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“I would hardly have called them such when you were living at home. And now that you’re a duchess? I must grimace at the very thought.”

“Well, what would you have me do?”

“I should think the answer would be that it is rather obvious. I would propose we take today and go out on a little excursion.”

“Penelope! I can hardly just go shopping.”

Why not?”

“It isn’t my money for one.”

“Yes, it is. You are the Duchess of Danton. You have seen the books. You can’t tell me you don’t have discretionary funds in it.”

“I do, but-”

“Then what is the harm? Come now. You know you want to. What is the harm, really?”

“Well, I…” she trailed off.

“ Please, just for a bit. I promise that if you aren’t having a good time we can come straight back.”

“Oh, very well. I suppose there isn’t any real harm in it.”

She lit up. “Oh, wonderful! Do you want to go get the carriage or shall we take mine?”

“I suppose it doesn’t make a difference.”

And so, only a short time later, Rebecca found herself somewhere she had never been before.

The dressmaker.

She is in awe of the experience, it is almost overwhelming. In the end, she only gets two dresses. As she pays, she can hardly believe she indulged in such a luxury.

Once they returned to her new home, she said a pleasant goodbye to Penelope and headed inside.

The second she was through the door, she raced off to find Mrs. Anderson. She wasn’t hard to find, walking down the hall as she checked on the other maid.

“Hellen,” Rebecca lit up. “I need your help with a few things.”

“Well, I am glad to see you in such a pleasant mood. Did visiting with your friend help?”

“It did. Thank you so much for suggesting.”

“I’m glad. Can I ask what she suggested?”

“She said I should just focus on making the estate into some place I can be happy to call my home.”

“I think that sounds like a great start. What can I do to help?”

She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. “I want to do a bit of redecorating. I was hoping you could show me through some of the rooms you thought might be a good place to startand take some notes for me. I understand if you don’t have time.”

“If you want to do all that, it might be time to find you a lady’s maid, but I would be happy to help you for a bit today.”

“Oh, thank you. Please let me know if I am taking too much of your time.”

“I will. Now, why don’t we start with your parlor.”

The pair spent a few hours going through a few rooms. They didn’t make any major changes. Rebecca was hesitant to do anything that required purchasing new furnishings or drapes.