Page 30 of A Marquess' Season of Secrets
Part of me wishes I remained in the guest room to continue benefiting from the lovely bed, but I know leaving the room was best.
Juliana was grateful to have a roof over her head, especially in her current vulnerable state. What would have become of her if the duke had not provided a good reason to live in his house? Juliana shuddered at the mere idea of being in an unknown world.
Kitty often told her stories about her life and others while they waited for sleep to come after a busy day. Many of the stories were amusing, while others left her teary or frightened. The latter stories made Juliana relieved that she had a safe place to live and worked for an employer who treated his servants well.
“We can move to the other rooms now,” Kitty said sometime later, breaking into Juliana’s thoughts. “The duke and his sister are having breakfast.”
Juliana didn’t bother asking how the woman knew this when they had been working for several hours and did not have a clock to look at. Kitty seemed to have an internal clock that helped her keep up with her schedule, and Juliana had yet to fault her.
“Which room should I begin with?” Juliana asked.
“I think the duke’s study.”
Juliana struggled to contain her smile. Her gratitude to the man knew no bounds, and she enjoyed cleaning the rooms where the duke spent most of his time because it gave her insight into the man himself.
“Are you certain you do not need help with the chambers?” Juliana asked.
She wanted to be in the study, but she didn’t feel right about leaving Kitty to do all the heavy labour. Bed linen needed to be changed, the beds shaken, chamber pots emptied, the carpets swept, furniture wiped down for dust ... the list was seemingly endless.
“Have I ever said anything I am not certain about?” the maid asked.
“I suppose not, but I do feel guilty for letting you do all the hard work on your own.”
“Oh, pish-posh,” said Kitty, waving her hand. “If I truly need your help, I shall ask you. Now, move along before we lose all the good time we have made today.”
Juliana smiled gratefully at her friend and picked up her pace, giving the door a quick knock once she arrived at the duke’s study. She didn’t expect to find the duke inside, but one had to knock before entering a room.
She went in when no one answered, immediately going to the windows and opening them to let in the fresh air. Juliana turned away a little too quickly and had to shut her eyes against the sudden spinning of the room.
It took much effort to remember to keep rapid movements at a bare minimum, or she would risk these dizzy moments and possible fainting spells. Juliana had had such moments before, but thankfully, only Kitty had been around to witness them.
I do not wish the others to know of my struggles and use it as a reason to believe that I am not worthy of remaining here. I have to show how appreciative I am of the duke’s mercies.
Perhaps the dizziness would not have been so severe today if she had not woken up with a mild headache that steadily kept growing. The pain was slowly engulfing her whole head and causing uncomfortable pressure. Juliana would gladly take a pin and poke the top of her head to release some of the pressure if she believed it would work.
Cracking one eye open, she tested walking forward and was glad to find that she didn’t feel the involuntary sensation of wanting to topple over. Pleased with her quick recovery, Juliana looked about the room, weighing her cleaning options. She could start sweeping, but it might be best to take the used glasses to the kitchen maid first and then move on with the rest of the cleaning.
It didn’t take her long to discover there wasn’t a tray in sight to help her carry all the glasses. The duke had had a friend, Mr Eden, come to see him, and they had both spent most of their day and night in the study, hence the many glasses. Juliana rather liked the friendly man but found him completely different from the duke.
Perhaps being so different from each other fulfils whatever the other lacks. I cannot imagine the duke being friends with someone he cannot spend a considerable amount of time with.
Mr Eden was a jolly fellow who had not ceased to smile until his departure. He had a cheerful disposition that, at first glance, did not complement the duke’s more serious demeanour. However, it didn’t take one long to realise that the duke was entirely at peace in his friend’s company.
Juliana continued to compare the men in her mind as she collected the glasses, neatly stacking them one on top of the other. Kitty had shown her the trick of carrying multiple plates, cups, and glasses, but Juliana could have done with a tray.
She had briefly considered going downstairs to fetch one, but she didn’t fancy walking up and down the stairs with a worsening headache. She had learnt early on that the climbing motion exacerbated her condition.
Juliana eventually collected fives glasses in total, which just seemed excessive when only two men had been drinking.
Did they change glasses each time they drank something new? I suppose one can do such things when you have an army of servants or an ample supply of glasses. Still, it seems rather wasteful.
She wasn’t judging the duke by any means, but when one had to clean a house, it was easy to question some practices that seemed unnecessary.
Holding the glasses close to her chest, Juliana made her way to the door but stopped when she caught the glint of another one lying beneath the desk. It seemed unbroken, so it could not have dropped from a height, which suggested one of the men had been sitting on the floor for a short while.
Was this a usual practice for the upper classes? It didn’t seem like something the duke would do, but perhaps Mr Eden had grown tired of the armchair and decided the plush carpet was preferable.
Instead of putting the glasses on the table and then reaching for the one under the desk, Juliana simply hugged them tighter to her chest and slowly got to her knees, stretching to get the wayward vessel. Her hands closed over the glass, and she secured it with the rest before rising to her feet.
