Page 31 of Papa's Captive
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Breakfast was serveda bit later than usual that morning, since Rosie’s hair and clothes had to be started over. Somehow, neither she nor Papa seemed to mind. Having Papa care for her hair and attire made Rosie feel like the most treasured little girl in the entire world.
At Talcott House the girls arranged their own hair and clothing, sometimes with the assistance of others. But, there were certainly no maids on hand to attend to all their needs. Rosie was one of the few little ladies who had ever had a maid, though she kept that fact, along with all the others about her past, to herself and had pitched in like everyone else in caring for their own grooming. She, and all the others, were simply grateful for a safe place to lay their heads and warm food upon the table. To expect servants would have been the height of ingratitude and an insult to Miss Wickersham.
Whenever she thought of Miss Wickersham, Rosie felt a stab of guilt over her departure from Talcott House. She had not even said good-bye or thank you to Miss Wickersham, not to mention the scandal of simply riding off with Lord Caldwell while Miss Wickersham and Garland chased after them.
It all seemed like a lifetime ago, so much had happened and changed for Rosie since that fateful day.
She glanced across the breakfast table at her papa. So handsome and loving. She could scarcely believe his devotion to her. Oh, how far she had come from those dark, dark days when her whole world had fallen apart.
“You look very serious this morning, my Rosie. Is the fare not to your liking?”
“Oh, no, Papa, Everything is wonderful. I could never complain about anything here at Craigmul Castle.”
“Does that include me?”
She giggled, then looked down at her plate, embarrassed lest the help should hear their conversation. “Yes, Papa,” she said softly. “You are the most wonderful of all.”
“Ah, I had hoped you would say so,” he said, his eyes twinkling. “For I believe you are the most wonderful as well, and I should hate to think you did not care for me as much as I care for you.”
Rosie blushed and glanced away again before returning her gaze to her papa. “I-I care for you very much, Papa. I-I lo-love you.” She had told him so many times, but every time felt like the very first, especially when she saw his pleased reaction.
Papa’s eyes darkened with desire and she wondered if they might have a repeat of some of their earlier activities right there in the breakfast room when Fenton, the butler, arrived.
“I beg your pardon, sir, but the carriage is ready.”
Papa tore his gaze away from Rosie. “Whatever are you speaking of, Fenton?”
The butler looked a bit flummoxed. “My lord, the annual meeting of the tenants takes place shortly. You indicated that you planned to attend and asked for the carriage to be ready this morning.”
“Bloody hell, Fenton. I had forgotten all about it. Yes, I must attend.” He turned to Rosie. “I apologize, my dear, I had meant to tell you earlier, but — “ he gave her a wink, “I was distracted.”
Rosie blushed, particularly knowing the butler could not mistake Papa’s meaning. Papa dismissed the servants from the room before he addressed Rosie again.
“I shall have to leave you here on your own for a few hours while I am gone. I apologize for I fully intended to not leave your side for the entire time of our visit here in Scotland, but this meeting is important to the management of my holdings here.”
“Of course, Papa. I shall be able to manage on my own...though I will miss you,” she said, blushing.
“Now, remember the rules Papa gave you.”
“Yes, Papa, I remember.”
“Oh, I believe I saw a trunk in the foyer this morning. I believe your belongings from Talcott House have arrived. That should keep you occupied while I am gone.”
Rosie brightened at the prospect of having her personal items with her. Papa had provided a beautiful wardrobe...as much as she was ever allowed to wear anything more than a chemise...but she missed some of her mementos and she hoped they had been included in the trunk.
As soon as she had waved good-bye to Papa and the carriage left the driveway, she and Harriet, one of the housemaids, began the task of emptying the trunk which had been carried to Rosie’s dressing room by the footmen.
On her first day at Craigmul Castle, Papa had introduced all of the servants to Rosie. She had been so nervous, it had been difficult to remember their names, but she remembered Harriet because when Papa had introduced her as a housemaid, Harriet had glanced at Mrs. Traster the housekeeper with a quizzical look on her face. Mrs. Traster had interjected on her behalf that Harriet had been designated as a lady’s maid for the new mistress of the house.
“Of course, and thank you, Mrs. Traster, for thinking of such a thing. But, it is my intention to care for my wife’s needs myself, therefore Harriet’s services as a lady’s maid will not be needed on a regular basis, though on those few occasions when I am unavailable, I am sure Harriet will be an excellent choice to assist the new Lady Caldwell.”
Although Papa had been most gracious in his words, Rosie noticed how quickly Harriet’s mood dropped from eager to angry.
For Rosie, this was a conundrum. She had learned from harsh experience that it could be folly to become too friendly with the help. On the other hand, she hated for others to be angry or disappointed and she had some sympathy for Harriet’s situation. Clearly she hoped to move up the rungs of the hierarchical ladder of the servants by moving from housemaid to personal maid to the lady of the house and Papa’s unexpected announcement had no doubt come as a shock, and not just to Harriet. There were looks and murmurs amongst all of the staff, though they quelled quickly with a single look from Mrs. Traster.
Therefore, Rosie was glad to have an opportunity to spend some time with Harriet and hopefully smooth any feathers that remained ruffled. Everything was perfect at Craigmul Castle and Rosie intended to keep it that way.
