and left us alone most of the time. Miss Tillman was a wonderful teacher, and Kathryn and I were sorry to see her go when we no longer needed her. I’ve kept in contact with her ever since she left. In fact, she has just become a teacher at Mrs. Manning’s School for Young Ladies. Wait a minute…isn’t that the school where your sister goes?”
“That is indeed the school she goes to. Isn’t that a coincidence! Maybe she has your Miss Tillman as an instructor. I’ll have to ask her in the next letter that I write to her. I’m hoping, as she matures over the next couple of years, she’ll calm down and start acting more like a lady. Well, it’s been a long day, so let’s go up to bed. Separate beds of course…just as I promised. You don’t need to worry.”
It took them four days to get to Devonshire. While they were traveling they talked quite a bit, and it helped them get to know each other better. Helen was feeling much better about her marriage by the time they arrived at Collingswood Hall. It was a sprawling old Manor house with two large wings. The architecture was slightly different than the main building, so she imagined they were added at different times. She noticed that the windows appeared to be dirty. The front lawn was freshly cut, but the landscaping was sparse. The house did overlook the sea, and it truly was an amazing sight. It was so beautiful, it took her breath away. Now that she’d seen it, she had a better understanding of why Matthew loved the sea so much.
Once the carriage stopped, the door opened, and a tall older man came out. “Welcome home, my lord. I’ve had the countess’s bedchamber aired out as you requested. My lord, we have a slight problem. The nurse has left us, so your daughters have been acting up and getting into all kinds of mischief. I’m sorry, but several more of the staff have also resigned, and several more are threatening to quit if your daughters can’t be controlled.”
Matthew looked over at Helen with an exasperated look on the face. “I believe I mentioned to you that my daughters were a bit of a handful. Helen, this is Wells, the butler, and he’s been with my family for as long as I can remember. If you need anything, he’ll be happy to help you.” Matthew looked over at his butler and asked, “Wells, where are my daughters at the moment? I want to introduce them to the countess, their new mother.”
Wells answered with a bit of testiness in his voice. “My lord, they were in the nursery with Mary, but she was having a difficult time keeping them there. Hopefully she has been able to keep them out of anymore mischief.”
“Helen, I’ll take you to your rooms, and after you have freshened up, I’ll introduce you to my daughters.” Matthew smiled as he placed her hand in the crook of his arm, and led her up the steps.
When they went inside, she noticed it was very dark and not very appealing. The table by the door was covered with dust. She wondered where the housekeeper was, because normally she should have been waiting for them when they arrived, so she could show her to her rooms. At least, it had always been done that way at her home.
Matthew led her upstairs, and they entered her bedchamber. It was dark as well. The closed heavy, faded blue drapes at the window didn’t allow any sunlight into the room. In fact, the whole room was dismal. It did look as if someone had made an attempt to clean it up, however the room still smelled damp. The counterpane on the bed looked as though it may have been royal blue at one time. It had heavy dark furniture, which wasn’t very feminine looking at all. This would be the first room she redecorated. She would end up melancholy in a room like this.
Matthew looked over to her and said, “This room hasn’t been used since my mother died sixteen years ago. So please, feel free to redecorate it anyway that would please you. There’s also a sitting room and a dressing room attached. My room is on the
“That is indeed the school she goes to. Isn’t that a coincidence! Maybe she has your Miss Tillman as an instructor. I’ll have to ask her in the next letter that I write to her. I’m hoping, as she matures over the next couple of years, she’ll calm down and start acting more like a lady. Well, it’s been a long day, so let’s go up to bed. Separate beds of course…just as I promised. You don’t need to worry.”
It took them four days to get to Devonshire. While they were traveling they talked quite a bit, and it helped them get to know each other better. Helen was feeling much better about her marriage by the time they arrived at Collingswood Hall. It was a sprawling old Manor house with two large wings. The architecture was slightly different than the main building, so she imagined they were added at different times. She noticed that the windows appeared to be dirty. The front lawn was freshly cut, but the landscaping was sparse. The house did overlook the sea, and it truly was an amazing sight. It was so beautiful, it took her breath away. Now that she’d seen it, she had a better understanding of why Matthew loved the sea so much.
Once the carriage stopped, the door opened, and a tall older man came out. “Welcome home, my lord. I’ve had the countess’s bedchamber aired out as you requested. My lord, we have a slight problem. The nurse has left us, so your daughters have been acting up and getting into all kinds of mischief. I’m sorry, but several more of the staff have also resigned, and several more are threatening to quit if your daughters can’t be controlled.”
Matthew looked over at Helen with an exasperated look on the face. “I believe I mentioned to you that my daughters were a bit of a handful. Helen, this is Wells, the butler, and he’s been with my family for as long as I can remember. If you need anything, he’ll be happy to help you.” Matthew looked over at his butler and asked, “Wells, where are my daughters at the moment? I want to introduce them to the countess, their new mother.”
Wells answered with a bit of testiness in his voice. “My lord, they were in the nursery with Mary, but she was having a difficult time keeping them there. Hopefully she has been able to keep them out of anymore mischief.”
“Helen, I’ll take you to your rooms, and after you have freshened up, I’ll introduce you to my daughters.” Matthew smiled as he placed her hand in the crook of his arm, and led her up the steps.
When they went inside, she noticed it was very dark and not very appealing. The table by the door was covered with dust. She wondered where the housekeeper was, because normally she should have been waiting for them when they arrived, so she could show her to her rooms. At least, it had always been done that way at her home.
Matthew led her upstairs, and they entered her bedchamber. It was dark as well. The closed heavy, faded blue drapes at the window didn’t allow any sunlight into the room. In fact, the whole room was dismal. It did look as if someone had made an attempt to clean it up, however the room still smelled damp. The counterpane on the bed looked as though it may have been royal blue at one time. It had heavy dark furniture, which wasn’t very feminine looking at all. This would be the first room she redecorated. She would end up melancholy in a room like this.
Matthew looked over to her and said, “This room hasn’t been used since my mother died sixteen years ago. So please, feel free to redecorate it anyway that would please you. There’s also a sitting room and a dressing room attached. My room is on the
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