Always Come Home (Emerson 1) by Maureen Driscoll Page A

rag manners.
Lady Rosemary, Lady Leticia, please allow me to present Miss Ava Conway,
formerly a governess for Viscount Clayton’s sisters.”
    “Welcome to our home,” said Rosemary, as she and
Letty made their curtsies.
    “Thank you. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady
Rosemary and Lady Leticia.”
    Colin turned to the others. “This is Maude
Anderson, formerly a cook’s assistant in Lord Clayton’s household and my valet,
Victor Stemple.”
    It was obvious when Rose and Letty got their first
look at Stemple’s scars. Colin wanted to kick himself for not preparing them.
    Rosemary quickly averted her eyes from where she’d
been staring, while Letty took her sister’s hand and moved closer to her
skirts. It was a reminder of just how young she was.
    Stemple bowed, turning his scarred half away from
them.
    “Welcome to our home,” said Rose with a smile.
    “Thank you, my lady.”
    “Stemple served in the war,” said Colin quietly.
    Rose regarded the man for a moment, then extended
her hand to him. “Thank you for what you did for King and country, sir.”
    Stemple hesitated before extending his right hand –
the scarred one. But Rose took it tenderly and shook it, smiling gloriously.
Then Letty stepped forward and did the same thing. “Thank you,” she whispered.
    Colin had never been so proud of anyone as he was of
his sisters at that moment.
    He cleared his throat. “It has been a long journey
– a tale I’ll tell you as soon as I’ve changed. I believe there are one or two
things you have to tell me, as well. All in all, there should be no shortage
of conversation. Can you please have Cook prepare a meal for us?”
    Letty looked at her sister.
    “Colin,” said Rose. “There is no Cook.”
    “Pardon me?”
    “There is no Cook. Just as there are no other
servants. We let out the manor house to an American family and all of the
servants chose to remain there.”
    “Do you mean to tell me you have no one in this
house, save yourselves?”
    “We do not.”
    Colin was hit with intense anger at his servants for
deserting his sisters. For would it not have been possible for even one of
them to remain? He would have done anything to make it up to the man. He was
also angry at his forbears for being so careless with the family fortune. But
most of the anger was directed at himself for not realizing it had come to
this.
    “What about your governess?” he asked. “Surely she
did not go to the manor.”
    “I dismissed her,” said Rose.
    “Why would you do that?”
    Rose darted her eyes at Letty, who was occupied with
their cat, Jasper. “I do not need a governess since I am eighteen. Letty and
I get along quite well on our own.”
    “How long has it been this way?”
    “For a week.”
    “Have you been eating at the manor house all this
time?”
    “No, I have been cooking, though I confess I am not very
good at it. It has mostly been meat and cheese.”
    “I think she’s a wonderful cook,” said Letty
loyally.
    “I am sure she is,” said Colin with a smile for
Letty. Well, at least this was one problem for which he had a ready solution.
“Maude, I have no money to pay you now, nor do I know when that will change.
But I would be even more indebted to you than I already am if you would
consider being the new cook here, even if it is only until you find a better paying
position. Which I assume would be anywhere else.”
    Maude’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “My lord,
I cannot be your cook. A cook needs to know how to read.”
    “Maude, a cook needs to know how to cook. And you
are learning to read, are you not?”
    “Yes, sir, but I have much to learn.”
    “As do we all. Miss Conway, you will help her, will
you not?”
    She smiled. “As long as I remain in this house, I
will.”
    “I should also like to be of service,” said Rose.
    “Excellent,” said Colin. “And Stemple, I assume
you’d be willing to step in when necessary?”
    “Of course, my lord,” said the valet,