“That was very kind of him.”
“I know it’s not done in other houses,” she began defensively.
“I don’t care how others run their homes. I will not turn you out because you’re married, not as long as your work is satisfactory.” She didn’t say anything else, hating to leave a threat hanging, but knowing she had to. “Your oldest daughter did not wish to work here?” she continued when the silence lengthened.
“She did, ma’am, but then she decided to marry.”
Audrey could hear the rolling pin hitting the wooden table hard, as if Mrs. Sanford was really emphasizing her work—or emphasizing how busy she was, too busy to talk.
“I haven’t met her yet. Will she be coming by the house?”
“Mayhap. She’s busy with her boy.”
“Let her know I’d like to meet her, please. I’ll leave you to your cooking and look forward to dinner. I’ll eat with Molly.”
She’d almost reached the door when Mrs. Sanford said, “Ma’am?”
“Yes?”
“You always take good care of Molly, like she’s more than a servant.”
“She is, to me.”
“I—appreciate it.”
“Um … thank you.” Audrey left the kitchen, feeling bewildered and unsatisfied. There was a mystery she needed to discover, and it wouldn’t help to let her whole staff go for their insolence. And Mrs. Sanford’s words made Audrey hope for the future. Or was the family’s conduct because ofMr.Sanford? She seldom encountered him, since he only did occasional work inside the house. Perhaps she would have to make an effort to converse with him. She’d been meaning to ride Erebus …
Robert arrivedhome just as dusk was settling over the land like a gray cloud, and fog darted its fingers around trees and hedges. Knightsbridge Hall stood sentinel, its hundreds of windows still shimmering with the last of the setting sun. It was a rectangular mansion, with a courtyard in the center for unloading passengers. There was a family wing, a bachelor wing,servants’ wing, and gilded public rooms in front that would have done the Queen proud.
And he was the only one who lived there. He almost found himself wishing for poor relations who needed to be housed. There were dozens of servants, of course, and they were good people. But he could already see that he would be spending more time in London—until he had a family of his own to liven the place up.
Again, he realized the similarities between Audrey and him. She was alone in a house of servants, too, but it was how she wanted it. She wanted independence and freedom, and she had Molly, of course, her dear friend.
Robert had his own friends, the ones he’d bonded with in India—Blackthorne and Rothford—but both of them were trying to make amends to the families of the other two soldiers who’d died in that dreaded battle. He was looking forward to hearing their stories, but he knew it might not be until the opening of Parliament in January.
There would be other friends from his youth, now gentlemen and peers in their own right, to reestablish ties with. He had much to look forward to.
But now? All he wanted to do was be with Audrey, where he felt useful and needed. It was time to visit his own tenants, but would that even be the same without her? He liked being her eyes, helping her to see the world. Because she’d been so sheltered, she had the wonder of a child.
So he spent the next day on a tour of his own large estate. He couldn’t even meet a quarter of the tenants in one day, but it was a start. He came away with a clearer understanding of what had been going on the last nine years, and some changes he wanted to make, enlarging cottages and improving the lives of his farmers. There was enough of a demand for housing that he could build more homes, as well.
But there was so much he didn’t know! He’d spent years being in command, and now to come home and simply allow others to oversee everything was just wrong. Surely he could find a medium ground, where he had his hands on the reigns, but allowed his people to do the work he’d hired them for. Visiting with the tenants made him see that people wanted to know he cared, that he was involved.
Throughout the day, he’d found himself thinking about what Audrey might say, how the people would react to her warmth and caring. He wondered what she was doing, if she spent the day nursing Molly or exploring her home. He had been trying to keep an emotional distance between them, but it just wasn’t working.
Robert’sgood intentions faded when he saw Audrey the next morning. Once again, the door was unmanned, and he walked into her entrance hall unannounced. He would have tracked down Francis, but knew she wouldn’t be pleased at his interference. He found her in the study reading one of her embossed books. He was five steps inside before she gave a start of surprise.
“So much for your vaunted ability to tell people apart,” he teased.
“Good morning, Robert,” she said, slowly smiling her pleasure.
And it was pleasure. She was happy to see him. “So maybe we need a signal so you’ll know it’s me.”
“You could knock,” she answered dryly. “In some cultures, that is the signal someone has arrived.”
“We could have different signals for different things,” he said, ignoring her common sense. “The ‘I need to talk privately’ signal, the ‘Someone’s coming!’ signal.”
He came around the desk until he was beside her. She looked so flustered at his approach, rising up as if to meet him partway. And instead that brought them face-to-face, and before he knew it, against all resolve, he leaned in and kissed her.
