Page 44 of The Housekeeper's Secret

She did. She very much did.

He looked nothing like the man she had been married to. Alec Ross was taller and less stockily built, but still—something in the speculative way his gaze moved over her reminded her of her husband.

‘Shouldn’t you be seeing to Sir Randolph’s luggage?’

Her eyes darted around the room, wondering if he’d touched anything. He couldn’t have been there long—a few minutes at most—but that didn’t bring her much reassurance. He was here now, in her space, and something told her that he intended to be there more in the future. That it wasn’t really her space at all anymore.

Sliding a hand out of his pocket, he picked up the china dog from the mantelpiece. ‘One of the footmen can do it. Thomas or—’ He pursed his lips and pressed his fingers to his forehead in a pantomime of forgetfulness. ‘What’s the other one called? The good-looking one?’

‘Jem. Jem Arden.’

‘Of course.’

Those eyes. Narrowed and noticing. She made herself meet them and willed her cheeks not to redden.

‘Well then, Mr Henderson. Was there something you wanted?’

‘Not at all, Mrs Furniss. I wouldn’t presume to ask anything of you. Quite the reverse, in fact. I’ve been thinking…’

‘About?’ she enquired, though she would have greatly preferred not to be privy to Frederick Henderson’s thoughts.

‘We seem to have got off on rather the wrong foot.’ Carefully he replaced the dog. ‘I understand that you and Mr Goddard have your particular ways of managing things here and you might feel a certain amount of… resentment at the intrusion of a new figure of authority, so I wanted to reassure you that my increased presence at Coldwell need not be a threat to you. Indeed, I hope you’ll come to consider it a change for the better. An opportunity, for us both.’

‘I’m not sure I follow your meaning, Mr Henderson.’

If he heard the impatience in her voice, he didn’t let it trouble him. Unhurriedly he removed his hat, unleashing a further waft of pomade. ‘Only that change is on its way, Mrs Furniss. Indeed, it’s already arrived—and Mr Fortescue informs me that you’ve managed the renovations magnificently so far, which is no less than I’d expect. But the fact is, bathrooms and motorcars are just the start. Without putting too fine a point on it, Mr Goddard is advancing in years, and Sir Randolph will be seeking a replacement soon. Someone younger, with more energy for all that the job entails…’

‘And you want to be the replacement?’

He smiled indulgently, as if she’d said something foolish. ‘My dear Mrs Furniss, I may nominally be Sir Randolph’s valet, but in reality my role is rather more than that. My background is professional, not in service. I began working for Mr Hyde as an administrative assistant in his Bombay office, you see; we were both with the East India Company. After all these years he has come to… rely on me somewhat. Not just for organising his wardrobe and seeing to his personal care but in more important ways. Put it this way, I don’t see myself in the dining room, supervising the passing of the port.’

‘I’m not sure what this has to do with me, Mr Henderson.’

He regarded her thoughtfully, his head on one side.

‘I admire your resilience, but the changes will be unsettling for everyone—you most of all. You’ve worked alongside Mr Goddard for a long time; it won’t be easy adjusting to a new man in the house.’ He set his hat down carefully on the table where she usually put her tea tray. ‘I just wanted to make it clear from the outset that you can rely on me, Mrs Furniss. You have… my full support. Regardless of who takes the position of butler, I believe we could make a powerful alliance, you and I.’

A powerful alliance.

Kate snapped open her watch. She wasn’t sure what Henderson was suggesting, but she didn’t need to understand to know she wanted no part in it. With the air of someone who had other things to get on with, she let the watch fall back against her skirts.

‘Well… I’m sure that we will work alongside each other as courteously as we always have, Mr Henderson, though of course as housekeeper and valet our roles are quite separate. Except for at mealtimes, we probably won’t see much of each other at all.’

There was a pause. The heavy air seemed to shift and settle, as if a door had closed somewhere. She got the impression he was making some mental recalibration, as if she had given him the wrong answer.

‘I wouldn’t be so sure about that…’ His voice retained its reasonable tone, but his bearded jaw had hardened. ‘I know you don’t have much previous experience in service, so perhaps you’re not aware that the housekeeper’s parlour is generally used as a sitting room by all the upper servants?’

‘I am aware of that, Mr Henderson. Perhaps we’re unusual at Coldwell in that Mrs Gatley returns to the gardener’s cottage at the end of the day and Mr Goddard prefers to keep his own company in his room. It’s the way it’s always been here.’

His smile was as smooth as butter. ‘It’s the way it’s always been, up until now. But things are changing, and we must change along with them. The new Baronet Bradfield will be doing a lot more entertaining than the old one, and the way the servants’ hall is managed says a lot about a house.’ His gaze skimmed the room again, more critically now. ‘We’ll need another armchair, of course… and I’ll ask Goddard to supply us with a drinks tray and some ashtrays… If that wouldn’t offend you, Mrs Furniss?’

It would.

It did.

The whole idea offended her, but she wasn’t going to give Frederick Henderson the satisfaction of knowing that.

‘I’m afraid it’s impossible, Mr Henderson. With both Mrs Gatley and Mr Goddard preferring to spend their leisure hours elsewhere you must see it would be entirely inappropriate for only us to share this room. It would set a very unfortunate example to my girls.’ She managed a cool smile. ‘I’m sorry, but I simply can’t allow it.’

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