Page 31 of A Maid's Fateful Courtship
I should have left as soon as they arrived. I am such a half-wit! But I could not help myself... it was all so captivating. Whatever must Lady Matilda have thought of me?
I should have given my excuses straight away and left. Instead, I allowed myself to be caught up in nostalgia. What a fool I am, playing as if we were all still in our childhood. Oh Lordy! What have I done?
She had obsessed over it all night long, when she finally woken up with a heavy head, bleary eyes, and a tired mind.
It surprised her that she had not been called to the marquess’s study to be chastised for her behaviour. Goodness knows, she would have deserved it. But she tried to concentrate on the daily tasks at hand, though it was not an easy day for her. At every turn, she fretted over what she had done, and the day seemed to drag on and on.
It came with great relief for many that, at last, they had reached the last day of entertaining the house guests. Josephine found herself in the large hall organising the evening event.
She was busy instructing the upstairs housemaids on arranging the decorations for Lady Cynthia’s soiree. Other guests would also be arriving for an evening of music, dance, and a light supper.
The butler was busy organising the stewards, who were moving around the heavier furniture. Some of it needed to be taken out of the room, and the smaller chairs placed around the walls. Doing this allowed more room for dancing, although it was not a ball.
The heavy glass chandelier was being cleaned as well, as this would provide most of the light in the centre. Brightly coloured Bohemian crystal glass lustres would hold many more candles too, adding elegance to the party atmosphere.
Some of the larger carpets were being removed. Whilst the smaller rugs were laid down in front of the chairs, to add some warmth to the non-dancing areas. Once again, Josephine had organised some floral arrangements.
She had only put them in the large hall and the retiring room for the ladies. At either end of the room, log fires were being readied. Rows of chairs were placed around the pianoforte, still allowing ample room at one side of the hall for dancing.
“Goodness, this feels toilsome.” Josephine sighed as she looked up to see a steward at the top of a ladder. "Hang that garland straight, mind you," she called up to him with a smile.
I would have preferred to spend an entire day skimming pebbles than preparing for this bothersome event, she thought, although she kept her opinion to herself.
That thought brought about the memory of her shared moment with Ethan, and she stopped to smile to herself.
Everything had been so perfect until your brothers arrived. They must have remembered the hidden pebbled beach too. Or was it more a case of them hearing our laughter? Lord! I hope they do not suspect my feelings for you.
“A penny for your thoughts,” Lettie said as she appeared by her side.
“My thoughts are wishing that this day be done and dusted,” Josephine replied with a forced smile. “These events of Lady Cynthia’s have been exhausting. I, for one, will be glad when things go back to normal.”
“Yes, it seems to be wearing us all down,” Lettie agreed, placing her hands on her hips. “My mother is in the kitchen having a heated debate with Ronald. He seems to have got himself involved in the menu. Which, of course, Mother is having none of it. I did well to escape from down there. I would avoid it if I were you.”
“Oh dear, why is the butler involving himself in the preparation of food?” Josephine questioned, but she knew all the household staff were on the brink of exhaustion. “A servant’s lot can be gruelling,” she mumbled but more to herself. “I would better get down there before they turn into fighting bears.”
“Would it not be better to leave them to it?” Lettie suggested, looking a little concerned at the thought of anyone going into the kitchen area.
“And have this whole thing ruined? No thank you,” Josephine said, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation. “We have worked far too hard for that to happen, and Lady Cynthia would be most disappointed with us.”
“I am not coming with you," Lettie told her, her brows knitted together as she frowned with worry. "I escaped by the skin of my teeth and I am not going back until it is all over.”
“It cannot be that bad, can it?” Josephine asked, realising that her best friend was quite serious with her concerns.
As housekeeper, she was tasked with ensuring everything ran smoothly. And so too was Ronald, as the butler. But it seemed he might have overstepped his role. On the odd occasion, he would been known to pass on a request to the kitchen from the marquess, with regards to food.
But to making demands upon Martha was a most serious error of judgement. Everyone knew and accepted that Cook ran a tight ship in there. With not a moment to lose, Josephine headed into the kitchen in the hope that she could sort the problem and not add to it.
Sure enough, she could hear raised voices before she got anywhere near the main kitchen. The heated debate of the cook and the butler was echoing down the corridors of the servants’ areas. On her way, Josephine came across a group of kitchen maids huddled together as they listened in.
“Get about your tasks,” she ordered the kitchen staff, her annoyance now at its peak. “There is no time for gawping.”
At the sound of her voice, Martha and Ronald turned to see Josephine arriving in the kitchen.
“We are not serving a ten-course dinner, so why are you both in such a quandary?” she asked, starting to wonder how Doreen had held things together so well over the last thirty years. Was this to be her lot now?
“Ronald has decided we should offer a sit-down meal as well as a buffet," Martha said with sarcasm in her voice. "Lady Cynthia specifically instructed me there would be only a light buffet.”
“We have not been asked to set up any tables for a sit-down meal, Ronald,” Josephine pointed out. "So, what has come over you?"
