Chapter 1 #2
“No, thank you, miss. This smells delicious.”
Miss Grace Parker paced in front of the drawing room windows in their London townhome, waiting for the Devon family carriage to appear.
Her friend, Lady Kathryn, should arrive soon, and she could hardly wait to start on their journey to the family’s country estate, Dandridge Manor, near the town of Reading.
With repairs underway at their London home, the plan was to stay at the country manor for the summer to escape the chaos.
It would be a nice respite from London, especially since she had caused a small scandal at the last musical event she’d attended by wearing a rich purple gown.
The older matrons had been appalled. That color was frowned upon for a young, unmarried woman, especially one who had not yet had her debut, but Grace hadn’t cared.
She loved that dress, and even her brother-in-law, Baron Fletcher, had complimented her on the color.
Her older sister, Audrey, had advised her to change, warning her about what the gossipmongers would say, but she was too stubborn.
“Audrey, it’s only a dress. No one will even notice me,” Grace had told her sister.
How wrong she’d been.
They had noticed her, and not in a good way.
Now she wished she’d listened. “Audrey, I’m so sorry,” she’d said when they returned home that night. “I should have listened. Please forgive my stubbornness.”
“Of course, dearest, but I would counsel you to listen when sound advice is given in the future. Will you promise to do that?”
Grace nodded. “Yes, I promise.”
It would be good to be absent from London for a while.
Her absence would give the gossip a chance to die down.
She certainly didn’t want that incident to be the topic of conversation next spring when she made her official debut into Society.
That small misstep was something she never wanted to repeat and was glad they were leaving London for the summer.
In the future, she would take Audrey’s sound advice.
The only pleasant thing about that whole debacle was that she’d been able to sit with Mr. Wallings during the performance.
He was so affable, he hadn’t cared about the color of her dress, and she thoroughly enjoyed his company and wanted to continue their acquaintance.
Then his letter came to the house. She was sad to learn he was leaving London for a new post as a vicar.
While she was happy for his promotion, she was devastated to know she wouldn’t see him around London anymore.
She had to admit to being rather excited about finally going to visit their country home, Dandridge Manor.
Although she and her sisters had always been aware of the estate, as it had been mentioned a few times over the years, their late father had said he’d never liked the country and had never taken them there.
Her brother-in-law, Jacob, the new Lord Fletcher—a quite distant relation, there having been no other heir—was vastly different and had promised to take them all for a visit, but first the house needed a thorough cleaning and some repairs to fix years of neglect.
Fletcher had also learned that valuable paintings and silver had been sold off years ago by the former baron, but fortunately, the manor had not been completely gutted of its contents.
True to his word, that day had finally come, and Grace was ecstatic.
“Grace, dearest, you’ll wear a hole in the carpet if you keep pacing like that,” Audrey, the newlywed Lady Fletcher, said.
“When will she arrive? Do you think she’s changed her mind? What if she hates the country? Has Lady Devon accepted your invitation to come to Dandridge Manor in August?”
Audrey chuckled at the stream of questions.
“Calm yourself, Grace. I’m sure it won’t be much longer now, and yes, Lord and Lady Devon have accepted the invitation.
They will arrive for the last two weeks of August. Seeing as we’ve never been there, I wanted to make sure the manor was in good repair before they came to visit. ”
“That’s good. I’m sure Lady Kathryn will enjoy having her family with her.”
“Have you finished packing everything you want to bring?” Audrey asked. “We’ll need to stop for the night at an inn. It’s too long a journey to do in one day. Did you also pack a valise for the overnight stay?”
“I have. Beckwith has taken everything out to the carriage.”
“Very good.”
“I’m so happy we have our own carriage now. No more smelly hackneys,” Grace said.
“I know. Jacob has worked incredibly hard to organize all the preparations for our journey. He’s a wonder when he wants something done.”
Jacob Stanford the new Baron Fletcher, had been a successful newspaper owner in New York City who gave up his old life and the ownership of his paper to take up the title and marry the love of his life, her eldest sister, Audrey.
Grace had been thrilled when they finally admitted their feelings for one another.
They were so happy together, and Jacob’s concern for both Grace’s and her younger sister Mia’s welfare never ceased to amaze her.
He truly was the best brother-in-law she could have ever wished for.
It seemed that Jacob had done the impossible in a short amount of time by not only securing a new carriage and a pair of horses but also buying a magnificent black stallion he’d named Midnight, so he could ride part of the way.
The idea of being cooped up in a carriage with four young women must have been too much to bear and was just the catalyst he needed to get a mount for himself.
Mia came bounding into the room. “I’m ready now. When can we leave?”
“When Lady Kathryn arrives,” Grace said, turning from the window.
“How long will the journey take?” Mia asked.
“At least a day and a half, probably closer to two days, I believe,” Audrey said. “We’ll have to stop at an inn along the way to rest. Did you pack a valise for the night?”
“Yes,” Mia said, joining Grace by the window.
Their butler, Beckwith, walked into the room. “Lady Fletcher, are the rest of the trunks ready to be brought downstairs?”
Audrey looked at her sisters, who both nodded. “Yes, everything is ready to be loaded. Thank you, Beckwith.”
“I’ll miss having Beckwith and Mrs. Culbert with us,” Mia said. “Do you think the cook at Dandridge Manor knows how to make lemon biscuits?”
“I have no idea, dearest, but I’m sure we’ll make do for the time we’ll be at Dandridge Manor. Beckwith and Mrs. Culbert are needed here to help Mrs. Trotter oversee the house renovations.”
“How long will we stay in the country?” Mia asked.
“Through the summer months,” Audrey explained. “I don’t relish staying here during the renovations with all the dust and mess.”
“Good morning,” Jacob said, walking into the drawing room. He went straight to Audrey and pulled her into his arms for a kiss. “And good morning to you, my lady wife.”
“Good morning, darling, she said, leaning to whisper in his ear. “I much preferred your earlier good morning.”
“As did I.” He glanced at Grace and Mia. “Now, are you ladies ready to go?” he asked.
“Yes. We’re just waiting for Lady Kathryn,” Grace said.
“Excellent.”
Mrs. Trotter, their newly hired housekeeper, walked into the room. “Excuse me, Lady Fletcher, do you have any last-minute instructions?”
Audrey shook her head. “No. There will be plenty to do with the list Lord Fletcher already prepared for you. Once we see how the first part of the renovations goes, there will probably be more projects to tackle.”
“Very good, my lady. I wish you a pleasant journey.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Trotter,” Audrey said. “If there are any issues, please have Beckwith send a note. Hopefully, there won’t be any major obstacles, but just in case, feel free to contact me.”
“Of course, my lady,” Mrs. Trotter said with a curtsey before she exited the room.
Fletcher kissed Audrey again and said, “If there are any issues, I’ll be happy to ride back to London to straighten them out, but you’ve done such a magnificent job organizing the projects that have to be done, I doubt there will be a need.”
“Thank you, darling, for that vote of confidence,” Audrey said. “I do hope you’ll be pleased with all the changes.”
“I’m sure I’ll love it. Anything will be better than these drab colors.”
Grace looked over her shoulder at her sister and brother-in-law and smiled.
They were so in love, and she hoped one day to find someone who would love her unconditionally, but she wouldn’t settle for just anyone.
If she didn’t find a gentleman to suit, then she wouldn’t marry.
She knew Fletcher would provide for her no matter what.
But that was a decision for the future. For now, she was just happy to be going to the country and away from London and the gossip for a while.
Mia squealed. “She’s here!”
“Come, ladies. Let me help you all get settled in the carriage, and we can be off,” Fletcher said.
Grace followed her family out the door.
The Devon family coachman handed down Lady Kathryn, and Audrey went to greet her. “I’m so very pleased you’re here,” she said, bussing her friend’s cheek.
“Thank you. I am as well. By the way, my mother was very pleased to receive your invitation to visit in August.”
“Good. I’m happy your parents accepted. I’m sure Fletcher will want some male company after a house full of ladies for two months.”
“I believe my brother, Easton, may also attend, although his plans are not yet solidified.”
“That will be no problem, as there are plenty of bedchambers from what I understand.”
“Lady Kathryn, I’m so happy you’re coming with us,” Grace said, stepping up and squeezing her hand.
Kathryn nodded. “I am as well. It will be good to breathe in the fresh air for a change.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Grace said as Fletcher handed the ladies up into the carriage and a footman loaded Lady Kathryn’s luggage on the back.
“This is so exciting,” Mia said, sitting next to Audrey. “I can hardly wait to see what Dandridge Manor looks like.”
“Dearest, you must not get your hopes up. Remember, the manor has been empty for many years,” Audrey said.
“Surely it cannot be too bad with some staff living there, can it?”
“That I don’t know, so we’ll have to wait and see.”
With everyone safely inside the carriage, the coachman flicked the reins to get the horses moving. It was time for a new adventure.