Page 51 of Secrets of Capell Manor
Both girls looked at her wide-eyed but nodded and promised they’d be on their best behavior. Rosalind’s heart nearly burst with love for these girls.
The calm and quiet lasted less than an hour.
The morning scene in the kitchen was chaotic. Marta stood at her work table, her rolling pin held high as she scolded the children.
“Kaylyn, finish your bread. I’ll need some help here when you’re done. Ridley! You and Luella, stop running! And for heaven’s sake, get the dog out of my kitchen!”
Ridley ran through the kitchen with a small length of rope trailing behind him, which Grim was happy to chase. Behind the dog darted Luella, squealing with delight with the game. Rosalind sighed. Ridley’s face was smudged with soot from stoking the fires and it seemed he’d been to the barn already too. An unidentifiable substance ran down his pants leg. Rosalind wasn’t sure what it was, and she didn’t want to know.
She turned her attention to her girls. Kaylyn was content to eat her breakfast, but Luella’s plate was practically untouched, and her neatly braided hair was rapidly becoming undone. Rosalind sighed, but she wasn’t angry.
“Children!” she called, but the melee continued.
“Luella, Ridley!” she barked out, this time a bit louder.
But still, the play continued.
She took a deep breath, ready to yell this time, but Devlin entered, accessed the situation, stuck two fingers in his mouth, and let loose with the loudest whistle she’d ever heard.
All movement, even Marta’s wagging rolling pin, stopped, and Devlin said sternly, “Ridley, Luella, Kaylyn! Listen to your lady.”
Luella and Ridley froze and were startled into silence. Kaylyn, who hadn’t been doing anything to start with looked at Devlin and grinned mischievously like she relished the thought of her sister getting into trouble. And Rosalind wasn’t going to waste the opportunity.
“Ridley, wash your face and then change your pants. Father will be here shortly to discuss the service, and you must look presentable. Luella, come here and let me fix your hair again. Kaylyn, you’re dawdling. Finish your meal and help Marta. Come, children, there’s much to do, and we are behind.”
The children sprang into action, and soon the kitchen was calm again.
Joining Devlin at the table after he’d prepared himself a plate, Rosalind smiled and thanked him. “You’ll have to teach me how to whistle like that. It was very effective.”
Devlin grinned “Yes, very effective for getting the attention of men, children, and animals of all kinds. However, I have found that girls have difficulty mastering this particular whistle technique. Perhaps we should get you a bell that you can ring loudly when the children are frolicking.” He winked.
She blushed. Her attraction to this man grew each day. “I am not sure a bell would be nearly as effective. The priest will arrive shortly. Uncle will be laid to rest, and that horrible task will be over. I know that we need word from King Charles and his rule on the matter of his death, but I am optimistic that this will all soon be over.”
“I agree. However, there is still one uncertainty that I wish I could resolve. Who weighed Edmond down in the marsh? I mean, what is the point? If anyone found his body, the death most likely would have been ruled an accident. And nothing was stolen, so there was no evidence of a crime.”
Rosalind stared down at the table for a moment. “Do you think that the king will consider this and not put the matter to rest?”
Devlin shook his head, “I do not know. The king is often unpredictable. I dare not try to predict his actions.” He reached out and covered her hand in his. “I will see you in the churchyard.” And with a nod, he abruptly left the kitchen.
Rosalind wanted to scream at him to stop, to stay with her, to take her hand, and never let go. His touch quieted the anxious thoughts in her mind and slowed her racing heart.
But that would not happen. So, she took a deep breath, said a quiet prayer, and rose from the table.
“Marta. I will be in the chapel.”
****
Rosalind hadn’t prepared the church for a service. Dry leaves that had blown in with winter winds accumulated in the corners, and the four wooden benches needed to be wiped down. The altar, however, was dusted and neat. Rosalind saw to that herself.
Edmond never frequented the small chapel; as the years passed, the priest came less and less. No, Edmond would not have wanted a funeral mass, and so she hadn’t planned one.
Rosalind moved out to the cemetery and breathed a sigh of relief. A large hole now existed where there had been grass. She was grateful. Benton was too old to complete such a chore, and she’d not made arrangements with any of the villagers to complete the task. Alden and Devlin dug the hole without being asked and without complaint.
The next hour passed quickly. Father William arrived and he sought to comfort her.
“Lady Rosalind, please accept my deepest sympathies on the loss of your uncle.”
The priest knew well the kind of man Edmond was, but still, he went through the motions as he would have with any grieving family. “Do you have any special requests for today’s Rite to Committal?”
