Page 86 of The Scottish Duke
“Your wife has been exceptionally rude to MissTaylor, sir. In addition, the poor woman has been ignored by the Dowager Duchess, who seems to have forgotten their earlier friendship. Well, what can you expect?”
He sat up abruptly. “Are you finished?”
“For the most part, sir, but—”
He cut Matthews off with a glance, grabbed the towel from the man’s hand and wiped his face.
Mary was an annoying harridan who constantly repaid his generosity by gossiping behind his back. Unfortunately, she’d found a kindred soul in Matthews. The two of them would make Lorna’s life miserable if they could.
His behavior had, no doubt, given Mary the idea that she could tell tales about his wife with impunity. Had the rest of the staff gotten the same impression?
Damned time he returned.
Why was he suddenly pleased by his decision?
Lorna discovered that being a duchess was a great deal more difficult than anything she’d assumed. A duchess had duties just like the staff, some more onerous than others.
Her mother-in-law had turned over Blackhall’s ledgers to her when Robbie was two and a half months old.
“The steward does the actual entries,” she was told, “but it’s important for you to oversee all the expenses. If something seems outrageous to you, you need to tell him.”
She’d been speechless at the responsibility, and when she tried to demur, the Dowager Duchess merely smiled and shook her head.
“It’s something I’ve been waiting to do for ages, my dear. It’s your duty now.”
She was to meet with the steward every week, plus meet with Mrs.McDermott to adjudicate any disputes among the staff, another duty of which she’d been ignorant. She had to decide upon the meals, any additional positions, and make suggestions for castle repairs that would go to the steward and from him to the duke for final approval.
Lorna straddled an odd line with the staff. They all seemed friendly but reserved. She wanted to be like the Dowager Duchess, who noticed each person who served her and treated everyone with respect and dignity.
She couldn’t say more than hello to Abby, for fear the girl would launch into a long-winded conversation. That would lead to the girl being lectured by Mrs.McDermott, requiring her to either intercede—which wouldn’t be wise—or ignore the fact that one of her former friends had been put on probation, an even more difficult choice.
She had to be very careful, something she’d never before considered.
Nan was her conduit to the staff and told her anything that went on in the servants’ quarters that she thought Lorna needed to hear.
It was from Nan that she learned Mary was telling tales again. Alex, Mary said, had found a mistress in Edinburgh, which was why he was gone so long. He didn’t want to return to Blackhall to the woman he’d been forced to marry. He was desperately unhappy that his new wife had been a servant, enough to stay as far away from the castle as he could for as long as possible.
Unfortunately, since she didn’t know any different, Mary’s gossip hurt, no doubt as it was intended.
When was Alex coming home?
“We’re leaving tomorrow,” Alex told Matthews that night.
Something eased in his chest as he instructed the valet to make arrangements. He’d inform Jason in the morning and do the last of his errands.
He was going home. About time.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he took a few sips of whiskey. The effort to sleep didn’t work very well. Most of the time he lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, the events of the last year playing in his mind.
When he did sleep, he dreamed, scenes he didn’t give himself permission to envision awake.
Tonight was just like any other night except that he was awakened in the wee hours by a lamp shining in his eyes. “Well, at least you don’t have a woman with you,” Thomas said.
Alex threw his forearm over his eyes, trying to come to grips with the notion that his uncle was standing in his bedroom.
“Have you taken to drinking yourself to sleep, then?” Thomas asked, examining the bottle on the bedside table.
“Why the hell are you here? To chaperone me? To judge my morals? A little ridiculous, coming from you, don’t you think?”
