Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

“ H ello again, Your Grace,” Mrs. Cope said, laughing her all-encompassing laugh as Elizabeth opened the door through to the kitchen and stepped in to the warm room. It smelled of spices and sugar as Mrs. Cope was making cakes for the week and Annie was very diligently cleaning pans in one corner while Sally was already settled in a warm corner with a chair next to her.

“Hello Mrs. Cope, I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“Nonsense, like I mind the company, Your Grace! You are welcome any day of the week, even if it weren’t your own estate to start with!”

Elizabeth laughed. The cook, a woman of broad stature with red hair and merry eyes that glittered like stars had told her something similar every day recently as she came to spend time with Annie and Sally and enjoying the familiar surroundings.

Perhaps it wasn’t particularly proper for a duchess, but as Mrs. Cope said it was her estate and she no longer felt like the rest of the Wilkins family would look down on her for making a wrong step.

“Your hospitality is as kind as ever,” she said to the cook, going to sit by Sally and pulling her embroidery out of her bag to work on. There was a warming cup of tea set at a little table at her elbow no sooner had she sat down, and Mrs. Cope put a little plate of dainty treats, small cakes and fruits and cheeses out for her to snack on.

A couple of days previously Annie had asked to be able to set up the little plate, and Mrs. Cope had puffed and huffed in offended dignity that as the head cook of the house it was her duty to be making the Duchess her plates and seeing to her needs when it came to refreshments and no small upstart girls no matter how much the Duchess might like them were going to steal her job.

Sally had laughed and agreed, telling Annie that she needed to think up a better way to sneak some of the fancy cakes for her own and Elizabeth had been inclined to believe seeing as the girl had looked so down-hearted afterwards.

But all in all Annie was settling in well. Elizabeth thought that she might be able to convince Stephen to let her stay longer, perhaps even permanently. Maybe with time she might even be able to bring Mrs. Adams to the estate in some capacity and have all of her true family with her at last.

“Oh and Annie,” Sally was saying as Elizabeth took a fortifying sip of her tea. “I forgot to tell you earlier - I was out the other day with a young man! The kindest fellow I’ve met, he works in the stables here and his hair is ever so fine.”

Annie stuck out her tongue, pausing over the soapy water to throw some of the bubbles at her sister. “A young man? Why would he be interested in you?”

Sally shrieked in offense and Mrs. Cope laughed again, a belly laugh that filled the kitchen with merriment.

“I’ll have you know I’m considered a very fine young woman,” Sally said, raising her voice over her sister’s faked retching. “He said he’s never been out on so fine an excursion with any other young lady he’s met!”

“Ohh so he’s been out with other young ladies,” Annie teased. “He’s got prospects he does.”

“None as fine as I am,” Sally said, sticking her nose in the air as Annie giggled.

It felt so much like being at home again that Elizabeth ached for their mother, Mrs. Adams would have been scolding Annie for teasing and checking that Sally was being careful and sensible, but also giving out petting and kisses and hugs to soothe any feelings and comfort any hurts.

“How is your mother, Annie?” she asked, something she had been trying to ask since Annie had arrived. “Is she well? Does she have any messages for me?”

“Oh she’s very fine,” Annie said distantly. “She didn’t say much when I left. I expect she wasn’t really thinking about it.”

Mrs. Cope leaned over from where she was mixing a fragrant batter and tweaked Annie’s ear. “What do we call the Duchess, missie?”

Annie squeaked and scowled, rubbing her ear. “ Your Grace .”

“Indeed, and we don’t forget such things in my kitchen, do we?” Mrs. Cope said, not unkindly. “There’s manners to be remembered here.”

Before Annie could answer, there was a little knock on the door and Diana appeared, her face merry and sweet and a little book in her hand. “May I join? It smells so good in here and you are all having such a merry time.”

“Of course,” Elizabeth said while Sally hopped up immediately to fetch another seat. Diana sat next to Elizabeth with a big smile of gratitude and started to read out little pieces and bits from the comic tale she was in the middle of reading, much to everyone’s delight.

Elizabeth listened happily, watching Sally and Annie squabble quietly in sisterly companionship with half her attention as she carefully formed the tail of a beautiful bird on the embroidery she was working on. It was something she had often lost herself in back at the Rosenburg estate, creating beauty in a world that had so little.

“I love these little currant cakes,” Diana exclaimed, helping herself and looking deeply pleased when Mrs. Cope immediately added a few more to the plate. “I don’t know how you make them so light, Mrs. Cope.”

“It’s a lot of beating of the batter, Your Grace,” Mrs. Cope said merrily. “It’s why my arm is so strong and feared far and near.”

“I’ll say,” Annie put in and everyone laughed at her rueful expression.

Mrs. Cope cooed and gave the girl a piece of candied fruit. “Oh you’ll learn to get on the sweet die of me, ducky, I don’t hold anything against anyone for long.”

“That’s a fine quality,” Elizabeth said, grinning at Diana, who smiled back. Her littlest sister-in-law had been occasionally joining in on her kitchen visits since she’d discovered them quite by accident and seemed to really enjoy the warmth and the relaxed atmosphere.

“Hullo,” said a new voice, as Selina pushed into the room, her eyebrows raised in surprise. “Is this a party?”

All of them froze briefly, wide-eyed like they were being caught doing something wrong. Elizabeth could see that Diana was worried that she had misstepped and that the servants were worried that they might be blamed for it.

She gathered together her courage and smiled at Selina. “We are just taking advantage of Mrs. Cope’s excellent hospitality, sister. Won’t you come join us?”

Selina looked a little surprised at first, like she wasn’t expecting so warm a welcome. Elizabeth knew that they had not been friendly at first, but she also remembered Selina’s support at the dance and had always admired the younger woman’s forthright frankness and quick intelligence. Their eyes met, both hopeful and wary, then Selina looked at her hands and her whole face brightened.

“Is that embroidery?” she asked, hurrying over and taking Sally’s seat as Sally subtly moved to get a new seat for herself and give the ladies room to speak together. “Look how cunningly you have captured Patrick - that’s what we all call that peacock. How are you getting his feathers so iridescent? Do tell me, I’ve been dying to think of a way to get the colors looking right!”

Elizabeth beamed, leaning forwards to point out the way she had layered the threads. “It’s not difficult at all! I separated the silks down to single threats and then twisted them together in the different colors, see how it makes the combination more natural?”

“Doesn’t it take an age to pull apart the skeins, though?” Selina asked, gesturing towards the embroidery and when Elizabeth nodded and handed it to her, looking it over with every sign of delight. “I hate when I have to do it because I always create such a mess and it takes me hours to untangle it again.”

“I wind them into tiny pieces of card as I go,” Elizabeth said, pulling out a little skein she had made for the piece she was working on to demonstrate. “See? It helps prevent the tangling and keeps things neat. I spent a whole evening once getting so tangled that Sally had to come cut me free and I learned my lesson!”

“It was even in her hair,” Sally added from where she was sitting, doing some mending. “I don’t know how you managed it, Your Grace.”

Selina burst into gales of laughter, a hand resting on Elizabeth’s arm companionably and in that moment Elizabeth realized that these people all cared about her. They were all ready to accept her, no matter if she was embroidering in a kitchen in company with a scullery maid and other servants. They didn’t judge her or think her too strange to be associated with. They were in fact sitting with her.

This was happy, Elizabeth thought. This was what happiness was. And it was Stephen who had given it to her.

As Selina started to tell her own stories of mishaps, Elizabeth curled a hand protectively around her heart. She needed to thank Stephen. He had given her so much, so freely and with no other desire than to see her happy. She needed to tell him how grateful she was and she wanted it to be - something sweet. Something that would show how truly she appreciated him.

She remembered him speaking of sneaking off with Herbert as a boy, taking apples and pies and wandering the estate to eat lunch under the sky. He had sounded a little wistful, like he missed the freedom of those days.

Elizabeth nodded to herself firmly. She would take him out on a walk, they would have a picnic just the two of them. She would thank him, and they would be able to move past all the darkness and suspicion and fear that had marked the first weeks of their marriage.

With that decided, she brought her attention back to the conversation around her, soon laughing over some stories of Diana as a baby while Mrs. Cope brewed more tea and Annie and Sally giggled together in a corner.

“Damn it, Westall,” Perceval said, handing over the cigar clippers as he took his first draw. “Not everything is a blasted conspiracy, maybe the couple have affections for each other or it’s another advantageous match. You can’t deny that Seymour is a fine match for any young girl.”

Stephen leaned back in the leather armchair, taking a long draw on the fine brandy that the waiter had brought to them. He and Herbert were at The Royal Hounds, a prestigious gentleman’s club that the three of them frequented when they had a chance. They were ensconced in a small private sitting room with cigars and brandy and a hearty meal being prepared for them.

“I didn’t summon you here for your optimism, Stapleford,” he said coolly, pouring the other two men snifters of the brandy and toasting them with a gesture. “We must be realistic. Albert Barnes takes no action without having a plan behind it, sometimes several.”

“But love -” Perceval started and then stopped, laughing as Herbert threatened to throw a cushion at him. “If you will stifle my speeches on love, then I will keep myself to unsentimental topics. Could Rosenburg not simply want connection to Seymour’s fortune?”

“Perhaps,” Stephen said slowly, turning the thought over in his head.

“I don’t envy him Lottie,” Herbert put in, sipping his own brandy. “I am familiar with her sharp tongue and I would not be wed to that.”

“The lady’s character aside,” Stephen said, quellingly for he did not hold with gossip about a lady in a gentleman’s club. “Seymour is a rival of mine in the House of Lords, and Rosenburg will know that. We never meet but we are at odds with each other on some topic or other. The bills I wish to support, he opposes and those I want to oppose, he is the greatest voice in favor of. I cannot put my mind at ease that linking to his power is not some deeper plan on the part of Rosenburg.”

“It likely did not harm his suit,” Perceval said thoughtfully, refilling his glass. “But is there any way to find out for sure?”

“Not many, the Barnes family doesn’t exactly socialize with us,” Herbert said.

“They didn’t,” Stephen said. “But times have changed and there’s no reason I should not invite my brother-in-law to visit the estate for a spot of hunting now that it is season for partridges.”

Herbert looked appalled but Perceval inclined his head. “A fine way to see if vigorous sport and much wine and brandy loosens his tongue. What of Seymour himself?”

“Seymour as well,” Stephen said decisively, putting his glass down with a thud. “We will hold a hunting party and invite them both. I should be able to see at the least by their behavior to each other if not in conversation with them directly whether there is something to be concerned about.”

As Perceval raised a cheer in support and Herbert started to complain about spending any time around Dudley Barnes, Stephen’s thoughts went to Elizabeth. What would she think of his plans?

Who would she side with if it came down to it?