Page 12 of To Bed the Bride
Deborah had settled into life in London with barely a ripple, reacquainting herself with Hamilton, a wealthy widower. Everything had fallen into place for Deborah and even Daphne. Nor was Jeremy discomfited at all. He, too, had made his life in London, with side trips to Edinburgh from time to time to see his friends. She was the only one who hadn’t made the transition well, looking back at Scotland as her home.
And now?
Now she had to face the future, whatever it was going to be.
Chapter Six
The next morning, Eleanor occupied herself with another chore, going over the previous year’s expenditures.
“Miss Eleanor?”
She looked up from her father’s desk to see the housekeeper standing in the middle of the doorway, a curious expression on her face. Putting aside one of the bills she was reading, she asked, “What is it, Mrs. Willett?”
With any luck, the woman didn’t want to discuss menus again with her. Or the paucity of salmon this year. Since there wasn’t a family to feed, it seemed like a great deal of trouble to worry about her meals. She just wished that the housekeeper would continue on with whatever she did when Eleanor wasn’t here. The staff was well fed, and Cook certainly appeared that way. Therefore, someone was doing something right.
“We have a situation, Miss Eleanor. You’ve been given a present.”
“A present? From whom?”
Jeremy was in Edinburgh. Not that he was likely to give her anything. The rest of her family was in London. None of them would be sending her something in Scotland.
“I haven’t the slightest idea who could have brought me a present, Mrs. Willett.”
“Regardless, Miss Eleanor,” the woman said, “it’s here. And it’s causing quite a commotion in the kitchen. I would appreciate it if you would address the matter at your earliest convenience.”
Before she could ask the housekeeper any further questions, Mrs. Willett disappeared from the doorway.
What on earth?
She heard the giggles long before she reached the kitchen. She couldn’t imagine what kind of gift she’d been given, especially one that seemed to elicit such amusement.
In the kitchen the maids were excitedly talking, two of them on their knees.
She started to ask a question when something darted out between the legs of the chair and headed for her. It was a large black, tan, and white ball of cotton. It skidded to a stop directly in front of her, aimed for her shoe, and began to chew on her laces.
The puppy was inspiring a great deal of hilarity, even more so after he assaulted her footwear. Eleanor took a step back, but it was no use. The puppy followed her. When she turned to leave the kitchen, he was right there on her heels.
“It’s like he knows you’re his mistress, Miss Eleanor,” one of the maids said.
This was her present? This?
She knew immediately who had gifted her with this rambunctious puppy. There was no mystery whatsoever. Reaching down, she picked up the puppy, tucked it under her arm and left the kitchen without a word.
Once in her bedroom, she put the puppy down and looked around for some way to contain him. He started gnawing on the leg of her vanity, but when she approached him, he stopped chewing long enough to look up at her. His expression was one of utter joy like he’d been transported to puppy heaven.
She picked him up and raised him to eye level.
“You’re only going to be here for a little while,” she said. “Until I can deliver you back to your benefactor. Until then, I would have you not chew on my furniture, please.”
The puppy yipped at her, a tiny little bark that only hinted at what it might become.
How dare he give her a puppy. Who did he think he was?
She really was going to write the duke now. He needed to know that she did not appreciate his shepherd’s attitude or actions. The man was a menace and now she would have to find a basket of some sort to put the puppy in so that she could transport him back to his original home.
The puppy was a roly-poly little thing, a bundle of soft fur with teeth. She put him down on the floor and he began biting at her shoes again.
“Stop that.”
