Page 18 of Lydia Acquires Adoration (Bennet Ladies Liberation #5)
Chapter Seventeen
It had been a hard morning. While Mrs. Wilson was confronting the issues they had discovered in the kitchen, Lydia was training some of the maids on how she wanted them to clean a room. Some of them had worked too long under the old housekeeper and were resistant to having to take up a more thorough manner of cleaning, but Lydia would not accept good enough in her home.
“Mrs. Burgess, we will never get everything done if you expect us to clean this way,” complained Suzanna, one of the older housemaids. Grumbling, she continued, “I knows you are a new bride wanting to impress people, but I still say the old way is good enough.”
Lydia took a deep breath and counted to ten before releasing it through pursed lips. The youngest maid, May, looked at the older two maids with wide eyes. The woman who had spoken up, Suzanna and her friend Lilly, were giving each other knowing looks. As if they felt they need to train her on what to expect. It was very possible that she would have to let them go, but she wanted to give them the opportunity to learn to do better.
Poor Ann was the fourth of the group and seemed to be only slightly younger than herself. She had barely said a word the whole morning. It seemed as if she and May would be her hardest workers. Speaking only once she knew she could keep her frustration out of her voice, Lydia said, “I can assure you that once you clean a room properly, it is much easier to keep it looking nice. That starts with getting all the grime gone, and yes, even in the corners and behind the furniture.”
It was easy to see the mulish looks on the older two maids’ faces were not going away. It was equally easy to realize that the younger ones would not speak up and would hesitate to act due to the others’ apparent seniority. So she said, “Is this room good enough for when my sister the countess comes to visit?”
Huffing, Lilly said, “Of course, should such an important figure come to visit, we would be sure to make everything presentable.”
Hands on her hips, Lydia countered, “Why would my sister deserve better treatment than the people of this household?” If she wasn’t so understaffed, she would have dismissed the two immediately for such insubordination, but she was trying to be understanding. The training they had received from Mrs. Netter was obvious in the way they spoke. She wanted to give them the opportunity to learn to do better.
Shaking her head, Suzanna spoke up this time, “Swarkstone is not Chatsworth or Pemberley. It is not grand, and Mrs. Netter always said that we should not pretend that it is more than it is.”
Forcing herself to keep her arms regally at her sides and not crossed in frustration, she asked, “And what about being able to be proud of your work? What about wanting your home to be seen in the best light?”
Suzanna shook her head, a frown on her face. “This is not our home.”
Lilly snorted and added, “It is not as if any of us will be enjoying these grand rooms.”
Lydia watched the reactions of the other two girls and found that at least she had two supporters. Ann was frowning at the pair of rebellious maids, while May’s reaction made her struggle not to laugh. With her mouth agape in shock, young May retreated from the other maid, as if anticipating a divine punishment.
Sighing, Lydia straightened her spine and stood tall, staring down at the two troublemakers. Deciding to stop mollycoddling them, she said, “By all means, speak freely. It is not as if I decide whether or not you will stay employed here.” That had the two women looking at each other, eyes wide with concern. “As of this moment, you are both only here on a trial basis. If by the end of the month you have not improved both in attitude and ability to follow my or Mrs. Wilson’s instruction, you will be let go. Perhaps you will be able to find an employer willing to accept good enough .”
It was during that confrontation that the boy she had stationed at the front door in case of visitors came rushing in, out of breath. He cried, “Missus, there is an older gentleman here demanding to be seen. The toff is not at all happy. He gave me this card.”
The card read Augustus Burgess, Viscount Trowbridge. Sebastian’s father had come calling. Running her hand over her hair, she pulled the kerchief off her head and hoped that she looked at least remotely presentable. Shaking out her skirts, she looked at the maids and said, “Viscount Trowbridge is here to visit my husband. Ann and May, please go to the best guest room and prepare it for his lordship’s stay. You know what I need you to do.” Both girls gave little curtsies and scurried out of the room. Turning to Suzanna and Lilly, she said, “Go to the small dining room and work on it until it shines. If I spot one speck of dust or grime when we have dinner this evening, you will not last until the end of the month.”
Lilly nodded and turned to go, but Suzanna got a mulish look on her face and said, “But you don’t have enough maids as it is. You can lose two good works without the house falling down around you.”
“I would not test my fortitude.” Glaring at the woman she was already tired of working with, Lydia said, “Now go!” As the woman departed, Lydia's words were barely audible, a quiet murmur to herself. “While I go meet my father-in-law.”
“I asked to see my son, not the housekeeper,” Augustus exclaimed angrily, looking down at the woman before him. She was younger than any housekeeper had a right to be with blonde hair and blue eyes. Had his son foolishly hired her for her looks? Her dress was mussed with grime, and he assumed that he had pulled her away from some onerous chore.
“Yes, My Lord, I know, but he is seeing to estate business. I have had him summoned.” Huffing and rolling his eyes, Augustus was uncertain he could handle much more stupidity from his son. Sebastian was the son of a viscount. He did not need to be out in the field seeing to things himself. He was supposed to have people to see to things for him. Unaware of his line of thought, the woman kept speaking. “I am having a room prepared for you as we speak.”
Shaking his head, he put his hands on his hips, ready to scold the obviously incompetent housekeeper. “Very shoddy, not having a room for guests ready. Do you know nothing of running a proper household?”
The woman blinked once before saying, “If I did not know how to run a household, I would not have had two maids go to our best room to prepare it for our unexpected guest. Who arrived, I may add, three days after we arrived ourselves? I may not know much, but I do know that it is common curtesy to allow a family time to settle into a new home before invading.” Smiling boldly, she added, “If I did not know how to run a household, you would have been tuned away until I had the chance to confer with my husband.”
Sneering at the woman before him, Augustus said, “And just who is your husband that you would talk to him regarding a guest as important as myself?” He had expected her to cower or simper at his scold, but she surprised him by maintaining her composure.
She stood tall, resolute in her bearing. Just who was this woman that she did not show him the proper deference? Her attitude, or lack thereof, did not match the expectations of a servant, especially one in a higher position. But what could he expect? His son had never taken his lessons to heart. He would have to explain to the boy that she had to be let go.
“It would be more productive to assist you in getting settled rather than talking about my husband.” Gesturing for him to follow her, she walked to a nearby parlor and stood at the doorway. Driven by habit and the longing for respite after endless days on the road, he continued forward ungraciously, yearning to find a place to sit down without the movement of a carriage. As he entered the room, he heard her say, “I am sure you would like to sit down after your long journey. Make yourself comfortable. Dinner is to be served in two hours, but if you are hungry now, I can have a little something brought to you. Your room should be ready in short order. Once you make yourself comfortable here, I will check on it myself.”
Collapsing on a nearby chair, Augustus allowed himself a moment to enjoy the comfort before turning and glaring at the impudent woman. “I only desire to see my son.”
“I am sure he will come and find you as soon as he is able. I will send a maid to escort you to your room when it is ready.” Her dress may have been dirty, and she may have been a mere servant, but her curtsy was executed with exquisite elegance. Who was this woman that she could not give him the respect that he deserved but knew exactly the type of curtsy to give a visiting viscount?
Sebastian rushed to the house after helping fix the roof of the Clarke’s cottage. He knew that his father might cause problems, but he had expected his wrath in the form of a sternly worded letter. He had never imagined that his father would travel all the way from Northumberland. Viscount Trowbridge hated traveling, and it had to have been at least a week’s journey by carriage. His father would be in a very foul mood indeed.
Making it to the house, Sebastian considered changing before he went to speak with his father but decided that the added delay would only make him angrier. Walking through the house, he did not run into any staff who might know where his father was. With the state of the guest rooms, he knew that his father unexpectedly showing up meant he could not be shown to a room to change or rest. So he searched for his father in the nicer rooms near the front entrance.
He found him in the second room he checked, though on spotting him, he felt like turning around and leaving him there. Just from viewing his posture, it was obvious that he was furious. Straightening his shoulders, he walked into the room and said, “Hello, Father. What an unexpected visit.”
This had his father vaulting from his chair and turning to confront him. Striding towards Sebastian, he chided, “Really, Sebastian, were you out working in the fields? I wrote to tell you to leave this place be. But no, the next thing I know, I get another letter saying you are following through with your foolish plan to marry some unknown girl in order to take up the care of your sister’s child. I hurry to Pemberley, only to learn that the marriage has taken place, and you have come here of all places. This is utter madness!”
Sebastian watched as his father gasped for breath after his tirade. He had not seen him since he was twenty-one and they had had a great row over his father trying to force Selene to marry a titled cad. It appeared as if the intervening year had not been kind to his father. He seemed to have aged a decade instead of only a couple of years, and with the shade of red his father was turning, Sebastian was starting to fear for his father’s health.
Regardless of his fears for his father, Sebastian knew that he could not in good conscience back down, not when there was so much resting on standing firm. Taking a breath, Sebastian tried to let go of his frustration before saying, “As I am now married and have become Clara’s guardian, it is only fitting that I am here caring for her estate. I am sorry you went out of your way to try to stop it. You are more than welcome to stay here for a time to rest and recover from such an arduous journey.”
This did not seem to appease his father at all. With his breath somewhat back, he shouted, “You do not need to be caring for an estate that is not yours. You will get Trowbridge when I pass as well as our satellite estates in Scotland. Besides, I am certain someone else could see to your sister’s offspring. She is only a girl, after all, and will not even be a credit to our name. You know how much I disapprove of throwing good after the bad. This estate is obviously run-down, and the staff are apparently incapable of showing the appropriate deference.”
Sebastian wondered who it was that had greeted his father. He would have to find out and apologize. His father was never capable of remaining civil after a long journey, not that it was any excuse for bad behavior. It did not help that it was obvious that his father had been looking to chastise him and would have been upset at the delay.
The maid walking into the room saved him from further argument. Turning to the girl, he struggled to remember her name for a moment before saying, “Yes, Ann?”
Ann smiled at him briefly and bobbed a curtsy. “Mrs. Burgess sent me to escort the viscount to his room now that it is ready.”
“Thank you, Ann,” said Sebastian. Turning back to his father, he said, “I am sorry for the delay, but now that your room is ready, why don’t you take some time to relax and recover from your journey? I can send someone to escort you to dinner. We can discuss matters afterwards.”
Though his father’s glare never wavered, his voice did remain civil as he said, “Very well. I will see you at dinner. I will meet the girl you married at that time.” Turning with a disgruntled air, he followed the timid maid.
Sighing, Sebastian ran his hand through his hair. At least his father did not approve of airing family issues in front of staff, otherwise he would have continued on with his castigation. Looking down at his dirty clothes, Sebastian decided that a bath and a change of clothes were in order before he had to face his father again. Hopefully, there would not be an issue with getting hot water. With the state of the kitchen, he did not know.
Lydia watched in the mirror as Oakley worked to put her hair in some semblance of order and refinement. Her dress was not her best, but was much nicer than she would normally wear at a family dinner. Despite her poor beginning, she did want to impress her father-in-law. She had not intended to have their first meeting go so poorly and part of her wanted to make up for it. The other part of her wanted to rub her elegance and beauty in his face.
She knew she had not handled meeting her father-in-law for the first time the best, but the man’s attitude had rubbed her the wrong way. She could forgive him for mistaking her for the housekeeper. After all, she was dirty from crawling around on floors and dusting mantelpieces. What she could not forgive, at least at the moment, was how condescending he was. Had she been the housekeeper and not the mistress of the house, his attitude would still be unacceptable.
Despite the prevailing belief that it was acceptable to treat others condescendingly, Lydia firmly rejected this viewpoint. Somehow, she would have to make the viscount see he could not behave in such a manner in her home. Of course, she did not want to upset Sebastian by angering his father, but there had to be a way to get her point across while being civil.
After she had put the last touches to his room, she had sent Ann down to collect him and check on the dining room. She only hoped he was civil to the maid. Mrs. Wilson was already informed about his arrival, and she was helping the cook to turn their simple dinner into something that would suit the viscount. She would have enough time to say hello to Clara before going down to dinner. Maybe spending some time with Clara would cool her ire.
The little playroom that Clara spent most of her time in now was in the same hall as the master and mistress suite. So as soon as Oakley was finished making her look presentable, Lydia walked a few doors down to check in on Clara. Peeking in the room, Lydia spotted the girl in her nursemaid’s lap being rocked as she was read to. It was reassuring to see that Clara was becoming so comfortable with Nurse Harris.
Making her way into the room, she asked, “What story are you reading?”
Clara looked up from gazing at the pages that Lydia knew she could not read and smiled. She glanced at her nurse before refocusing on Lydia and whispered, “A tale about a girl in red and a wolf.”
Lydia was so happy that she wanted to dance. It had been a struggle to get Clara to say much at all, but it was becoming easier with every day. Not wanting to startle Clara, Lydia only smiled and said, “That sounds very interesting. I would stay and listen myself, but I must go down and have dinner with your uncle. Would you mind doing me a favor, Clara?”
Eyes wide, Clara nodded, sending her curls bouncing. She whispered, “Yes.”
Leaning down so that she was closer to Clara, she asked, “Will you pay careful attention so that you can tell me the story in the morning? I would love to hear what happens on an adventure that involves a wolf.” Lydia met the nurse’s eyes and was happy to see the way they crinkled.
Nodding her head again, Clara said, “I will pay attention and tell you in the morning.”
“Wonderful. Now I have to go down to dinner. How do you think I look?” Turning in a circle, Lydia showed off her dress to the pair.
“Beautiful.” Clara’s comment was slightly more than a whisper this time.
Kissing Clara on the cheek, Lydia said, “Thank you for the compliment, my dear. Let’s hope that your uncle agrees with you.” Lydia mouthed thank you to nurse Harris before leaving the room and walking down to find her husband and father-in-law.
She was there in no time at all. Holding her head high, Lydia entered the parlor where she knew Sebastian and her father-in-law were waiting for dinner to be announced. As she walked in, she observed the pair for a moment before they realized she was in the room. The viscount was stalking about the room like a caged beast and though he did not speak, his glare said a lot about his displeasure. Turning her gaze to her husband, Lydia did not like the slump of Sebastian’s shoulders. It seemed that his father had not been kind. That just would not do. Placing a practiced smile on her face, Lydia said, “I hope you have not been waiting for me.”
Without hesitation, Sebastian hurried to her side and firmly held her hand in his own. She was unsure whether he did it out of concern for her needing support or out of his own need for it. Kissing her on the cheek, he said, “You are just in time.”
The viscount, on the other hand, shouted, “You!”