Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

F or all intents and purposes, Beth would have a full staff.

It was not exactly overflowing; a housekeeper, a butler, a cook, a maid, and two stable hands, but it was a start. It was more than she had when she was alone, at least.

It also meant that she would not be too overwhelmed with running the household. Even her late husband had not cared to hire too many servants. He had been a stingy man, and left a lot of the work to her if she wanted anything done. The stable hands would be a help, too, for she planned to horse ride often to help with her emotions.

“The butler, Mister Cartwright,” Adam explained, leading her down the line.

“A pleasure,” she nodded, but there was only a grunt in response.

It was odd, but she did not think too much of it. He was likely surprised that Adam had taken a wife so suddenly.

“And the housekeeper, Mrs Henshaw.”

“Charmed,” the housekeeper replied, though her voice was rather cold, “Delighted to have you here.”

“The cook, Mrs Meacham.”

Again, there were no words and only a small sound, though at least this time she had a forced smile. Beth accepted that. At least she was trying.

“Your maid, Eliza.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” she tried again, but the maid did not dare to look her in the eye.

“And finally, James and Nathaniel Miller. They are the stable hands. Boys, you will be working harder from this moment on, as she likes horses.”

They seemed almost disgruntled by that. Beth tried not to blame them, as if Adam did not enjoy horse riding then they had likely been paid to feed the horses and change their hay, rather than doing any actual work for them.

All in all, her arrival had not exactly been appreciated.

“Did I do something wrong?” She asked Adam, following him as he left for the stairs.

“Not at all. They are all miserable people, and it is not as though I can complain about that. It is not your fault. They simply prefer to be alone, just as I do. Those boys do not, however. They enjoy doing nothing at all and then spending all day playing games with one another.”

“You are good to them, then, given that you allow them to stay.”

“It is as I said. I cannot blame them for being how they are when-”

He stopped himself.

“When what?”

“Never mind. Now, Mrs Henshaw will be giving you a tour of the house and grounds, and I will be in my study. Please only interrupt me if necessary. Do you understand?”

“Yes, of course,” she nodded, though she had to admit she was feeling very much alone and only truly had him for company. He was the only one she knew already, not to mention the only one that didn’t seem to outright loathe her existence.

“Come along,” Mrs Henshaw said briskly, appearing by her side as Adam left, “The sooner we begin, the sooner you can have some time to yourself.”

That had to be a hint of kindness, did it not?

“This is the entrance,” she sighed, already seemingly tired of talking and gesturing vaguely at the grand chandelier overhead and the staircase that led up to the second floor, “His Lordship had the chandelier cleaned last spring or so, so it’s still in decent shape. The banisters were polished last week, so do try not to leave fingerprints, if you can help it.”

Her tone suggested she didn’t think it likely. Suddenly, she began to walk on, and Beth tried to keep up with her.

Moving briskly, she led the way into a spacious drawing room. The furniture was covered in dust, clearly upholstered many years before, and the tall windows would have let in streams of sunlight had they been tended to.

“This is the drawing room. The earl’s sisters would sit here, and now they are gone it is scarcely used, though sometimes the earl uses it to meet guests when the study is too cold. The pianoforte is out of tune, but the harp’s still playable. Don’t touch the velvet curtains. They’re for looking at, not fiddling with.”

She didn’t wait to see if Beth was even looking and marched toward the next room, her skirt swishing irritably with every step. It was a disappointment that she would be unable to play the pianoforte, but at least she would not face the wrath of the housekeeper if she made a mistake. Again, her words stayed with her. Why did she expect her to touch everything? Why was she afraid of a mess being made in a room that was not cared for in the first place?

“The dining room,” she droned as they entered a long chamber dominated by a heavy oak table, “It seats twelve, though we crammed in sixteen one Christmas. You’ll eat here with the earl, should he ever make an appearance at dinner, though it’s not my concern whether he does or does not. That same rule applies to you.”

She glanced at the mantle with a faint frown. There was a vase there, but nothing in it.

“That vase is supposed to have fresh flowers,” Mrs Henshaw explained, “But it has been empty since Tuesday. I’ve told the maids twice to fix it, but you know how it is.”

Beth found it in her not to tell Mrs Henshaw that no, she did not know how it was at all. On they went, past a set of double doors. They seemed heavy, and judging by the fact that Mrs Henshaw did not push them, they had to have been.

“That’s the library,” she said, not bothering to enter, “Books, mostly, though there are some papers too. Do try to keep it tidy if you go in, Lord knows I’ve had enough of chasing loose sheets around when a draft is let in.”

They climbed the staircase to the upper floor, Mrs Henshaw not breaking stride. Beth wondered just how she had so much stamina at her age, because Beth was beginning to struggle following after her.

“The earl’s chambers are at the end of the hall. You won’t be going in there. This is the east. There are four rooms, and this one is yours.”

At last, Beth was able to enter another room- her own. It was large, and an effort had been made to clean it, but even then it was very old and she did not care for it too much.

By the time they returned to the main floor, Mrs. Henshaw seemed thoroughly fed up with the entire affair. She halted abruptly in the hall, turning to face Beth.

“And that’s the house. It is big, the ceilings are tall, and the staff are too busy to be answering questions about every little thing. If you’re lost, follow the sound of footsteps. Someone will be along eventually, and should they not… Well, you must be a smart girl. You’ll find a way eventually.”

The gravel crunched beneath their feet as Mrs. Henshaw led the way across the gardens.

“This,” she said in a flat, practiced tone, “Is the east lawn. You'll find the flowerbeds there, though half the blooms are past their best now. The gardener’s been behind with the pruning again.”

She sniffed, though whether it was at the gardener or the flowers, it was unclear.

“I was unaware that there was a gardener.” Beth said, trying to have some form of conversation.

“We do not. Hence, I have fallen behind.”

“I see,” Beth nodded as she followed her, “Oh, the fountain is lovely! Does it still work?”

Mrs Henshaw didn’t bother to look.

“It trickles. Sometimes. When it hasn’t rained for a week and the wind is blowing just so, it can have some sort of function. The old thing has been here longer than I have.”

“Now, this is the west side. It's mostly trees. Good for resting in the summer, I suppose, though I wouldn’t know. The master likes to walk through here occasionally, but mind your skirts if you try it; the brambles are unkind.”

As they neared the stable yard, the distant whinny of horses carried on the breeze.

“The stables are that way. Two boys run about tending the horses. If you need anything, don’t expect them to fetch it for you. They’re not particularly inclined to be of any help to anyone, but the earl won’t seem to rid himself of them.”

She paused, drawing in a long-suffering breath as if she had exhausted her enthusiasm for the entire week.

“There, you’ve seen it all. Shall I take you back to the house, or do you want to walk around again?”

Beth bit her lip, unsure if she ought to be offended or amused by the housekeeper's utter lack of charm. It was just her luck that she would, once again, move into a home where she was unwanted.

“Perhaps another time,” she replied politely.

Mrs Henshaw nodded.

“As you wish. Tea is in an hour. It will be a good time for you to speak with your maid, at least.”

She left before Beth could thank her properly, but something in the way she vanished so quickly led Beth to think that she did not wish to be followed. Then again, from what she could gather, perhaps she simply had too much to do.

Fortunately, her maid seemed more at ease at tea. Beth was grateful for that; Eliza would be her only real company if Adam insisted on being elsewhere at all times and her staff hated her. Eliza’s purpose was to be around her, so it was for the best that they at least got along with one another.

“My apologies for what happened during your arrival,” she explained, before even greeting her, “I wasn’t sure of what to say to you.”

“Oh! Well, not to worry. I don’t suppose that you have ever had to greet a countess before.”

“No. His Lordship only brought me in during his stay in London. He sent word that he was to marry, and that Mrs Henshaw had to find a maid for his bride. That was why I was so quiet; I did not know whether to greet you or the earl first.”

Beth laughed softly.

“In any case, it is good to know that I have an ally here.”

“An ally? You speak as if you are to go into battle, Ma’am.”

“Beth,” she corrected, “We are to be friends. And yes, it certainly feels as though we are headed into battle with the way everyone has been with me today. Mrs Henshaw seemed to want rid of me from the moment I opened my mouth.”

“She likely does. With the earl away so often, she let standards slip, from what I have heard.”

“That sounds terrible. Has nobody helped her?”

“I do not know, having only just arrived myself, but it would appear not.”

“She certainly didn’t think too highly of the stable hands.”

“They mean well. They are nice enough, but, well, they are brothers. They are also only eight-and-ten and six-and-ten, so any misbehavior is likely forgiven on the earl’s part. He was like them once, I suppose.”

Beth had to agree.

It had been a strange honeymoon thus far, but she didn’t mind trying to acquaint herself with the staff, even if they did not seem too welcoming. Regardless, she was quite excited for dinner, so that she could tell Adam about her thoughts on the house and how they were mostly positive.

The only negative was that she wanted to change absolutely everything about the place, but she tried to only consider it as one thing.

But Adam did not come to dinner. She waited until the cook warned her that the food would be cold soon, at which point she ate it and then sat there a while longer. When he did not come, she gave in and went to her bedroom. It had been a long day, and all she truly had wanted was some time with her husband, but she scolded herself for that. He had warned her not to expect such treatment, and that their marriage would be fraudulent, but she hadn’t thought that he would leave her alone completely.

And that did not change. Three days passed without him leaving his bedchambers and his study. Beth tried not to mind; he did not care about his house, and he did not care about her, so what sort of great loss could it possibly be? It was during those three days, however, that she came to a conclusion.

She could not live in a house like that.

“Mrs Henshaw,” she asked gingerly that afternoon, “Might we have a word?”

“I don’t see why not,” she huffed, “I can always clean twice as quickly when we are done to make up for it.”

“Or… I could help you?”

“That is preposterous,” she snapped, “I am more than capable of doing this myself.”

“I know that, but as I am taking your time… Perhaps we could just keep the fact that the dusting isn’t done between the two of us?”

Mrs Henshaw sighed, defeated, before sitting down. Beth joined her, trying to find the right words to say.

“I have been thinking. I know this might not be what you wish to hear, and you are welcome to scold me for even suggesting it, but I was wondering what your thoughts would be on a complete refurbishment of this household?”

She seemed quite taken aback by Beth’s suggestion, and Beth waited for the harsh words.

“Well, I must admit that I have had the same thought myself, but I have never dared ask the earl.”

“He doesn’t care about this place.”

“That does not signify. It is his home. It is not for me to change.”

“It is also my home now,” Beth pointed out, “So it is for me to change, or at least suggest that we do. I shall speak with him first thing in the morning, should I have your blessing. I do not wish to make you work any more than you already do.”

She was stunned. Mrs Henshaw was smiling at her.

“It would save a lot of work, if anything,” Mrs Henshaw sighed, “Most of the difficulty cleaning comes from how old everything is.”

“Then the matter is settled. I will discuss it with my husband tomorrow, and then everything will be changed as soon as we can.”

Mrs Henshaw nodded, rising from her seat and continuing with her tasks, but this time with a smile on her face. Beth wondered if that was simply because she would finally have something new to do.

Either way, changes had to be made.