Clarendon Estate (The Sinclair Society, Book Three) Rough Draft

Chapter Six

Dressing myself in the morning was a task I had become proficient at in the last few months. Though I had been without a personal maid since the death of my parents, my great-aunt had been good enough to allow her maid, Carter, to assist me. In the Burnham household, one of the other maids had assisted me. When I'd joined the Dunbar house in Bath, however, I'd had to learn how to tie my stays on my own.

After I secured my hair in a low chignon, I walked to the small window and looked out. A low fog still clung to the grass, and the sun was just peeking over the horizon. There was a peacefulness in the morning that I appreciated as I grew accustomed to rising early in the morning.

Taking a deep breath, I turned away and walked out of my room. It was easier to simply begin my work than to think about how much I had to do.

When I entered the kitchen for Lady Leith's tray, I found the usual chaos to be more hectic than any other day. Cook, a rail thin woman of uncertain age, barely glanced at me as she said, "On the table, Miss Nelson. And I trust her ladyship will not find fault in it."

"Lady Leith has never found fault with her tea and toast," I felt obliged to say. I'd never seen lady Leith send back an untouched tray, and certainly she had never complained about what the cook made. Why the sudden fear that she would?

"And she's never ordered Mr. Stone to dismiss two maids and a footman either," Mrs. Horner said as she rushed into the room. "It was good of her to ensure they received their full quarter wages, but to have them depart immediately has left us shorthanded."

Fanny, the maid I saw the most of, brushed past me. "Shorthanded with a party approaching," she said boldly. "I don't understand why my lady would do such a thing to us."

Lady Leith had taken my advice after all? When she had insisted that it was not the time to make drastic changes to the household? "No reason was given for the dismissals?" I asked, astonished.

"Her ladyship doesn't need to give a reason. She is the mistress of this house," Mrs. Horner said, her tone sharp. Her eyes held a warning that I didn't understand. "What she did say informed me that some of the servants had become lax in their duties."

"One thing is for sure, the Dowager is going to be a dragon about it," Cook commented, banging her spon against the rim of a pot. "If she doesn't bring down the roof when she finds out, I will eat my spoon."

"I thought Mr. Stone was going to be the one to put up a fuss," Fanny spoke up. "He was in a fury last night."

"Fanny Kelly, that's enough out of you!" Mrs. Horner said, her tone scolding. "You're not paid to give an opinion, so you'd best keep it to yourself."

Bowing my head to hide my conflicted, I carried the tray out of the busy kitchen. I was both pleased and confused. What had made Lady Leith change her mind so suddenly? When I assisted her right before bed, she'd said nothing and I hadn't dared approach the subject again.

She was already sitting up in her bed when I entered the bedchamber. "We have three days before our guests begin to arrive," she said without any preamble. "I suppose Mrs. Horner will not thank me for disrupting the household as I have done."

"She had nothing untoward to say while I was in her presence," I said, setting her tray down on her lap. I walked to the windows and drew the curtains open. "I have every confidence in her ability to organize the household."

Lady Leith made a sound that sounded suspiciously like an unladylike snort. "Well, she wouldn't say anything in front of you, would she."

Suppressing the urge to laugh, I turned and gave a nod. "No, she wouldn't, my lady. I will leave you to your chocolate."

To my surprise, she was frowning down at her tray. "Nelson, take this away. I have no appetite this morning."