Page 14 of The Jilted Duchess
To Alexandra’s surprise, a small, red-headed boy popped up from behind the trellis Mr. Drake had been working on, with a nervous expression on his face.
“Sorry about the lad, Your Grace, he’s a bit feral still.” Mr. Drake turned back to Alexandra, still jovial but with something a little anxious underneath it. “Picked him up a few years ago and made him my apprentice, but we’re still knocking the rough edges off, so to speak.”
“That’s perfectly all right, Mr. Drake,” Alexandra said with a smile. “We all go through that stage as we grow. Good day Jimmy.”
The boy bobbed a quick bow to her and looked up nervously. Mr. Drake nudged him “Greet Her Grace.”
“Good day, Your Grace,” the boy said, glancing quickly at the gardener to make sure he was doing it right. Alexandra’s heart gave a little tug at that, and she made sure to smile approvingly at him. “You’re doing a very good job here, young man. It’s all very neat and well-tended. Well done.” Jimmy smiled cautiously and gratefully took off back to the cabbages when Mr. Drake nudged him again and said, “Go on then.”
“Come along, Mr. Drake,” Mrs. Hopkins said, “show Her Grace what’s come into season and we can get on with dinner plans.”
It was well into the afternoon by the time Alexandra felt pleased with her understanding of the estate and the staff. She had spent several hours exploring the house thoroughly and questioning both Mr. Laroux and Mrs. Hopsted about the management of events and guests.
After everything, she took to her neat writing desk and wrote out her thoughts on what needed to be done to restore the estate to its best and most efficient state.
It is true that he is a practical man, she thought to herself as she retraced her steps from the night before to Hector’s study.And things are not costing us money. I am glad I will not be battling against such foolishness again. But there is so much he clearly does not know. Where did he come from? Why is he the way he is?
She knocked firmly and, upon hearing his greeting, stepped into the room. It was different in the daylight, many scientific instruments were scattered over shelves with large books on so many topics that she could not take them all in. His desk was huge to match his own size, but clearly well used with papers and plans arranged in an orderly manner.
He sat at the desk like a large bear crowded into a chair that, even at its size, was still a little too small for him. He seemed surprised at her appearance, his eyes darting to her face. “Ach Idinnae expect you here so soon, lady wife. What is it that ye’d be wantin' with that firm look and those papers in yer hand?”
It seemed that her husband was always in some sort of good humor, Alexandra thought a little testily to herself. “I have made a list of things that need changing at the estate,” she said calmly, crossing to his desk and putting the paper in front of him. “You may take charge of the changes yourself, of course, but I would be equally happy to manage them.”
He raised his eyebrows at her and brought the paper closer to read it, glancing at her a few times as he read. “My lass, you’ve been busy with this. Redecoratin' the public rooms, you say? What’s wrong with them, then? And ye think we need more servants? Are ye looking to change the whole house around my ears?”
He was grinning but Alexandra felt her shoulders tense at the implication, her father’s own voice still ringing in her ears. His anger every time she managed to claw a little bit of the budget back for the household from his grasp, his rage when she made decisions without asking him. “If you don’t want me to assist with the estate, Your Grace, then I am more than happy to do absolutely nothing for the rest of my days.”
Hector laughed, tilting his head back in the way he had, the noise loud and rough but warm. “Och wife, why would I stop ye? It’s yer home as much as it is mine.” He rummaged in his drawer a moment before bringing out his signet ring. “If ye need to make any arrangements I’ll be glad for ye to have the ring tomark the bills with, otherwise ye can bring me anything ye want authorized and ye have my word that I’ll sign it for ye.”
Alexandra felt her cheeks flush with astonishment. “Are you saying that I can have access to your funds?”
“Of course, I am! Are we nae wed? Am I nae yer husband? I daenae care about the money, lass. Spend what ye will to make the place work, I’ll be trustin' ye to do what ye think is best.” He smiled broadly at her, eyes twinkling. “But do tell me, why do the rooms need redecoratin'?”
“They were clearly arranged by someone who had their season some decades ago,” Alexandra said primly. “The style has changed a great deal since.”
Hector laughed again. “Och that’s a dig at the Dowager and nay mistake! Good for ye, wife!”
She found herself smiling a little in the face of his merriment, her eyes falling to his desk, to the signet ring he had offered so easily, and to the other papers lying there. There were plans of buildings and business papers neatly arranged, and a letter on feminine stationery lying haphazardly across the top. “Oh -” she said, surprised. “What is that?”
For a moment, she wondered whether it might be a letter from her sisters, but Hector barely glanced at it, picking it up between forefinger and thumb and casting it into the fire. “Nothin' that ye should worry yer head about, me wife.” he said. “Come here andsit and tell me about these parties ye say we should have. I’m a private man, so I’ll need convincin' that it’s necessary.”
He grinned, the warm good humor of the expression encouraging her not to take his words to heart. Instead, she found herself pouring out her thoughts in a way that she had never felt free to before, explaining everything piece by piece and finding him listening intently as though he might actually care about it.
CHAPTER EIGHT
"Flick! Ye canny wee beastie, stop that!"
It was early on a cool morning and Alexandra was walking briskly around the house, getting some air, when she heard the bellow of her husband's rough, warm voice from further into the gardens.
It had been a few days since their discussion in the study and she had already made progress in hiring more staff to keep the large grounds under control and working with the servants to ensure that the new people were onboarded smoothly.
Hector had not asked her to account for her actions or withdrawn his offer of support for her plans so she had begun to carefully trust that perhaps he might actually mean what he had said.
It would be refreshing and strange but at least pleasant to have such backing from such a powerful man.
Should she interrupt whatever he was doing with the little dog that followed the gardener and his lad around? She felt a wave of unfamiliar hesitation, unsure of her welcome.
"That's a lad! That's it!" She heard another, quieter call and her curiosity, something she had always thought had been strangled out of her over the years, bloomed.
