Page 78 of Suddenly a Bride
~oOo~
Gwyneth found her mother and sisters in the kitchen, getting to know Mrs. Haskell and the rest of the staff. It pleased her that the two older women conversed easily, as if they might become friends. Even Lucy joined in the fun, for once acting more like a friend than a servant.
When Lydia put her hands on her hips and stared hard at Gwyneth, Gwyneth was amazed to see that her littlest sister was now taller than she was.
“Gwyn, you never showed us your room yesterday.”
She felt herself blush and glanced at Mrs. Haskell, who was suddenly polishing a pot with great determination. Surely the woman had known that their marriage had had a shaky start.
“Lydia,” her mother began in a warning voice.
“Nay, Mama, ’tis all right. Lydia, I wasn’t certain my husband would want you to see our room. The castle was much worse when he first came here, so he took a room in the servants’ wing.”
“Good of him,” Lydia said, nodding. “I like him.”
“You barely know him,” Gwyneth said with a smile.
Athelina studied her. “Neither did you when you married him. You did not talk about your wedding much in your letters.”
“I was more concerned with Papa and all of you, I guess. My wedding was very small, at a church in Richmond. There were only a few people there. See—not much to tell,” she finished brightly. She looked at Lucy, who returned her smile.
Caroline put her arm around Gwyneth’s shoulder. “Regardless, you were very brave. Now come sit and break your fast with me.”
Her sister led her out of the kitchen. The great hall was mostly deserted, as the servants were already about their business. Gwyneth knew she too had to get to the orchard, but she could spare a moment for her sister.
Caroline pulled her down on a bench, then broke a loaf of bread and handed her half. “So, do you like all the people here?”
“They’ve been very nice, especially Mrs. Haskell.” She lowered her voice. “You must understand that when I first arrived, none of the servants would even spend the night in the castle. They were very afraid of Edmund.”
“Did that have something to do with those rumors that he murdered Elizabeth?”
“Rumors only, and you know that. But see how things have changed! It feels like a home to me now.”
“Did the soldiers feel the same as the servants?”
“No, they’d been with him in France. They trusted him. It just took me a little longer to do the same.”
“What about his friend, Geoffrey Drake?”
With new attentiveness, Gwyneth studied Caroline. “Geoffrey is Edmund’s good friend, and he’s a very kind man.”
“Is he?” Caroline asked innocently.
“He’s handsome too, is he not?”
Her sister’s face reddened, and she immediately began to eat with gusto. Gwyneth could only laugh.
~oOo~
Later that morning, while the kitchen staff was preparing dinner, Lucy pulled Gwyneth aside.
“Lady Blackwell—Gwyn—I just wanted to tell ye how…happy ye look.”
Surprised, she could only stare at the girl who was brave enough to travel all the way north with her. “Why, Lucy, what a sweet thing to say.”
Lucy brushed the compliment aside. “I guess I just wanted to know if ye were happy in truth. Are ye?”
Her eyes were direct, and Gwyneth was touched that the girl took their friendship so seriously. “More and more every day. Are you trying to find out if it’s all right for you to return to London?”
