Page 46 of Her Lion of a Duke
She was quite certain that she would no longer be able to hide her attraction to him, which was dangerous territory. Her new project would serve as a welcome distraction from her feelings. Although at a second glance, she realized it was more daunting than she had initially thought.
Mercifully, Mrs. Herrington did not seem angry with her.
“May I ask what has happened between you and His Grace?” she asked that afternoon as they made their plans.
“It is nothing. His Grace and I had a disagreement about how things should be handled here, and I need some time. It has nothing to do with you, Your Grace.”
“I hope not, for I would hate to have caused any trouble. If I am lacking in anything, Mrs. Herrington, please tell me. I know that I am not perfect.”
“You are doing perfectly fine, I assure you. I have every faith in you, despite all of this. Are you certain that you wish to change everything, though?”
“Completely. I want it to feel like my home, unless there are some things of sentimental value you want to keep?”
“Not that I am aware of, no. You may need to ask His Grace, but I do not recall any sentimentality to anything here. If you ask me, he is far more likely to want to rid himself of it all.”
Cecilia was prone to agree, but she did not want to make a mistake, so she went to look for Leonard. She found him in his study, and as she approached the door, she could swear that she heard him muttering to himself.
“No,” he said. “That would never work. I could not do that, not with everything that has happened.”
She knocked, and he fell silent. When he opened the door, he was pale, as though she had caught him doing something he should not.
“Are you all right?” she asked. “I thought I heard you talking.”
“I was thinking aloud, that is all. Did you want to discuss something?”
“Yes,” she replied carefully, entering the room with a raised eyebrow. “I wanted to tell you that the works start today, so this is your final chance to tell me if there is anything you want to keep. I know that you do not have an attachment to anything, but I would rather know for certain.”
“I thank you for that, but I can assure you that I do not want to keep anything. My study can remain as it is. As for the rest, you may change it however you please. I only ask that you do not paint each room in blue.”
He smiled at her, and she did the same. She had planned for variety, but she knew as well as he did that the temptation to follow her own preferences was there.
“The drawing room will be painted in blue,” she explained. “It is the room that I will spend the most time in, so it is the room that I have chosen. As for the others, you shall simply have to trust me.”
“And I do, truly.”
Cecilia took his instruction and left, though she could not help but wonder what he had been thinking about when she arrived.
What could he not do? What was preventing it?
She pushed the thought aside, not wanting to be distracted when there was so much to do.
Her first task was replacing the upholstery, as the dark and faded damask was making the rooms seem cluttered and old. Mrs. Herrington had arranged for bolts of fabric to be delivered, and as she descended the staircase, they arrived. The manor was filled with the scent of new fabric, energizing her greatly.
“Good day, Your Grace,” the upholsterer greeted. “I thought you might wish to see the fabric for yourself before any work was done. Here is a selection.”
They sat together, Cecilia choosing soft shades of cream and white for all the seating. Pieces were taken away, with the promise that they would be returned the following day. It was easier then to decide on how to decorate the walls, as they were now unobstructed.
“Oh!” she gasped when a chest of drawers was moved. “The paper is peeling. I have never noticed that.”
“We hide what we can,” Mrs. Herrington sighed. “What did you have in mind for the parlor?”
“A light purple. I do not mind what colors are chosen, if I am being honest. But they simply must be light. The rooms seem so small, and that is because of the dark wallpaper. I want to live somewhere brighter.”
Mrs. Herrington agreed emphatically, and Cecilia knew that she would do well with her task. In the meantime, she planned to go to the one place she had yet to visit since her arrival: the attic.
She had not been told to avoid it, but she had never been fond of attics, for she hated the thought of spiders and cobwebs.
However, she wondered if there was anything there that could be used. She was correct in her assumption that there wouldbe spiders, but there were not many. It was dusty, more than anything, which was not half as frightening.
