blessing, since she required no powdering to be in the mode. Her delight in her first trip to London was nearly palpable.
Catching Pinkie’s gaze, Lady Agnes said brightly, “This is a splendid room, is it not? I dare swear that I have never seen its equal. The marquess must have spent a vast amount of money buying all this gold furniture, don’t you agree?”
Pinkie nearly did agree, but when she saw Mary hide a smile, she said only, “It is quite a lovely room, ma’am, to be sure.”
The earl said, “That will be all for now, Peasley, thank you. Be so good as to send Fergus Owen to me when you find him. He is my house steward, and you will take your orders from him. I expect we shall need a few more servants, and I know he will welcome your advice on the subject.”
“Certainly, my lord, and thank you, sir.” Gesturing to the maidservant to follow him, the butler left the room.
“You may go, too, Dugald,” Duncan said to the footman. “You would be wise to take yourself belowstairs and learn quickly how things are done here. Many of their ways will doubtless be different from what they are at home.”
“Aye, sir, but what if ye need me? How will I know?”
“I am sure that someone will come if I pull that bell,” Duncan said, gesturing toward the bellpull by the fireplace. “I can send for you if I want you. You’ll be taking your orders from Peasley, you know, as well as from Fergus Owen.”
“Aye, Mr. Peasley seems fair enow.”
“You will have to wear powder here, Duncan,” Lady Agnes said abruptly when the lad had gone. “I daresay our menservants should wear it as well, just as Peasley does. Fergus won’t care much for that, I expect.”
“He’ll dislike it less than I will,” the earl said, scanning the letter in his hand. He looked at his wife with a smile. “Maggie wants us to dine with them tomorrow.”
“How could she know that we would arrive today?” Mary asked, surprised.
“She didn’t,” he replied. “Her letter says we are to come to dinner at four o’clock the day after we arrive, even if it’s a Sunday. We’ll test our new running footman by sending him to Rothwell House with our acceptance and our thanks.”
“I should think we would have heard from Argyll, as well,” Lady Agnes said petulantly. “Perhaps, however, the duke is put out because you accepted Rothwell’s assistance instead of his in finding this house. I do not say that Rothwell has chosen ill, for he did not This is quite adequate for our needs, but still, his grace may be displeased that you failed to seek his advice, Duncan, and that would never do.”
“Nay, then, ma’am, it would not,” Duncan agreed, “but I would never have been so daft as to ask him to serve as my house-finder. The duke is past the age mark now, and would not thank me for setting him such a tedious task, particularly when Rory had offered to see to it. Argyll likes him better than me, after all.”
“Perhaps, although I do not think his grace has ever really recovered from the shock of Rory’s—that is, to Rothwell’s—marriage. And as to being obliged to him, I am persuaded that Argyll’s son, John, would have served you quite as happily.”
“Colonel Campbell has other matters on his mind, ma’am, for his regimental duties keep him fully occupied,” Duncan murmured, his attention shifting to the letter in his hand again. “Maggie reminds us that she means to present Pinkie to the queen at a drawing room,” he said a moment later, drawing their attention again. He glanced up, adding with a wry smile, “Apparently, she and Rothwell mean to give a ball in her honor, as well, on Saturday, the eleventh of June; and you will be pleased to learn, ma’am, that they have invited the colonel and his lovely wife to attend.”
Mary said with a chuckle, “Just how do you know she is lovely, sir?”
He said sternly, “Do you doubt my faithfulness, madam?”
“No, sir, merely your clairvoyance.”
With a
Catching Pinkie’s gaze, Lady Agnes said brightly, “This is a splendid room, is it not? I dare swear that I have never seen its equal. The marquess must have spent a vast amount of money buying all this gold furniture, don’t you agree?”
Pinkie nearly did agree, but when she saw Mary hide a smile, she said only, “It is quite a lovely room, ma’am, to be sure.”
The earl said, “That will be all for now, Peasley, thank you. Be so good as to send Fergus Owen to me when you find him. He is my house steward, and you will take your orders from him. I expect we shall need a few more servants, and I know he will welcome your advice on the subject.”
“Certainly, my lord, and thank you, sir.” Gesturing to the maidservant to follow him, the butler left the room.
“You may go, too, Dugald,” Duncan said to the footman. “You would be wise to take yourself belowstairs and learn quickly how things are done here. Many of their ways will doubtless be different from what they are at home.”
“Aye, sir, but what if ye need me? How will I know?”
“I am sure that someone will come if I pull that bell,” Duncan said, gesturing toward the bellpull by the fireplace. “I can send for you if I want you. You’ll be taking your orders from Peasley, you know, as well as from Fergus Owen.”
“Aye, Mr. Peasley seems fair enow.”
“You will have to wear powder here, Duncan,” Lady Agnes said abruptly when the lad had gone. “I daresay our menservants should wear it as well, just as Peasley does. Fergus won’t care much for that, I expect.”
“He’ll dislike it less than I will,” the earl said, scanning the letter in his hand. He looked at his wife with a smile. “Maggie wants us to dine with them tomorrow.”
“How could she know that we would arrive today?” Mary asked, surprised.
“She didn’t,” he replied. “Her letter says we are to come to dinner at four o’clock the day after we arrive, even if it’s a Sunday. We’ll test our new running footman by sending him to Rothwell House with our acceptance and our thanks.”
“I should think we would have heard from Argyll, as well,” Lady Agnes said petulantly. “Perhaps, however, the duke is put out because you accepted Rothwell’s assistance instead of his in finding this house. I do not say that Rothwell has chosen ill, for he did not This is quite adequate for our needs, but still, his grace may be displeased that you failed to seek his advice, Duncan, and that would never do.”
“Nay, then, ma’am, it would not,” Duncan agreed, “but I would never have been so daft as to ask him to serve as my house-finder. The duke is past the age mark now, and would not thank me for setting him such a tedious task, particularly when Rory had offered to see to it. Argyll likes him better than me, after all.”
“Perhaps, although I do not think his grace has ever really recovered from the shock of Rory’s—that is, to Rothwell’s—marriage. And as to being obliged to him, I am persuaded that Argyll’s son, John, would have served you quite as happily.”
“Colonel Campbell has other matters on his mind, ma’am, for his regimental duties keep him fully occupied,” Duncan murmured, his attention shifting to the letter in his hand again. “Maggie reminds us that she means to present Pinkie to the queen at a drawing room,” he said a moment later, drawing their attention again. He glanced up, adding with a wry smile, “Apparently, she and Rothwell mean to give a ball in her honor, as well, on Saturday, the eleventh of June; and you will be pleased to learn, ma’am, that they have invited the colonel and his lovely wife to attend.”
Mary said with a chuckle, “Just how do you know she is lovely, sir?”
He said sternly, “Do you doubt my faithfulness, madam?”
“No, sir, merely your clairvoyance.”
With a
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