Page 28 of Of Fate and Phantoms
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Lady Vickers hadDoyle running ragged before Lady Gillingham's visit. Between dusting and polishing the furniture, he didn't get time to help Cook prepare. Cook had to make do with the rather inept Bella.
"She be worse than Seth," he muttered when Bella disappeared into the scullery with an armload of dirty pots. "She don't know sugar from flour."
"I'll help," Alice said, unbuttoning her sleeve. "Where shall I start?"
Cook stopped beating the dough to death and gawped at her. "Er, it be all right, Miss Everheart. Bella and me can manage."
"I like cooking and used to help out all the time back home. Please do call me Alice and not Miss Everheart."
"I…I can't," he choked out, his cheeks aflame.
"You call Charlie by her first name."
"Aye, but she weren't all proper at the start. She be like me."
"I'm not sure I'm proper now." I patted Cook's shoulder. "Let Alice help. You wouldn't want to serve Lady Gillingham something ordinary, would you?"
He pounded his fist into the dough. "I ain't never served nothing ordinary ever, Charlie."
I winked at Alice and left them to it. Doyle raced past me, his face flushed and his breathing heavy. "It won't be for long," I called after him.
He stopped to acknowledge me then hurried on his way. Poor man. But I meant it. Lady Vickers had a candidate for housekeeper lined up. It only remained for me to approve of her. Although I'd told Lady V I didn't know what qualities a housekeeper ought to possess, she insisted I have the final say since I was the mistress of Lichfield Towers. My insistence that I hadn't accepted Lincoln's proposal—his second one—fell on deaf ears.
Lady Vickers left the house mid morning to go shopping on Oxford Street, taking Alice with her. We hadn't told her why she had to leave, but merely said it was ministry business and that Lady Gillingham was less likely to talk in the presence of her peer. That appeased Lady V and she readily agreed that I wasn't a threat.
With Seth and Gus out with Lincoln, and Doyle busy, they had to catch the omnibus, much to Lady Vickers' horror. I thought she might suffer an attack of the vapors and decide to remain in her room, but she forged ahead when Alice claimed to be looking forward to spending more time alone with her.
"We really ought to get to know one another better," Alice said.
Lady Vickers narrowed her gaze. "Why?"
"No particular reason, but Seth speaks so highly of you."
Lady Vickers looked lost for words, a rare event. Whether she was surprised that Seth would speak highly of her, or worried that Alice and Seth had private conversations, I couldn't tell. I decided it was probably the latter, however, when she said, "We ought to have a new outfit made for you for the spring. Something to show off your slender figure to the young men. And then we'll promenade together in the park, just the two of us. Come along. We don't want to miss the omnibus."
Alice shot me a sly smile. She knew exactly how to manipulate Seth's mother and she'd only known her a little over a week. She would make a marvelous daughter-in-law, if only Lady Vickers would allow it. Or if Alice wanted it too, of course. It was difficult to gauge if she had feelings for Seth.
Lady Gillingham arrived shortly after their departure and greeted me politely if somewhat suspiciously when I informed her that Lady Vickers wasn't at home.
"The masked ball was a lot of fun," I began as I handed her a teacup.
"Yes." She sipped, her soft blue gaze darting around the room over the brim of the cup.
"I do apologize for not speaking to you on the night. It seems strange that we haven't formally met when I know your husband. He comes here for business matters from time to time," I clarified when she didn't answer.
"I know about the ministry."
I cleared my throat. "And I know about you."
She dropped her cup but caught it before much tea spilled. A few drops landed on the carpet but it could have been much worse. Lady Gillingham's reflexes were faster than mine.
Her hands shook, rattling the cup in the saucer. I took the set from her and placed it on the table. "Forgive me," I said, "that must have come as quite a surprise."
"Mr. Fitzroy assured me he wouldn't tell," she whined.
"I didn't leave him much choice." It was a bald lie, but I couldn't have her thinking that Lincoln informed me or the others lightly. He'd told us because it had been necessary, and he knew we could be trusted. Lady Gillingham wouldn't see it that way, however. "I saw the file he'd created for you when I searched the archives for something else. When I pressed him about it, he informed me of the conversation he'd had with you in your bedchamber."
