Chapter 21 #2
Hereford smoothed over the awkwardness by stepping forward, which forced Kalina to turn slightly.
“This is Miss Milford, who runs the household, and Mr. Milford, her brother, who runs… well, everything else.”
“Your Grace.” Miss Milford dipped into a low curtsy while Mr. Milford bowed. Both of them looked to be in their early fifties by the grey in their hair and the lines on their faces. Both of them had extremely neutral expressions, just like Lady Julianna.
“Welcome to the Hall,” Mr. Milford said.
It was hard to tell if they were naturally reserved or if they were stiff because they knew of the circumstances surrounding the suddenness of her marriage to Hereford. Or perhaps they were embarrassed to be welcoming her to the hall in its current state.
“Down, poppet. I need to help Daniel and the others with our things,” Hereford told his youngest sister before lowering her to the ground.
“I can help!” She frowned, looking down at the hare in her arms, then let out a sigh. “I suppose Archibald has had a good, long visit already, anyway.”
Bending down, she put the hare on the ground, and it took off like a shot, heading into the tall grass on the side of the house and disappearing from sight almost immediately. Fiona waved her hand as if seeing him off.
“Goodbye! I’ll see you tomorrow! Do not get eaten by foxes!”
Utterly bemused, and rather charmed, Kalina could not stop the smile curving her lips at the lighthearted farewell, all of which was said with utter innocent cheerfulness. Her smile quickly faded when faced with the harder gazes of the elder two sisters.
Feeling rather twitchy, she went to assist with the luggage, Margaret following at her heels.
Hereford frowned at her, but she ignored him, taking two hatboxes in hand.
If he was going to attend, so could she.
Of course, she had not reckoned with the fact that she did not know where her room was.
She turned and looked up at the house, pausing.
Margaret stood silently beside her, holding Kalina’s jewelry box.
“Follow me, Your Grace,” Miss Milford said to her, holding a small trunk that held some of Kalina’s gloves, reticules, and things. “I’ll show you the way to your room.” Something flashed in her eyes before her face blanked again, thought what emotion she was hiding, Kalina could not tell.
Nodding, Kalina followed Miss Milford into the house, aware of the bustle behind her and the way Hereford’s sisters hung back.
It only made sense, after all, that they should want to see their brother.
Question him. She wished she could hear what he said about her, to help direct her way forward with them… but perhaps it was best she could not.
Her attention was immediately taken by the state of the house, the interior of which was just as shabby as the exterior.
More so, perhaps. Though the foyer was very clean, the rug was threadbare, and there were several spindles missing on the staircase.
Kalina’s gaze drifted up to where there should have been a chandelier, but the large space above her was empty.
“This way, Your Grace,” Miss Milford said, going up the stairs with alacrity.
Was she hurrying in order to return to help with the rest of the luggage?
In which case, Kalina would not dally. “We did not have time to get everything fully in order, but your room has been prepared. There are also a morning room and a small study attached to your bedroom, which are not ready for you yet.”
There was a hint of trepidation in her voice—worry that Kalina would hold her responsible for not having the suite fully prepared? She certainly did not blame Miss Milford. The lack of time and other staff to help her would have made such a task nearly impossible.
“Thank you for having the bedroom ready on such short notice,” she said, infusing her voice with gratitude. Indeed, having a room she could retreat to that was her very own would be a boon. Of course, Hereford would be able to come in as well. At night. Tonight. Which was their wedding night.
A small shiver of anticipation went down her spine.
Despite everything, she was very curious about what the things her mother had told her would actually feel like.
Especially with him. Supposedly, such things put men in a good mood.
Kalina would use any small advantage she could scrounge to improve her standing with her new husband.
“Of course, Your Grace. It’s just down here.”
As expected, the house was huge. The upstairs hall rug was even shabbier than the one downstairs.
She had become familiar enough with English ton houses to realize the absence of furniture and décor in the hallway was unusual.
There were squares of discoloration on the faded wallpaper where frames and tapestries had once hung.
The hallway had a very dark and gloomy air about it.
Kalina was more than a little relieved when Miss Milford finally stopped before a door and, hitching the trunk she was carrying onto one hip, opened it.
Stepping back, the worthy lady bowed her head as she waited for Kalina to go through.
Steeling herself, Kalina took a deep breath and entered her new domain.
The room was very pretty, though very out of fashion.
The rug was not as threadbare as some of the others, and the curtains appeared to be a little ragged but perfectly serviceable.
The furniture was feminine, dainty, made out of a light shade of wood that contrasted nicely with the rosier hues of the curtains and bed linens.
“It’s pink,” Kalina exclaimed appreciatively, wondering if Hereford had sent her color preferences ahead of him.
“It used to be red,” Miss Milford admitted, sheepishly.
Kalina’s heart sank a little, but no matter. She had not really expected Hereford to have made such a gesture, not considering the circumstances. Perhaps she should take the faded red to pink as a sign that the house was welcoming her, even if none of the people in it were.
“I cleaned everything thoroughly, but there was little else I could do.”
The embarrassment that was clear in her voice had Kalina setting her hat boxes down and going over to the other woman, reaching out her hands.
Surprise showed in Miss Milford’s eyes and uncertainty, but she held out her hands to meet Kalina’s.
Looking her directly in her blue eyes, Kalina held the older woman’s callused hands gently.
“You have worked a miracle on very little notice,” Kalina said firmly. “I appreciate all of your efforts, and the room looks lovely. Thank you so much for ensuring it was ready for me.”
Miss Milford’s lips made a little ‘o’ as relief suffused her features. Then she released Kalina’s hands and bobbed another curtsy. The former neutrality of her expression had shifted slightly to something warmer.
“Thank you, Your Grace. Is there anything you need? Something to drink or eat?” Miss Milford appeared rather earnest.
Kalina glanced at the window, gauging the light in the sky, which was still bright but slowly beginning to dim as the afternoon wore on. She was hungry, but did not want to ask for something when she was unsure of how bare the cupboard might be.
“What time do you normally serve dinner?” she asked.
“Six o’clock, Your Grace, about two hours from now.”
She could wait two hours.
“That will be fine then, I do not need anything else at the moment. Thank you, Miss Milford.”
“Happy to assist, Your Grace.” Bobbing another curtsy, Miss Milford left the room.
Exchanging a glance with Margaret, Kalina let out a long sigh.
“I think his grace owes your father a greater debt than we realized,” Margaret murmured, setting Kalina’s jewelry box down on the vanity beside the wardrobe. “This is… well. We’ll get it up to scratch soon enough.”
“Soon enough,” Kalina echoed, walking over to look out the window. She noted the small crack in the far most upper right pane. The flower garden below her window looked to be overgrown, a riot of greenery and colors from the jungle of plants.
One way or another, she was determined to make her new life work. There was no going back from here.