Page 43 of Long Live the Baron
If Lily were at home in the Abbott household, she would know which servants to press for the belowstairs gossip, but as a newcomer to this household, she could hardly accost poor Wesley with such an interrogation.
Lud! Her need to know was overwhelming, but she must ignore it.
“And my room?”
“Lord Filminster has been moved into the baronial bedroom, and your room connects. Your room has not been occupied in many years, but Mr. Michaels has replaced the bedding and we have thoroughly cleaned the rooms in anticipation of your arrival.”
Wesley came to a stop at the end of the hall, which was dimly lit by a window. From what she could see in the poor light, everything was clean, but the windows were clouded with age and thousands of cleanings, so not much light made it through. Not to mention the drapes framing the window that were faded from decades of service. Lily could not make out the carpeting, which may or may not have included a pattern in its weave.
Ridley House was long overdue for a renovation.
The footman opened the door and stepped out of the way for her. Lily tentatively entered, swinging her head from side to side. There was a large stone fireplace and a couple of cloudy windows framed by ancient drapes of a heavy fabric that made them appear to be carved out of stone. A worn rug adorned the floor, and an enormous four-poster bed boasted a cheerful coverlet in bright colors—the new bedding that Michaels had obtained, she surmised. And on the chest next to the bed lay her books, a French dictionary and her book on military strategy.
But it was the door across the room that held her attention—the one that must connect to Brendan’s room.
“The maids have unpacked your trunks.” Wesley walked over to indicate the towering ebony wardrobe. “And there is a dressing table and washstand over here. The bell is here if you need anything.”
She nodded in acknowledgment, eyeing the tall bed with concern. “Wesley, is there a bed step?”
The top of the mattress was so high it almost cleared her waist. She had severe trepidations about being able to reach it on a nightly basis without doing herself an injury.
The footman frowned, walking over to the bed to hunt around, his face slowly drifting into a pained expression. He raised a hand to rub his jaw, before finally admitting, “I do not believe I have ever seen one in the house, now that you mention it.”
Lily sighed, trying to think what to do. “Is there a spare chair I can use while steps are ordered?”
“Of course. I will bring one from another room and inform Mr. Michaels of the issue.”
“That would be excellent!” She beamed at the servant, who headed out the door. Within a few minutes, he returned to place a chair at the foot of the bed before shutting the door as he left.
Exhaling heavily, she walked around the room to explore her new home. She opened the wardrobe to find all her new gowns, along with some of her old ones. Those would definitely be donated because she had no intention of wearing them again.
Raising her fingers, she brushed her lower lip, where she could still feel the impression of Brendan’s mouth against hers. Considering her new gown had lit the flames of interest in her husband’s eyes, and she now stood a chance of making him forget the voluptuous Lady Slight, she would not risk wearing the gowns that gave her the appearance of a child. Her husband’s blunt question about her age proved the point categorically, if there had been any doubt over the matter of her attire.
Sophia’s abigail had shown her how to simply dress her hair, while her cousin was interviewing prospective lady’s maids on Lily’s behalf. If all went well, Lily would have someone to attend to her within the week, which would not be a moment too soon. She wondered if there was a maid assigned to take care of her until then.
Lily used the chair to climb onto the bed, dropping back to stare at the ceiling and think what she should do next. She would need to speak with Brendan about Ridley House’s necessary renovations, not to mention hiring a housekeeper to take care of their home. Unless he intended to use the housekeeper from Baydon Hall?
She sighed heavily. There was a lot she did not know about her new life as yet.
* * *
Brendan paced the library,not sure what to do. He had a bride upstairs, something he would need to grow accustomed to. Michaels had informed Lily that they had no housekeeper earlier, and it had rather mortified Brendan to realize that he had not taken the time to address the issue of Ridley House being shorthanded. Not to mention, was there a maid to attend to Lily?
The house had stood empty for the better part of two decades, with only Michaels and a handful of servants to take care of it until the day that Brendan had shown up and taken residence. Michaels had then added additional servants, and they had an acceptable cook, but the staff were not accustomed to having a young lady in residence. Or a lady of any age, for that matter. The staff had been merely maintaining the home and taking care of its solitary resident these past six or seven years.
What did he know of such matters? He had managed no one, simply being an heir who came and went as he pleased. He was going to need to ask questions of Halmesbury and Richard. For all intents and purposes, he might as well have been an orphan for his entire adulthood, for the amount of interaction he had had with the late baron.
Perhaps he should set a meeting with his man of business. Perhaps he should discover if he had a man of business and who that might be.
Once a quarter, he had visited the baron’s solicitors to receive his allowance, so truly he did not know. If someone specifically handled the finances, he would need to find out who that was. What did a man of business do, as opposed to the solicitors? And should he write to the incumbent steward at Baydon Hall?
Brendan groaned, running his hands through his hair and kneading his temples.
Then he walked over to the library table and sat down. He needed to make a list, and later seek the duke or Richard to gain clarity on how to proceed. It was time to pick up the pieces of his inheritance to make sense of his role. He had people depending on him, but what that meant in actual definable terms, he would need to find out.
* * *
Lily came downfor dinner wearing the same gown from that morning, deciding it was acceptable and not wanting to relinquish it after such a successful unveiling earlier that day.
