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 recognize.
"Louisa, my dear child!" the dowager exclaimed as she spread her arms in a gesture of welcome. The woman rose, smiling broadly, and rushed into
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 recognize.
"Louisa, my dear child!" the dowager exclaimed as she spread her arms in a gesture of welcome. The woman rose, smiling broadly, and rushed into
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