Page 26 of Winterset
“Mr. Jennings has behaved as a gentleman thus far,” Bexley said. “It is possible he may prove you an ally.”
“Think of it, Kate,” Mrs. Owensby hastened to add, her voice hopeful. “You could begin a new life elsewhere. Far away from Mr. Cavendish and everyone who knows you.”
“I do not want a new life, nor do I wish to live elsewhere.” Winterset was my home. My servants were family. And even if I did want to leave, where would I go? At least here I had a roof over my head. Telling Mr. Jennings was too risky.
“You must wish for more,” she said. “Freedom. A family.”
What person did not wish for those blessings? But I could not have a family without a husband. And I most certainly didnotwant one of those. Nor would I ever. Ofthat, I was certain. “I am content with my life, Mrs. Owensby.”
“Content but not happy,” she countered.
“What need do I have for happiness when it is so quickly turned into misery?”
“That is the way of life, my dear. Everything must have its opposite, or all will be meaningless. Please, won’t you consider my advice?”
I had no desire to, but I owed my guardians at least that much, so I nodded. “When will Mr. Jennings return?” I asked.
“He and his manservant have only just ridden out,” Bexley said. “So they will likely be gone for a few hours.”
“Good,” I said. “That gives me some time, then.”
“Time for what?” Mrs. Owensby eyed me.
“Toconsider.” I popped the last bite of sandwich into my mouth and quickly rose. I needed as much time as possible to poke around Mr.Jennings’s things. After all, he had been poking around mine all day, and what better way to learn about a man than to go through his personal effects?
Since arriving, he’d spent most of his time in his bedchamber and the study. I would quickly search those rooms and discover what I could about him in the time permitted.
I started in Papa’s study.
Well, Mr. Jennings’s study now, but I couldn’t bring myself to think of it that way. I’d spent too many hours sitting in this room, snuggled in the leather armchair in the corner, sketching Papa as he balanced his ledgers. I’d wait hours for him to take a break so we could walk together in the walled garden.
I wished I could remember the last time I’d sat here with him. It could not have been long before his death, but I could not remember it. Had I known it would be the last time, I would have committed every detail to memory: what he was wearing, every word he spoke. I would have asked him questions and recorded his answers. But of course, I had not known, and now that last day was lost forever.
The study smelled different now, too, less like Papa’s pipe and more like Mr. Jennings’s cologne.
I walked to the desk and ran my fingertips along the desktop, which was something I would not have been able to do when it had been Papa’s. Stacks of ledgers and letters had forever cluttered his desktop. Now the study was too tidy. The only things on the desk were an open notebook, a bottle of ink, and a quill pen.
I reached for the notebook but then hesitated. I’d come here with this precise intention, but it was wrong to read a person’s private thoughts—even if the notebookhadbeen left in plain sight. Mr. Jennings’s lack of care was not an invitation, and I knew better than to think it was.
But Mrs. Owensby wished for me to put my trust, my very life, in this man’s hands. How could I even consider doing that without first ascertaining his character? I had already made that mistake once with a man, and I would not make the same mistake again. Decided, I sat in Papa’s chair and pulled the notebook toward me.
Mr. Jennings had precise, elegant penmanship. I couldn’t help but admire the sophisticated slant of his scrawl and the perfect spacing between his letters.
His only entry appeared to be a list of needed repairs and refurbishments for Winterset. It was such a long list. My gaze drifted down the page.
Purchase wax candles
As soon as I read the first entries, I couldn’t help smiling, pleased that my plans had made Mr. Jennings uncomfortable. But then I read the next item on his list and frowned.
Vanquish ghost
I scoffed. Unlikely.
Replace carpets
Repair uneven floorboards
Return Lockwood portraits
