The prospective butlers had arrived and she’d been cautious as she spoke with them, trying to size them up and committing the details to her memory, then showing them to Addison’s library.
As soon as the second one left, she moved outdoors, finding the space in the rear of the house empty.
The walled garden was small, possibly less than half the size of the one below the rooms she’d shared with her husband, but that spot had been merely untended grasses shaded by overgrown shrubbery. This one spoke of serenity.
One large tree dominated a corner, shading it. Underneath, two benches faced each other, an alcove which encouraged visitors. A matching table sat between them. Stones were inset into the ground, with the soil surrounding them only visible enough to let a few tiny sprigs of grass grow, except at the perimeter where plants of various sizes and shapes flourished. Then she noticed portions of the walls were offset, possibly to welcome breezes.
Addison strode from the house. ‘My favourite spot to be when the weather is good, but it seems I never have enough time to enjoy it,’ he said. ‘Mostly only Sunday afternoons.’
‘It’s lovely. A room—with foliage to enfold you and sky for the ceiling.’
‘Caldwell tends it for me. It was nothing more than grass when I moved here, with a pen for chickens in the corner. One overgrown hedge surrounding. I didn’t have plans to change it. But when I started on the interior of the house, Caldwell said it would be a shame to ignore this area. I told him to do whatever he wished with it.’
‘He did well.’ A breeze brushed her face as she contemplated her surroundings.
‘He always does. He’s exemplary. Much more than a coachman,’ he said. ‘He’s advised me several times. Somehow, I can’t see either of the men I spoke with today joining the staff seamlessly. One had worked in a much more affluent house and I couldn’t see him adjusting to here and I didn’t take to the other at all.’
She almost stumbled in her surprise. Her trip up the stairs to his room had taken longer than it took for Addison to discuss the decision with her.
He must have read her astonishment because he laughed. ‘I didn’t expect to make up my mind so fast. But the last two manservants have made me wary.’ He strode to the alcove and she followed.
‘Perhaps I could find a temporary assistant for a few evenings,’ he said as he dusted a few twigs from the bench. ‘I am hoping to have a guest. I want someone here to at least answer the door and show him to the sitting room. It’s extremely important. Though I don’t know how I could find a decent butler for a short job, if I can’t find one for a longer one. The coachman would agree to do it, but he would be uncomfortable if I tasked him with it.’
He studied her. ‘Sophia, make another short night of it. I don’t want you doing any chores late into the night. I can tell you’re not getting enough rest.’
‘I’m sleeping well.’
‘I can imagine. Because you’re so tired after doing all the cleaning.’
He watched her, his expression not condemning, but telling her she’d been caught out. ‘And you must take some time away from work soon. You must.’
She couldn’t answer.
‘I’m not angry with you. Merely concerned that things go in the correct direction.’
He undid the buttons on his coat. ‘And ask Cook if she can spare the scullery servant to help you, but assure her she knows it’s her decision. Perhaps it will be easier to replace her than a maid and the scullery girl might prefer different duties. You are doing too much.’
She’d never expected the master of a house to think of the lowliest servant. She’d not even envisioned asking if the young woman would be interested in different duties.
He held out a palm to indicate she sit on the other bench and she did, unable to resist the respite. She’d no idea one could create such an inviting garden.
‘This is so lovely,’ she admitted.
‘Well, if you see me out here, don’t be surprised by my reading material. Beldon used to collect the scandal rags for me, though he would insert an equal number of more reputable newspapers. But I relax here on Sunday evenings when the weather is good and peruse them. I know not to believe most of what’s written in the lesser sheets, but it can be entertaining.’
He looked heavenwards. ‘I tell myself it’s business to know what’s going on in the world, but it does get to be a habit.’
She turned her head and pressed her lips together, wondering if he remembered the story in the papers about Ophelia.
‘Don’t judge me harshly for my weakness.’ He laughed his words away, and she grasped he misinterpreted her response. ‘I’ve left my serious vices behind and decided it’s a much better failing to read about others in the rags than to see my own name mentioned there.’
She tapped her fingertips on her skirt. ‘I cannot imagine you ever doing anything to be mentioned in such horrid papers. Please, can we talk of something else?’
‘Don’t be upset for me. In the past, I’ve done enough to deserve my name there. I’m far from perfect. Guessing by the stories, few are. If my family is mentioned, I like to know of it. That’s how I found out my father planned to marry again. And it’s nice to know these things.’
She interlaced her fingers, unsure of what to say.
He loosened his cravat. ‘It was better than reading the wager in the betting books about whether I would die before my twenty-fifth birthday.’
She put a hand to her mouth. ‘Unthinkable.’
He shrugged. ‘I took the wager. And lost. I don’t have to win every time. Just enough.’
She wasn’t certain he didn’t wink at her.
‘And the day of my birthday, I worked from home and went to sleep early.’ He stood, took off his coat, draped it over his left arm and said, ‘Now, I must get back to the important papers awaiting me in the library. They’re not nearly as interesting as the latest on dits, but relaxing in their own way.’
She stood and dusted the wrinkles from her skirt, walking beside him as they returned to the house. ‘I would have thought you would have bet the other way on the wager.’
He moved purposefully so she couldn’t read his expression.
‘I generally consider as many facts as I have available before making a decision. I came closer to winning that one than I would have liked.’
He paused and took her arm to guide her inside. She thought the touch was to comfort himself.
‘I’m pleased you lost,’ she said, capturing his clasp briefly, and giving it a light squeeze. ‘I need the employment.’
‘I’m pleased to be here to provide it,’ he admitted. ‘Very pleased.’