ensure that nothing unnecessary stays on your shoulders. I am sure you have many duties of your own, and if the pristine condition of this manor is any indication, you manage them quite well.”
Mrs. Mulberry’s blue eyes alit with surprise, and she gave a swift, single nod before she curtsied to Rose.
“It is an honor to manage this household, Your Grace. I am so pleased to know that you find it acceptable.”
“Far more than acceptable,” Rose replied, happy that they had found a good footing. “Now let us have that tea.”
Rose closed the door quietly to the girls’ nursery, then leaned heavily against the wall, letting out a sigh. Exhaustion had settled deep into her bones, and her eyes were tired from reading for so long in the dim candlelight. Still, she felt a sense of accomplishment.
She’d found common ground with the strict housekeeper during their tea, thanks to all her talks with Theo, Amelia, and Seraphina; she understood most of the duties required of her. While Mrs. Mulberry was the one who directed the orders to thestaff, it was Rose who would direct Mrs. Mulberry on what those orders were, and there were many.
The menu. The linens. The flowers. The deliveries of any odds and ends. The list of small details Rose was to coordinate went on and on. She would handle them, though. She was determined to. It was clear after speaking with Mrs. Mulberry and the girls that the former Duchess’s shoes were quite a task to be filled.
After her meeting with Mrs. Mulberry had concluded, Rose had hoped that she would have dinner with Everett and the twins. Instead, she’d found that their suppers had been sent to them, and so Rose dined alone in her quarters, lost in the realization of how quickly her entire life had both changed and yet somehow stayed the same.
With her mother’s maturity on a seeming path backward, Rose had gotten used to making decisions for their house from time to time. And there were far too many nights when she’d had to tuck Betty into bed; sometimes even reading to her like she’d read to the twins to help her fall asleep.
Yet there were startling differences. The Stapleton Estate, from what she understood, always ran smoothly. There were no lulls due to forgotten payments. And though Leah had still been persnickety during the bedtime story, Rose did not have to entertain any drunken outbursts or spontaneous ideas from either girl to throw on a gown and go back out.
Rose leaned away from the wall, deciding she did not have much time to linger long on such thoughts. She still needed to talkwith Everett. A surge of anticipation travelled through her as she knocked on his study door; her mind briefly racing back to their kiss. It really had been lovely.
“Who is it?” Everett asked through the door, his voice surprisingly gruff.
It took Rose aback, and for a moment she paused, unsure of whether going to him was a good idea.
“Blast it all if someone is to interrupt me, then they better well-oh,” Everett’s muffled words became clear as he opened the door. The glare in his eyes quickly vanished, and Rose noted how his broad shoulders relaxed a little.
“It is you,” Everett said, his voice kinder this time. “Why did you not say so?”
Rose lifted her chin slightly and once again nervously clasped her hands together.
“I was not sure if it was a good time,” she replied.
Everett grunted, but opened the door wider for her.
“It was not,” he agreed, “Though I am sure interruptions will never come at a good time.”
Rose raised a brow, irritation tunneling through her, and she turned to leave.
“Well then, never mind,” she stated.
“Wait,” Everett said, his hand flying toward her shoulder. He let out a frustrated sigh as she turned back around and nodded into his office.
“Please, come in and forgive my mood. I want to know how your first day here unfolded,” he insisted.
Rose’s irritation softened a little, but she still kept her head high and stiff as she walked into his office and away from his touch. Like the rest of the manor, the office was clean and well-designed; the only mess was on the desk. It was littered with papers. Also sitting atop it was an empty glass and an unopened bottle of scotch.
“I have been trying to drink less when I am here,” Everett asked, as if he knew she was eyeing up the bottle. “For the children’s sake. However, I have discovered that a certain level of inebriation actually made me better with numbers.”
