Page 55 of Murder at Donwell Abbey

“My darling, I willalwayslisten to you. Never fear that I won’t.”

Emma poked a gentle finger into his cravat. “I will hold you to that promise, husband.”

“Please do. And speaking of promises, I would ask that you bring any further rumors you might hear on this matter directly to me.” He raised his eyebrows. “Not to Mrs. Weston, and certainly not to Miss Bates.”

She widened her eyes, trying to look innocent. “I’ll do my best, dearest, I promise.”

With a long-suffering sigh, her husband took her hand and led her off to bed.

CHAPTER12

For the second time in a just a few minutes, Larkins failed to respond to Emma’s question. From the gloomy frown that marked his countenance, whatever mental paths he was wandering along were not happy ones.

She exchanged a worried glance with Mrs. Hodges, who was seated next to Larkins on the other side of George’s desk. Since George was out at a vestry meeting, Emma had commandeered his library to meet with the senior staff to discuss the upcoming changes at Donwell.

So far, it had been something of a slog.

“Mr. Larkins, what do you think of Mrs. Hodges’s suggestion?”

He slowly raised his head, as if coming out of a trance. Then his gaze sharpened, and he dredged up a travesty of a smile. The poor man looked quite worn down. His gaze was shadowed and his normally ruddy complexion had turned pallid.

“Forgive me, Mrs. Knightley. What was the suggestion again?”

“We were discussing the possibility of renovating the old butler’s room and using it as an office for Mrs. Knightley,” Mrs. Hodges patiently replied.

Larkins nodded. “It’s a convenient location, close to the kitchen and service rooms. It’s rather small, though, Mrs. Knightley. The old family breakfast parlor might do nicely instead, since it’s also near the service rooms. There’s a bit of wood rot so it’ll need some work, but nothing that can’t be fixed.”

Emma shook her head. “I fully intend to convert that parlor into the family dining room. Then the servants won’t be required to traverse half the house with our meals. Mr. Knightley might be indifferent to properly heated food, but I find myself strangely attached to the notion of hot soup.”

Her comment finally won her a reluctant smile from Larkins. “That’s a fine idea, Mrs. Knightley. It’s well situated for that purpose.”

“The butler’s room will do nicely for me as an office. As long as the fireplace doesn’t smoke, I shall be quite satisfied.”

Larkins nodded. “I’ll discuss plans with the village carpenter first thing tomorrow. Do you want me to draw up some plans for the parlor, as well?”

“Yes, please. The sooner the better.”

Aside from the tepid soup, Emma was growing rather tired of Donwell’s meals in general. Mrs. Hodges did her best with the one kitchen maid, but it was time to hire a proper cook. Emma made a note in her pocketbook, and then perused the rest of her list. While there was much work to be done to properly fit up the house, the cellars, the service rooms, and the pantries took priority.

“I think that’s all for now,” she said, glancing up from her list. “I do want to have a good look at the cellars and the attics. Mr. Knightley tells me that they’ve been rather neglected, so I think it makes sense to start there.”

Especially since she intended to use them to store some of the rather ghastly and outdated furniture that populated several rooms in the abbey. Though they were part of Donwell’s history, there was no reason to put up with a creaky, moth-eaten bed that family lore suggested had once been slept in by Queen Anne.

Larkins frowned. “I wouldn’t recommend spending time in those old cellars, ma’am. Very cold they are at this time of year, and they can be quite damp at times.”

She found that surprising. “I had hoped to expand their use for cold storage for food. I understand they were originally used as such.”

“Not since the old master’s time,” said Mrs. Hodges. “Seeing as the household has been so much smaller for years, there’s been no need for them.”

“That seems a great waste,” Emma replied.

“They can be restored to their original purpose with some work, ma’am,” said Larkins. “Just tell me what needs doing, and I’ll see to it.”

Emma nodded. “I will—once I’ve inspected them for myself.”

She was determined to familiarize herself with the abbey from top to bottom. It was her home now, and she wanted to know everything there was about the old place.

Larkins shook his head. “It’ll not be pleasant for you, ma’am. You might catch your death a cold, and then what would Mr. Knightley say?”