Page 56 of The Unwanted Duchess

“And it clearly did some good. Both of you have married dukes!”

Samantha was tempted to tell her the real reason they had both married dukes, but she kept it to herself. There was not much that a housekeeper could do, even if she wanted to, but it was not right. Mary clearly thought a great deal of their match, and Samantha didn’t want to spoil it.

“I have a question,” Samantha said instead, steering the subject away.

“I am quite sure that you shall have several, but I am more than willing to answer them for you.”

“It is about the butler.”

“Ah, Mister Smith.”

“Sothatis his name.”

“Yes, surely he told you himself?”

“No, he simply instructed me to act in a more becoming manner and to think of my gardener.”

“He will be like that with you. Do not expect any changes there.”

“Why? Is it not his job to serve me?”

“Yes, but he was also chosen by the late Duke because of his nature. He will not accept what he deems nonsense, and that means anything less than perfection. He is a copy of the late Duke through and through.”

“But the late duke is gone. He should listen to the new duke now, surely?”

“You would think so, but it is not what happened. I believe that Mister Smith saw how the late Duke was and how he gained so much wealth and power from being that way, so Mr. Smith thought that was the way forward. If you ask me, I think he chooses to act the way he does because he thinks it will take him in the same direction.”

“That is horrible,” Samantha sighed. “So I am not to expect a change in him?”

“That depends entirely on what the Duke says to him the first time he hears anything. If your husband is the sort to protect you, then you should be all right.”

“I believe he is, yes.”

“Then you have nothing at all to worry about. Mister Smith is harmless, I assure you; he simply has high standards, and helives to serve his duke. It is commendable, or it would be if it did not make him so insufferable.”

Samantha laughed, pouring two more cups of tea and taking a biscuit.

“These are wonderful,” she mumbled through some crumbs. “I simply must meet the cook.”

“Cook is wonderful,” Mary agreed. “And now that you are here, we can at last make a list of foods that you do and do not like.”

“I believe I like everything. I trust Cook completely. Would you mind telling her that?”

“You can tell her yourself! We shall at least ensure that you have met the staff, even if you are not interested in seeing the same room fifty times over.”

“Is it better that I see them after all?” she asked, biting her lip. “I do not wish to be perceived as disrespectful.”

“Well, I will not tell a soul if you don’t!”

The two ladies laughed, and Samantha felt herself relax for the first time since her arrival. She had a companion, and that meant the world to her.

They planned to meet Cook after dinner so that Samantha could sample her food beforehand, and Graham was seated in the dining hall before she had arrived.

“My apologies,” she said quickly as she seated herself. “I did not think you would be here yet.”

“My papers could wait, I decided,” he observed. “There may not have been much to love about this place, but Cook was one of those few things. I have been thinking about dinner since we arrived.”

Both the Duke and the housekeeper had only good things to say about her, and they did not oversell her skills. It was a feast, and Samantha was ravenous the second she smelled it.

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