Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Everyone retired to bed, but Charlotte couldn't sleep. Instead, she lay sprawled on her back as she stared at the beams. The London servants must be thorough cleaners because she couldn't detect a single cobweb anywhere. She rather liked watching spiders spin their webs, so perhaps she could ask them to leave her ceiling for a few days.

"They'll probably think I've taken leave of my senses," she muttered.

She chuckled, imagining their expressions, especially those of Mrs. Stanford. She was a stickler for everything being in its place and couldn't stand dirt. Charlotte hated to think what she was like on spring cleaning days.

Her door opening drew her attention, and she raised her head off her pillow. "Louise?"

Her sister grinned, closing the door behind her. "Good—you're not asleep yet. I saw the candle in your room, but I know you often fall asleep with it lit."

"I suppose you also cannot sleep?" said Charlotte.

Louise nodded and climbed into bed with her. "I have a lot on my mind, and I felt I couldn't let it wait until tomorrow. I just have to tell you today."

"Tell me what?"

"It's about Lord Henry and what he said."

That made Charlotte sit up and push her curls out of her face. "What did he say? Was he inappropriate with you? Why didn't you say something before?"

Louise chuckled and followed her movements until they faced each other. "You always jump to conclusions," she said. "Lord Henry wasn't inappropriate with me. This is about you ."

"Me?" Charlotte said, pointing at herself. "Why? What did he say?"

"I feel we need a midnight meal for this," Louise said. "We need sustenance to tackle this matter. Do you think we could sneak into the kitchen and make something? The servants will have retired by now. It will be just as we did before at home."

Charlotte and her sister were well-known among the servants for appearing in the kitchen after midnight and having a little feast while chatting into the early morning. It got to the point where their cooks would intentionally leave food readily available for them, including hot water softly simmering on the stovetop. They never saw the servants, but they were always nearby to tend to the stove.

"We do not know this kitchen yet, but I suppose it cannot be any different from others," said Charlotte. "I wouldn't mind a little more dessert."

"Then it's settled," Louise cried, getting off the bed. "I want more of the roast beef we had. It was so tender and flavorful. I imagine it will taste delicious on bread with some cheese and gravy. I wonder if the stove is heated. I imagine they put out the fire, but perhaps we can make one ourselves. I'd like to warm the gravy to melt the cheese a little."

"We can ask Templeton to help," said Charlotte. "She knows her way around a kitchen and fire. I doubt she's asleep yet. She never settles into a house until at least two weeks have passed, so she gets very little sleep. I have no clue how she functions on such little sleep. Just a moment."

She slid out of bed and padded to where Templeton had hung her dressing gown. It was a pretty blue silk with little white flowers and ruffles at the neck and wrists. Charlotte felt it was a tad too ostentatious for bed, but her mother had been adamant that her trousseau would have only beautiful items.

"Get a candle so we can head to the attic," she said. "Templeton's room is the first on the right."

Louise nodded and took the candle from the side table before leaving the room with Charlotte. They tried their best to avoid making a noise as they climbed the stairs to the attic, but the wood creaked as though it wanted to announce to the world that they were sneaking around the house.

"These stairs are as bad as the ones at home," Louise complained.

"Maybe the house doesn't like us," Charlotte suggested.

"You're its mistress—it has to like you," said Louise. "It's probably just old. Do you know when it was built?"

"Some parts look fairly new, but this area seems old," Charlotte said. "There must have been an original house, and the rest was added over time. William said this was his mother's favorite home in London."

"Then the new parts cannot be that recent," Louise replied. "Didn't you say she died when he was eight? That is twenty-two years ago."

"I didn't mean recently as in a few years, but perhaps a few decades," said Charlotte. "I can see why she loved this home, though. It's beautiful."

All the wooden parts of the walls had paneling with little designs carved into the wood. The house wasn't cluttered with unnecessary knick-knacks but lovingly decorated to appear elegant but cozy. It wasn't as big as their other homes, but its warmth and attention to detail appealed to Charlotte far more than the others.

"We're here," said Louise, breaking into Charlotte's thoughts. "I see a light under the door. She must be awake." She lightly rapped on the door. "Templeton!"

They heard scurrying across the floorboard before the door flung open. "Is something wrong?" the lady's maid asked, her eyes roaming over Charlotte and Louise. "Did something happen?"

"No, be at ease," said Charlotte, grinning. "We just need your help with our midnight feast. Can you come down, or are you too tired?"

"I'm not tired at all," said Templeton. "Let me get my shawl, and I'll go down with you. Just a moment, Your Grace."

Charlotte nodded and peeked into her lady's maid's room, finding it neat and tidy. It was just like Templeton.

"I'm ready!" she cried, grabbing the candle closest to her. "I imagine you need the stove on. Why don't I make some tea? There are quite a bit of leftovers from dinner and biscuits in the pantry. You can have a lovely feast."

Charlotte loved that her lady's maid knew precisely what they wanted before they even had to say it.

"We want everything we could possibly stuff into our mouths before we belch with contentment," said Louise.

"Louise!" Charlotte scolded. "Do you have to be so vulgar? Mama would keel over if she heard you."

"Oh, it's just the three of us, so it's fine," Louise insisted.

Charlotte pursed her lips but said nothing more as they made their way to the kitchen. The house was quiet except for the grandfather clock in the hallway and their footsteps on the carpeted stairs. Fortunately, it was the beginning of summer, so the night air wasn't cold but pleasantly cool.

"What would you like to begin with?" Templeton asked as they entered the kitchen.

"You can deal with the fire while we collect the food and arrange it on the table," said Charlotte. "You will join us, of course."

Templeton smiled and nodded as she began preparing the fire. Charlotte looked in the pantry while Louise dug around in covered plates and pots. They would have to leave a note explaining what happened to the food.

"Do not take too much from the leftovers," said Charlotte, poking her head around the pantry door. "The servants likely expect it for breakfast. We only need some of the roast beef and gravy. I wish we had sausages. I love them with raw onion and a little cheese on a bun."

Louise wrinkled her nose. "Raw onion?" she said. "I do not know where you get such tastebuds from."

"Our nanny, of course," said Charlotte. "Do you not recall how she would eat raw offal with vinegar, salt, and pepper? Sometimes, she would add raw onions. She said it kept her strong and healthy. She did the same with beef liver. I prefer my liver and onion cooked, though. Oh, now I'm hankering after offal pie with chunks of beef."

"Are you perhaps with child?" Louise asked.

Charlotte gasped. "No!" she cried. "What made you think such a thing?"

"Why wouldn't I?" said Louise. "Married women bear children—that is as normal as eating cake daily. Why are you so surprised? Frankly, you appear horrified at the very thought."

"You just took me by surprise," Charlotte muttered and returned to searching through the pantry.

Louise didn't know of her problems with William. However, that matter had passed, and now their relationship was in a wonderful place. It was still a friendship, but it was quickly changing into something more.

William had kissed her hand during the evening, and while it had been surprising, it also felt natural. It was the first time his lips had touched her skin, igniting a fire within her that would likely continue to grow every time they touched. Charlotte grew hot just thinking about it.

Fanning her face, she gathered a few ingredients and placed them in a nearby basket. The pantry was large and had four parts—grains, vegetables, meat, and dairy. She took something from each area, wondering how much ice had to be purchased to keep the meat and dairy area so cool.

Someone needed to create a contraption that made prolonging fresh food easy and accessible. It couldn't be easy lugging ice around, especially during the warmer months when everything melted so quickly.

Charlotte returned to the central part of the kitchen and emptied her basket on the table. Templeton had the fire going and had placed water in a kettle, so their tea was on its way. Louise found several buns, half a loaf of bread, a thick piece of roast beef, and a bowl of gelatinous gravy that would turn into something thick and flavorful once heated.

"You found some plum cake!" Louise exclaimed. "Did you include plum jam? I always like to add a little extra to the cake."

Charlotte picked up the bottle. "I know you too well, sister dear."

Louise grinned and picked up a knife. "How many slices of bread would you like? You, too, Templeton."

"I'll have a bun, my lady," said Templeton. "The tea will be ready soon."

"Well then, let's eat," Louise replied. "I haven't done this in so long. It just isn't the same without my sister."

Charlotte turned her lips upside down. "I feel the same. We must see each other more often. William doesn't mind. He likes having you in our home."

"He said that?" Louise asked.

She pushed the beef toward Templeton to slice it into thin pieces while she buttered her three slices of bread.

"Not in so many words, but he likes to see me happy," Charlotte told her. "Having you with me makes me happy, so it makes sense that he likes having you in our home."

"I suppose that makes sense," Louise agreed. "Please cut some cheese, and can we warm the gravy yet?"

"Oh, let me do the gravy, my lady," said Templeton, jumping to her feet. "I'll put it in a little pot with a knob of butter. Shall I add a little vinegar as well? Just a drop to awaken the flavors. It should work well with the cheese."

"Whatever you think is necessary," Louise replied.

Templeton rose and took the gravy bowl with her, fiddling around the pots and pans for something small. She had also lit the fire in the fireplace for toast, although Charlotte doubted anyone would want to stand in front of the fire to brown both sides of the bread.

"So, what did you have to tell me about Henry?" Charlotte asked. "But first, you do not fancy him, do you?"

She had almost forgotten why they had come to the kitchen in the first place. Henry had said something to Louise that bothered her enough to keep her from her slumber. Whatever it was had to be serious.

"Fancy Lord Henry?" said Louise. "Goodness, no. I prefer Lord Gregory, but he is much older. I do not know how I feel about the age difference."

"Good," Charlotte said. "That is what I thought, but I just wanted to be certain."

"Lord Henry does fancy someone, though," Louise continued. She looked around and drew closer to Charlotte. "He practically admitted to having feelings for you."

"Me?" Charlotte cried.

"Hush!" Louise scolded. "Do you wish to wake the servants?"

"I'm sorry, but you cannot blame me for being shocked," said Charlotte. "What on earth did he say?"

Louise took a piece of cake and added a dollop of jam before continuing with the details.

"He was careful with his words," she said. "He never directly admitted to anything, but he had much to say that was worrying. He believes you and His Grace are not a good match, and you should have met the family before marrying him."

Henry has said as much to her earlier that day. It seemed he did not want to let go of the opinion, despite Charlotte telling him she was happy with her marriage.

"I do not care for his opinion," Charlotte replied. "Just ignore him."

"I normally would ignore silly opinions, but something else worried me," said Louise. "The more he talked, the more I believed he had other intentions. I think he's going to try and draw you away from William. I'm sure he believes he can make you run away with him. You should speak to His Grace and warn him about Lord Henry before he does something to place you in a questionable position."

Charlotte stopped what she was doing and merely stared at her sister in shock. She knew Lord Henry had a few inappropriate thoughts, but this was really too much. Perhaps it was time to speak to William before Henry caused any damage to her marriage.