Chapter 5 #2
“I ought to officially introduce you to the staff now the boy is here,” he said, and rang the bellpull.
It took a few moments for the staff to assemble themselves along the wall, but they did so, and Andrew stood before them with his hands behind his back.
“This is my wife and your new mistress,” he said, nodding at Jessamine. “You will treat her with the deference and respect her position deserves.”
There was a low murmur of agreement, and the housekeeper, a plump woman with a hooked nose and kind eyes, gave Jessamine a reassuring smile.
“As of today,” Andrew continued, “I have taken my cousin’s son as my ward.
As of now, this boy is the heir to the duchy.
Both his father and mother are deceased, and the duchess and I will be caring for him as our own.
I expect you to treat him as you would treat my blood heir. His name is William Kinley.”
Kinley. Jessamine stared at Andrew. So he had given William his name as well?
That was probably safer; once he bore Andrew’s name, no one would bother to look any further, and any questions about his heritage would be answered with that alone.
But it proved he was serious about caring for William as his own.
The butler, a stern man named Foxwell, introduced the staff in slow, ponderous terms. Jessamine forgot almost all their names save for Mrs. Bragg, the housekeeper. Lucy, the nursemaid, was to be integrated as a member of the permanent staff, at least until William no longer needed nursing.
“Now then, Your Grace,” Mrs. Bragg said, coming forward with another of her smiles.
“Foxwell informs me you don’t have a lady’s maid of your own?
Now that you’re a duchess, we’ll find one for you, but until then I will appoint Locke as your maid.
She’s a willing worker and has an eye for the aesthetic.
Shall we take that young boy upstairs? I’ll show you where everything is. ”
“Yes, thank you,” Jessamine said, relieved. “I should very much like to get along.”
“That we will, Your Grace; you need not worry about that. It’s been far too long since this house has had a woman in charge, and let me tell you, I have felt the deprivation sorely.
” She climbed the stairs and led Jessamine to what she called the west wing, in which the duke and duchess’s suites were located.
“You have a bedchamber, a dressing room, and the duke instructed the nursery be moved right next door, here,” she explained, opening the door to the nursery in question, with a small crib, a bed for the nursemaid, and everything they might need.
And the duke had requested it be brought here, so she might access it more easily from her room.
“Thank you,” Jessamine said.
“We want to do everything we can to ensure both you and the young master are comfortable here,” Mrs. Bragg said. “If there’s anything else you need, all you should do is tell us.”
“I will, thank you.”
The remainder of the house tour took some time and revealed very little. Like many other townhouses, there were several floors, and the house contained a parlor, a drawing room, a dining room, a library, a small study, a ballroom and several bedrooms.
Jessamine’s bedchamber opened into the duke’s; theirs was, after all, the duke and duchess’s suite.
She eyed the door with disfavor. She’d given up certain expectations of privacy when she agreed to this marriage, and she could only hope the duke would keep his word and not… require anything of her.
Locke, the head housemaid who would also be functioning as Jessamine’s lady’s maid, was unpacking Jessamine’s clothes, and smiled in a friendly way. “Good afternoon, Your Grace. Is there anything I can do for you?”
Jessamine, who had just put William down for a feed and a nap, slumped in the large armchair before the fire. She would have, she estimated, around an hour or so before William awoke again, which would be just enough time for a small nap.
“His Grace has requested you join him for dinner,” Locke said, sliding a gown into the wardrobe. “Do you have a particular dress you would like to wear?”
“Dinner?” Jessamine stared at Locke in horror. “What do you mean? I should be staying here, with William.”
“But it’s your…” Locke trailed off, obviously unsure. “I’m afraid His Grace did not frame this as a request, Your Grace.”
In other words, Jessamine had no choice. So this was what her life with the duke would be like: filled with his commands and everyone’s assumption that she would obey them.
She considered disobeying him and remaining up in her rooms with William, which was where she belonged. She had not married Andrew so they could sit and eat dinner awkwardly together.
Locke looked at her, a trace of anxiety in the other woman’s face, and Jessamine realized it would reflect badly on Locke if she chose not to attend. No doubt the maid would be punished, and that would be on Jessamine’s conscience as well.
“Very well,” she said stiffly. “I will attend. But I have no particular preference as to my gown.”
Locke beamed. “I will make you look the part, ma’am. You will dazzle His Grace, no mistake.”
Jessamine sincerely hoped she wouldn’t.