Page 20 of Claiming the Tower
Once Bess had eaten her fill, Hereswith nodded. “Shall we see about some clothes? You are welcome to stay as long as you need, but I have a thought about that. Best to talk once you’re dressed. Also, I sent a note along to Papa’s solicitors saying we’d likely have a task for them later in the day. But I didn’t want to assume what you wanted there.”
Bess had been thinking about standing, but now her chin came up. “You’re very— very efficient.”
“Better than the alternative, surely? But I want to be clear about what you can draw on when it comes to my help. The full range of what’s on offer.” Hereswith pursed her lips. “I am rather hoping you will give me permission to make Aspasia Judson’s life quietly miserable for a long while. Once we have all your possessions back and all the pay she owes you, of course.”
Bess blinked, and then she had to laugh. “She’s already quietly miserable. Sometimes loudly miserable. But I am open to hearing what you have in mind.” She looked down at the wrap. “I— clothes would be a good start, yes. Feeling like I’m not all odds and ends.”
Hereswith nodded and retreated far enough to run her fingers down an embroidered bell pull by the door. Barely a minute later, a compact small woman, perhaps five years younger than Hereswith appeared, neatly dressed. “Good morning, mistress.” This was Mary, and she promptly brought out multiple dresses from Hereswith’s wardrobe, commenting on the likely fit and what would be easy to adjust for comfort.
It did not help to stop Bess thinking about Hereswith’s body. They were near enough the same height, though it could be a little hard to tell depending on the shoes or boots. Hereswith was overall plumper, but Bess was more well supplied in the bosom, in particular, and of course that sort of thing affected the fit of a dress. These, though, were of far nicer fabric than Bess usually wore. She herded Bess off to the bedroom. There, Mary had her change in and out of the gowns and found two that fit comfortably with minimal alteration.
“We’ll be seeing to washing the dress you were wearing last night, mistress. And Mistress Rowan said you had hopes of your other things coming along shortly? Is there anything we should take particular care with?”
“I— I’ve mostly been seeing to my own. Other than the laundry, and such.” Bess swallowed and wondered what it was fair to ask. “Would it be too much to ask you to check whether there are buttons loose, that sort of thing?”
“Not at all too much, mistress. Nellie has an excellent hand with needle and thread. I’ll set her to that and any other mending needed tomorrow when she’s back.” Mary seemed, if anything, pleased to have that settled. They got Bess into a medium blue dress again, with the sleeves taken in with a charm to fit better at the cuff. Mary nodded with satisfaction. “We’ll have a few other things— linens and such— ready for you later today, mistress. If you’d like to join Mistress Rowan in the sitting room?”
Hereswith was not, in fact, in the sitting room, but Bess could see her in the next room, the library, at a desk. She looked up as Bess came in, tentatively. “Good. Oh, that looks much better on you, doesn’t it? The colour never quite suited me. One of those fabrics that delighted on the bolt, and then was rather different against the skin. Or maybe it’s the light. Now, I have a thought, and we should figure out about your things, what you’d prefer.”
“You’re still managing me.” Before Hereswith had to ask, Bess added, “I still don’t mind. Honestly, I need managing right now, and you’re doing very well at not just making all the sensible choices for me.”
“If you’d like me to add foolish choices, I could make the attempt,” Hereswith said, cheerfully. “We could frolic about in the orchards like schoolgirls, if you want. It is solstice.” Then she tilted her head, as if she’d realised something delightful. “Also, we can plan to go to the Midsummer Faire. I have something I need to be at in London tomorrow, into the mid-afternoon Sunday, but we could plan to go on Monday. Or even Sunday evening, if there’s a concert then you’d like.”
“You— you keep giving me things. Generously.” Bess gestured at her dress, back at the bedroom. “I can’t keep accepting.”
“Ah.” Hereswith leaned back in her chair, folding her hands in her lap. Bess had the certainty that this was the Hereswith most visible in her work, a strong wall that waves could crash into. “Let us start with my idea. How do you feel about the idea of working for us? For Papa, specifically. We could use someone who can sit with him. His valet has a range of other tasks, and frankly, also could just use some time to sit and not be on call. Papa doesn’t need much, ordinarily, much of the day. Just someone to be there, fetch a book, summon help if there’s more needed. You could read or whatever you liked, much of the time.”
“That’s makework.” Bess said. On the other hand, it was what she’d been doing for Madam Judson, albeit probably vastly more pleasant.
“It would be useful. Honestly, I’ve been arguing he could use someone in that sort of role for a bit, and my brothers keep insisting it’s not a necessary expense. And Papa hasn’t extended himself to want to find someone.” Hereswith’s lips twisted at one side. “Also, I’ve been busy enough I’ve not had time to do interviews.”
She shrugged, spreading her hands out. Another woman might have counted her points out on her fingers, but Hereswith kept her hands still, not giving much away. “First, you have experience as a companion. Papa’s much less demanding, I’m sure. Second, it would let us get a sense of what would best suit, if we hired someone. Or if someone’s needed. Third, it would provide every reason to give you a good character at the end, honestly given. You could take it on for a month, and we could discuss at the end of the time, the third week or so, if continuing made sense. Space on both sides.”
Put that way, Bess could see that it would be a useful term for the Rowans, as well as for Bess herself. A month could give her a chance to interview for other positions, to sort out the pay owed and get her things in order.
She would be lying if she said she wanted to leave. Something about the house was comfortable in a way she hadn’t known since she was a child. It wasn’t just the rooms, though the spaces were lovely and thoughtfully decorated. It was the house itself and maybe the people in it.
“I suppose I could. But I’d be an awful dunce at anything involving your father’s research. I’ve no Anglo-Saxon, or whatever is relevant. And my Old English isn’t worth commenting on.”
“That will just give him many chances to explain it to you. He loves that.” Then, before Bess could duck it, she said, “You have other concerns?”
The question demanded honesty, or at least Bess did not know how to dissemble. “I— I don’t know how to go forward. I thought that if I did my work, was steady, it would be enough. A roof over my head, food. Stability. I have had little of that, not since I left Schola. But that didn’t work, and I don’t know— I don’t know how to go forward.”
Hereswith tilted her head. “That is a larger problem, isn’t it? Not entirely outside my scope, either, though when it’s countries or politics, the state of identity or pride is a little more complex to define.” She considered. “We are good at stability here, in the main. We change things slowly, we enjoy the cycles of the seasons and the centuries. But change is a thing that people— and countries— work through. It takes time. It takes skill. It takes courage. There are stops and starts. I can be optimistic for you, if you cannot be optimistic for yourself. And at least for now, there is time and space for you to get your feet under you.”
“Oh.” Bess swallowed hard. “I feel like everything’s tumbled down. Not shattered, exactly, but all out of place.”
There was a short silence, then Hereswith said, simply, “The only thing that matters right now is that you’re willing to give this a try. If you want something different, we can talk about that when you have an idea what it is.”
“All right. If you’re certain?”
“You’re willing? I’m delighted.” Hereswith’s steadiness shivered for a moment as she looked down, then looked up, beaming. Not hiding her happiness. Bess tucked it away to interrogate later, why Hereswith was so pleased. “I’ll have the solicitor draw up a contract this afternoon, whatever else, but of course we’d cover your room and board, and a suitable salary. Not scrimping, I know there are charts of what’s ordinary, and we reliably pay our staff in the upper quartile.”
“Are they all worth that?” Bess caught herself. “I mean. Mary was excellent. I should have told you immediately. She has a good eye for detail, doesn’t she?”
“She does. I don’t keep her busy enough, honestly, but she likes it here. Her sister’s at one of the grander houses in Bath. It means they can see each other on their half days. I think she rather enjoys having more scope for her tasks than just being a lady’s maid would entirely permit. Right. Now, about your things. Strategically speaking, I think it would make sense to have the solicitor send someone round to make sure they are properly packed and brought here, and to confirm arrangements for your payment. Do you have anything on file in Trellech that has the details? The courts won’t be open this week, of course.”
“I have a copy at the Field, on file.” It was one of the services they offered, thankfully. Bess swallowed. “Yes, all of that. And— a trial period, for the rest of it. I don’t really have a lot of other options. You must know that.”
