Page 71 of Daisy and the Duke
“She is gone, as are a few trunks and the carriage and the pair of chestnuts. The chestnuts were our best horses.”
Tristan scowled, and Daisy knew why. She hadn’t dreamed that the woman would be so cowardly as to flee.
“We must locate the vicar,” Mrs. Bloomfield said suddenly. “Though it may be too late.”
“Blast, you’re right!”
Tristan ordered one of the men nearby to ride to the village immediately. But Daisy already had a sinking feeling that Hornthwaite would be gone as well.
But then she decided that she could only do what was in her own power to do. So that very day, she set about making Rutherford Grange a proper home once more. She and Tristan had discussed the fate of the Grange, and agreed that the two estates could be more effectively managed as one for the time being, with Daisy offering discreet supervision to a new manager. Tristan, rather brilliantly, suggested that the house itself could serve as a school…until such a time when one of Tristan and Daisy’s heirs would take possession of it, just as a tier would eventually take on Lyondale for their own. This vision of the future was so dazzling that Daisy had nearly wept with joy.
The maids showed great zeal in packing the dowager’s things out of her suite and moving Daisy’s few items in. They cleaned the room and fluffed pillows and lit a huge fire in the fireplace to air the room out.
Daisy walked through each room with Eliza, who wrote down every little thing that Daisy wanted to be attended to.
“We’ll need more staff, my lady. The baroness—not you,her—let so many go over the years.”
“I shall correct that,” Daisy said. “The Grange deserves to shine again. Let it be known in the village that I want to hire several servants. Maids, footmen, stablehands, others too. They can come tomorrow morning and I’ll interview them.”
“You, your ladyship? That’s a job for the housekeeper.”
“Ah, but we don’t have a housekeeper yet!”
“Elaine should be housekeeper,” Eliza said. “She does it all anyway.”
“So she does! I’ll ask her if she’ll accept the position.”
They came to Bella’s room. With a sigh, Daisy pushed the door open. She was sad that she couldn’t have at least spoken to Bella one last time. She had seemed truly shocked at her mother’s actions.
“Who’s there?” someone asked. “Is it morning? I didn’t sleep all night.”
Daisy went still at hearing a voice from the darkened room.
“Bella?” she asked. “They left you?”
“Left me?” Bella sat up in bed, awake all at once. “Who left? What’s happened?”
Daisy explained it to her while Eliza ran to fetch a tray of toast and strong tea. Bella was completely unaware of her mother’s plans, and horrified to hear that she had been abandoned without a word.
“She’s gone?” Bella kept repeating at intervals, staring at nothing while she hugged her knees. “Is she going to send for me? What am I to do?”
As the day went on, it was discovered that both Mr. Hornthwaite and the dowager were indeed long gone, along with the rest of the church funds, and several remaining valuable items from the Grange. The duke sent riders along all the roads in search of them, and notified the magistrate of the situation. Daisy wasn’t sure she even wanted them found, though.
As Daisy and a few other servants suspected, the dowager had been selling off items to fund the creation of her and Bella’s wardrobe, as part of her plan to marry Bella off to the highest titled gentleman she could find. It was further discovered that the dowager and the vicar had been lovers for years, a fact which Daisy hoped she could magically forget as soon as possible.
That chapter in her life was better off closed forever.
The new chapter was much fancier than she’d been used to. Within a few days, she found herself with a lady’s maid hired from nearby, who managed to retool the old baroness’s abandoned wardrobe into several lovely items for Daisy. Bella showed no interest in acquiring a lady’s maid of her own, or in visitors, or in anything. Daisy was growing worried about her continuing melancholy. Her shock was understandable, but Bella seemed to be bracing for yet another blow.
There was only one more task Daisy had to do, which was to visit Tabitha and tell her all that happened. She managed to slip away one afternoon and stroll through the quiet woods. A few birds called in the upper branches, and a squirrel pursued her suspiciously, but other than that, Daisy was alone.
To think that she’d once feared being lonely while walking through these same woods not long ago! Now she had all the company she could manage, and the most desired suitor in England visiting her every day. She sang under her breath, utterly pleased with the way things turned out.
Then she saw Tabitha’s cottage, and hurried toward it, calling her friend’s name.
The old lady opened the door and leaned out. “What’s this? Thought we spirited you away from here, girl.”
“You did, but I’m back, and oh, Tabitha, everything is grand!”
