Page 84 of The Duke of Ruin
“What did she say?” the dowager asked, drawing Diana back to the conversation.
“She told me about the rumor.” Diana cocked her head at Simon’s mother. “How did you learn of it?”
“When I spoke with the staff afterward, Mrs. Dodd told me. No one else would have the courage to tell me, but Mrs. Dodd and I have a special relationship. I hired her as the cook when I became the duchess.” The dowager smiled, the sharp angles of her face softening. “She was Miss Chambers then. She’s the reason I’m here, actually. She wrote to tell me about your arrival, and I decided to come myself.”
“Mrs. Marley said there was a footman who was presumably too close to the Duchess.”
Simon’s mother frowned. “Yes, I’d heard that, but I dismissed it as nonsense. That woman—Miriam—loved my son to the point of distraction. She could never quite believe that a duke had married her. She wasn’t groomed for this life, not like you were.”
Diana’s chest ached. She loved Simon like that. Even now, her mind was drifting to where he was and what he was doing and counting the moments until he returned. But the pain came from knowing Simon had loved his first wife in precisely the same way. Diana knew he cared for her too, but doubted it could ever be the same. “Simon loved her too. It doesn’t make sense that she would cuckold him.”
“No, it never made sense to me either. But apparently Romsey considered it, because he confronted her.”
“It may have been best to keep that from him,” Diana suggested.
“Maybe, but he would’ve learned of it sooner or later. Things like that never stay quiet. Not forever. Much better that he hear it from me. And it’s not as if it were actuallytrue. I don’t think anyone believes that.”
Diana wasn’t sure she agreed with the dowager’s reasoning for telling him, but didn’t see the point in debating her. She did, however, want to talk to Mrs. Dodd about this rumor. If no onereallybelieved it, how had it started and why had it taken hold? She stood from the settee. “I’m going to the kitchens to discuss next week’s menu with Mrs. Dodd.”
“She’s the best cook in all of Hampshire,” the dowager said. “Maybe all of southern England. Have you had her trifle yet? That’s the reason I hired her. She made a selection of dishes for my consideration, and that trifle won her the position. Would you be so kind to ask if she could make it for me before I leave?”
“Of course.” Diana excused herself and went directly to the kitchens to find Mrs. Dodd. The main kitchen was surprisingly empty, so she went into the scullery, where Rose was scrubbing a pot. “Good afternoon, Rose.”
The girl jumped, nearly dropping the pot. She lifted her wide-eyed gaze to Diana’s.
“Please forgive me for startling you,” Diana said. “I’m looking for Mrs. Dodd.”
Rose’s frame relaxed—as much as it ever did, for the girl seemed eternally tense to Diana, which was perhaps why she’d developed a special fondness for the young maid. Diana knew what it was like to feel constantly on edge.
Rose went back to scouring the pot. “Everyone’s taking the midday meal.”
“Why aren’t you with them?”
“It’s my job to watch after the kitchen. I’ll eat when they’re done.”
“You never get to eat with them?” When Rose shook her head, Diana wondered why they couldn’t rotate that responsibility so that Rose wasn’t always isolated.
“I don’t mind, Your Grace. I like to keep to myself. That’s the best way to stay out of trouble. I learned that real fast.”
Diana could imagine Mrs. Dodd instilling fear in Rose from the moment she arrived. The cook ran a tight kitchen and expected her maids to keep their hands clean. And yet Mrs. Dodd seemed to be the chief purveyor of gossip in the house. A thought struck Diana—perhaps Rose might flourish in another area.
“Rose, would you like to work in the house as a maid?”
Rose looked up from the pot in surprise. “Why?”
Diana wondered if the girl might be more comfortable away from Mrs. Dodd’s somewhat autocratic ways. She shrugged, acting nonchalant. “I thought you might like to try something new.”
Rose shook her head rather vehemently. “No, thank you, ma’am.”
Taken aback by the girl’s fervent refusal, Diana couldn’t keep herself from asking why. “Is there a reason?”
Rose set the pot in the sink, where she poured water into the vessel and swirled it about to rinse it clean. After pouring the water down the drain, she set the pot on the drying rack and turned to Diana as she wiped her hands on her apron. “I’d rather not work in the house. Mrs. Dodd is not so bad as Mrs. Marley.” Rose shuddered before crossing the scullery and entering the small storeroom. Inside, she began to rearrange the cookware on the shelves.
Diana blinked. The housekeeper seemed so lovely. And capable. She’d heard nothing to support her having a poor reputation amongst the staff. Diana joined Rose in the storeroom. “Why do you feel that way about Mrs. Marley?”
Rose hesitated, as she often did, and Diana sought to reassure her. “I hope you know that whatever you tell me is in the strictest confidence. I care about everyone on the staff, but for some reason, you are already special to me.”
Though the storeroom was dim, with only the light from the high bank of windows on the opposite wall of the scullery to provide illumination, Diana could see the pink swathing Rose’s round, youthful cheeks. “Thank you, ma’am. I’ve never cared for Mrs. Marley. She scares me. Because of the…Incident.”
