Page 45 of Catching Lady Theo
“Good morning.” A thought struck her. “Are you to act as my personal footman?” All her sisters had one during the Season, but hers had not yet been assigned.
“I am, my lady. I hope you will be pleased.”
He had a lilt she was certain she recognized. “Welsh?”
“Yes, my lady. I served in the Sixteenth Royal Carnarvon Rifle Corps.”
“What is your name?”
“Jones, my lady.”
“Excellent. You may have a seat while his grace and I do our work.”
She led Chandos to the rectangular table so that he could sit next to her while they reviewed the contract. “As you can see, this is the contract for Charlie’s secretary.”
Chandos appeared surprised. “Did you draft this?”
Theo wished she could have said yes. “No. I did sit in on the meeting when it was drafted. I made copies of all the contracts from Stanwood and anyone else who would give them to me. When we attain the age of sixteen, we begin visiting our married sisters to learn how different estates are managed and the challenges in different parts of the kingdom.”
“It almost sounds like an apprenticeship. How did it come about?”
“I suppose it is, in a manner of speaking.” She was surprised he was interested. “I was quite young when the system developed. As I understand it, after Louisa, Charlotte, and Dotty wed they were writing to and meeting with Grace about running the different households and estates. At some point early on, they decided it would be helpful to the rest of us to be able to have practical experience on something other than our home estates.”
He leaned back in the chair. “Have you gone to Scotland?”
Theo resisted a chuckle. “Indeed. Unlike with my other sisters, who just had to establish that they knew what they were doing, Alice had a more difficult time. They called her a Sassenach, which means English in Gaelic, and it is not meant in a good way. She had to prove she was much stronger than she looked and more stubborn than they were. At one point, one of the servants—” No, that was not technically correct. “You have to understand that everyone who works in the house is actually a family member of some kind. So, they are not the usual type of servant. In any event, one of them was rude to her, and she took him by the ear and marched him to where she wanted him to be and told him he’d not get dinner if he did not finish the chore to her satisfaction.”
Chandos raised a skeptical brow. “And did he?”
“Not to her satisfaction, no. She refused to allow him in the hall to dine and told the kitchen staff and others that if they fed him, they would receive the same treatment. That did the trick.” A different footman brought a tea tray and Theo poured. “The man was one who, apparently, challenged everyone.”
“I gather she is now established.”
“Yes. They treat her as if she is one of them.” She glanced at the contract. “Let us go through this.”
They spent the next hour poring through the terms.
Chandos’s black brows pulled together as he read. “When the period of employment ends, is it usual for the salary to remain the same?”
Theo was glad he was paying attention. “I suppose some do. In our family we like to keep our servants and employees. Therefore, we raise their wages. For the regular servants there is an increase built into the contracts. When it comes to employees, it is negotiated in the new contract.
“It is?” He put his elbow on the table and cradled his chin in his hand. “Why? Why not do it with the servants as well?”
That was an excellent question. “My understanding is that one reason is there are many more servants than employees, and employees have more agency. They are, after all at the very least gentry. Some, such as Mr. Whiting, are part of the aristocracy. Also, their duties are more likely to vary from employment period to employment period.”
Straightening, he nodded. “I can see that. Such as, at the present time, I will have my secretary do what I perceive are the most necessary tasks. Yet, as time goes on, he will take on more assignments.”
“Exactly.” This was surprisingly enjoyable. She never actually considered that Chandos thought about anything but himself. Yet, Theo had been wrong. He was, in fact, rather impressive. “An example is when Charlie had his secretary come to Town to obtain the special license.”
“I remember that.” Chandos pulled a sheet of foolscap over to him, picked up a pencil and made several notes, then slid it over to her. “This is what I believe I will need immediately and in the near future.”
Open, read, and sort correspondence.
Discuss with me the contents.
Reduce to writing my responses.
Keep my calendar, send copies to my mother, valet, butler, and anyone else I designate.
