other side of the sitting room. I’ll be back to get you once I’ve located my daughters. So, please excuse me while I go make sure they’re in the nursery.”
After he left the room, Helen looked around and wanted to cry. The parts of the house she had seen so far were in a terrible state of disrepair. Helen wondered why it was in such bad shape, and she again wondered where the housekeeper was.
There was a knock on the door, and Sally entered. “Oh, my lady, I’ll get this room cleaned up right away, and I’ll put all your things away immediately. I’ve asked for water to be sent up, so hopefully that will be here soon. I had a hard time finding anyone to help me. There doesn’t seem to be much staff here.”
“I appreciate your help. I know this is going to be quite a bit of work for you, with everything so disorganized. Can we find one of my day dresses so I can change? Lord Collingswood will be back here shortly. He’s going to introduce me to his daughters. Evidently, they tend to disappear quite often.” Helen sighed in disillusionment.
There was another knock on the door, and a young girl, who appeared to be about twelve years old, entered carrying a pitcher of water. Helen smiled invitingly at the young girl and said, “Thank you for bringing the water. Please, what is your name and position in this house?”
The young girl hesitantly replied, “Me name’s Dottie, milady, and I’m th’ upstairs maid. Course, since some o’ th’ rest o’ th’ staff quit, I’ve been helpin’ out downstairs too. Please let me know if there’s anythin’ else ye’ll be wantin’, and I’ll be gettin’ it fer ye.”
Helen was enthralled by the quaint way Dottie spoke. “That’s all right for now, but I’ll let you know if I need anything else. Well, it certainly sounds as if you have quite a bit of work to do, so I’ll let you get back to it. Thank you again for your help. I’m sure we’ll have additional help in the very near future.”
Sally had located Helen’s deep blue day dress, and she quickly changed after she had washed away her travel dirt. Then she sat down at the dressing table and brushed her hair. She hoped Matthew was able to locate his daughters. It certainly sounded as if the little girls were mischief-makers.
Matthew returned looking exasperated. “I’ve found my daughters. Please come with me to the nursery so I can introduce you to them.”
Matthew offered her his arm, and he led her upstairs. When she walked into the nursery, she saw another poorly kept room. The windows were dirty, which made the room dark and dreary. Changing this room would be a top priority, because children needed to be in cheerful surroundings.
Then Helen saw his daughters and my goodness—they were identical twins. They had long, dark brown hair that needed to be brushed, big, chocolate brown eyes and pink cheeks, but there was dirt on their button noses. They were dressed alike in pale blue dresses with what was supposed to be white pinafores. Their stockings were torn, dirty, and falling down around their ankles.
Matthew turned to her with a grimace on his face. “Sorry, they were playing outside in the garden when I found them, so I didn’t have a chance to get them cleaned up. Let me introduce you to Christina and Catherine. Girls, come over here and meet your new mother. I’m sure you’ll get along splendidly.”
Helen looked at the girls and wondered how in the world she would ever tell them apart. They were looking at her as if she were some bitter medicine that they had to swallow. She knelt down so she could be eye level with them. “Hello, it’s very nice to meet you. Can you help me? Since you both look exactly alike, I need your help. Which of you is Christina?”
The girls looked at her and pointed to each other and shouted together, “She’s Christina!”
Matthew got another exasperated look on his handsome face as he turned to his daughters. “Girls, that’s not very
After he left the room, Helen looked around and wanted to cry. The parts of the house she had seen so far were in a terrible state of disrepair. Helen wondered why it was in such bad shape, and she again wondered where the housekeeper was.
There was a knock on the door, and Sally entered. “Oh, my lady, I’ll get this room cleaned up right away, and I’ll put all your things away immediately. I’ve asked for water to be sent up, so hopefully that will be here soon. I had a hard time finding anyone to help me. There doesn’t seem to be much staff here.”
“I appreciate your help. I know this is going to be quite a bit of work for you, with everything so disorganized. Can we find one of my day dresses so I can change? Lord Collingswood will be back here shortly. He’s going to introduce me to his daughters. Evidently, they tend to disappear quite often.” Helen sighed in disillusionment.
There was another knock on the door, and a young girl, who appeared to be about twelve years old, entered carrying a pitcher of water. Helen smiled invitingly at the young girl and said, “Thank you for bringing the water. Please, what is your name and position in this house?”
The young girl hesitantly replied, “Me name’s Dottie, milady, and I’m th’ upstairs maid. Course, since some o’ th’ rest o’ th’ staff quit, I’ve been helpin’ out downstairs too. Please let me know if there’s anythin’ else ye’ll be wantin’, and I’ll be gettin’ it fer ye.”
Helen was enthralled by the quaint way Dottie spoke. “That’s all right for now, but I’ll let you know if I need anything else. Well, it certainly sounds as if you have quite a bit of work to do, so I’ll let you get back to it. Thank you again for your help. I’m sure we’ll have additional help in the very near future.”
Sally had located Helen’s deep blue day dress, and she quickly changed after she had washed away her travel dirt. Then she sat down at the dressing table and brushed her hair. She hoped Matthew was able to locate his daughters. It certainly sounded as if the little girls were mischief-makers.
Matthew returned looking exasperated. “I’ve found my daughters. Please come with me to the nursery so I can introduce you to them.”
Matthew offered her his arm, and he led her upstairs. When she walked into the nursery, she saw another poorly kept room. The windows were dirty, which made the room dark and dreary. Changing this room would be a top priority, because children needed to be in cheerful surroundings.
Then Helen saw his daughters and my goodness—they were identical twins. They had long, dark brown hair that needed to be brushed, big, chocolate brown eyes and pink cheeks, but there was dirt on their button noses. They were dressed alike in pale blue dresses with what was supposed to be white pinafores. Their stockings were torn, dirty, and falling down around their ankles.
Matthew turned to her with a grimace on his face. “Sorry, they were playing outside in the garden when I found them, so I didn’t have a chance to get them cleaned up. Let me introduce you to Christina and Catherine. Girls, come over here and meet your new mother. I’m sure you’ll get along splendidly.”
Helen looked at the girls and wondered how in the world she would ever tell them apart. They were looking at her as if she were some bitter medicine that they had to swallow. She knelt down so she could be eye level with them. “Hello, it’s very nice to meet you. Can you help me? Since you both look exactly alike, I need your help. Which of you is Christina?”
The girls looked at her and pointed to each other and shouted together, “She’s Christina!”
Matthew got another exasperated look on his handsome face as he turned to his daughters. “Girls, that’s not very
Similar Books
