taste. It suddenly occurred to her how
truly uncomfortable she had always felt among the elaborate gilded
French furnishings which the dowager preferred.
She sighed with pleasure as she looked around the
room. The far wall was dominated by large three-quarter-length
paned windows overlooking the square below. The shutters were open
and the curtains thrown back so that the room was bathed in
sunlight.
She was overwhelmed. Surely this elegant room was
too grand for someone in her position, although at the same time it
appeared remarkably comfortable and cozy. She wondered if Lord
Bradleigh had commissioned a project of redecoration, or did the
charm and cheerfulness of the room reflect his late mother's taste?
In any case, it was delightful, and since Mrs. Claypool had been
precise in directing her and Lottie to this room, she must assume
that there had been no mistake.
A knock on the door heralded the arrival of two
footmen carrying a large heavy trunk, which Emily knew contained
her new wardrobe. While Lottie began to unpack, Emily stepped
across the hall to the dowager's suite, to make sure that she was
settling in comfortably.
The dowager's suite of rooms, consisting of bedroom,
dressing room, and sitting room, was more formal, more ornate in
decor than her own. Perhaps this suite was always held in readiness
for Lady Bradleigh and therefore reflected her special taste.
Shades of blue predominated, and the furniture was all of either
light woods or painted in gilt. The large bed was draped with a
tall tent-like structure of royal blue satin with gold embroidery.
Although Emily much preferred the room she had been assigned, she
did admire the prospect of the large garden which the dowager's
rooms commanded.
Iris and Tuttle appeared to have things well under
control. "I am going to have a brief rest before tea," the dowager
told Emily. "I am thoroughly exhausted from bouncing around like a
rag doll for two days. Go ahead, my dear, and have a rest yourself,
and I will see you in a few hours for tea."
Emily returned to her room to find that Lottie had
completed the unpacking. "Shall I have a bath prepared for you,
miss?" Lottie asked.
"I would love a bath, Lottie. Thank you for
suggesting it."
Lottie beamed with pride at having pleased her new
mistress. She lost no time in ordering that a tub and hot water be
brought up at once. Emily could not help but notice this new quiet
efficiency of Lottie's since they had left Bath. She suspected that
during the long journey Iris, the dowager's abigail, had given
Lottie more than a little advice on the proper behavior for a
lady's maid. Lottie had obviously paid attention and was now
determined to prove her worth.
And so Emily spent the next hour feeling utterly
luxurious and quite spoiled as she soaked in a tub of
lavender-scented bathwater placed before the fire. She was almost
able to forget for the moment that she was a woman in service and
not a lady of leisure. She washed her hair and afterward sat by the
fire brushing it dry. Lottie then helped her into a freshly ironed
dress of pale blue sprigged muslin with a high-necked smocked
bodice and long cased sleeves. Lottie also dressed Emily's still
slightly damp hair into an intricate braided topknot taught her by
Tuttle. During all this time, Lottie had said no more than "Yes,
miss" or "No, miss" or "Whatever you say, miss," so that Emily was
actually beginning to regret the apparent loss of the former
chatterbox.
* * *
Emily knocked at the dowager's door and found that
she was ready to go down to tea. A few minutes later the two ladies
entered the drawing room with Charlemagne skipping behind. Emily
noted with pleasure that this room was also very much in the
English taste, with an Adamesque fireplace and plaster frieze of
classical figures. Large antique portraits and Italian landscapes
adorned the walls.
The earl had preceded them, and he was in the
company of a dark-haired woman whom Emily did not
truly uncomfortable she had always felt among the elaborate gilded
French furnishings which the dowager preferred.
She sighed with pleasure as she looked around the
room. The far wall was dominated by large three-quarter-length
paned windows overlooking the square below. The shutters were open
and the curtains thrown back so that the room was bathed in
sunlight.
She was overwhelmed. Surely this elegant room was
too grand for someone in her position, although at the same time it
appeared remarkably comfortable and cozy. She wondered if Lord
Bradleigh had commissioned a project of redecoration, or did the
charm and cheerfulness of the room reflect his late mother's taste?
In any case, it was delightful, and since Mrs. Claypool had been
precise in directing her and Lottie to this room, she must assume
that there had been no mistake.
A knock on the door heralded the arrival of two
footmen carrying a large heavy trunk, which Emily knew contained
her new wardrobe. While Lottie began to unpack, Emily stepped
across the hall to the dowager's suite, to make sure that she was
settling in comfortably.
The dowager's suite of rooms, consisting of bedroom,
dressing room, and sitting room, was more formal, more ornate in
decor than her own. Perhaps this suite was always held in readiness
for Lady Bradleigh and therefore reflected her special taste.
Shades of blue predominated, and the furniture was all of either
light woods or painted in gilt. The large bed was draped with a
tall tent-like structure of royal blue satin with gold embroidery.
Although Emily much preferred the room she had been assigned, she
did admire the prospect of the large garden which the dowager's
rooms commanded.
Iris and Tuttle appeared to have things well under
control. "I am going to have a brief rest before tea," the dowager
told Emily. "I am thoroughly exhausted from bouncing around like a
rag doll for two days. Go ahead, my dear, and have a rest yourself,
and I will see you in a few hours for tea."
Emily returned to her room to find that Lottie had
completed the unpacking. "Shall I have a bath prepared for you,
miss?" Lottie asked.
"I would love a bath, Lottie. Thank you for
suggesting it."
Lottie beamed with pride at having pleased her new
mistress. She lost no time in ordering that a tub and hot water be
brought up at once. Emily could not help but notice this new quiet
efficiency of Lottie's since they had left Bath. She suspected that
during the long journey Iris, the dowager's abigail, had given
Lottie more than a little advice on the proper behavior for a
lady's maid. Lottie had obviously paid attention and was now
determined to prove her worth.
And so Emily spent the next hour feeling utterly
luxurious and quite spoiled as she soaked in a tub of
lavender-scented bathwater placed before the fire. She was almost
able to forget for the moment that she was a woman in service and
not a lady of leisure. She washed her hair and afterward sat by the
fire brushing it dry. Lottie then helped her into a freshly ironed
dress of pale blue sprigged muslin with a high-necked smocked
bodice and long cased sleeves. Lottie also dressed Emily's still
slightly damp hair into an intricate braided topknot taught her by
Tuttle. During all this time, Lottie had said no more than "Yes,
miss" or "No, miss" or "Whatever you say, miss," so that Emily was
actually beginning to regret the apparent loss of the former
chatterbox.
* * *
Emily knocked at the dowager's door and found that
she was ready to go down to tea. A few minutes later the two ladies
entered the drawing room with Charlemagne skipping behind. Emily
noted with pleasure that this room was also very much in the
English taste, with an Adamesque fireplace and plaster frieze of
classical figures. Large antique portraits and Italian landscapes
adorned the walls.
The earl had preceded them, and he was in the
company of a dark-haired woman whom Emily did not
Similar Books
