bathing his heated skin. If he had a minute to think about it, Ian might have been proud of himself, turning competent at this unfamiliar task.
He knew he was proud of Attie. The girl had bottom, all right. He could not imagine another female of his experience, no matter what age, who had the stamina and the stubbornness to keep going all through that long, long night. The well-bred women he knew had paid employees to perform such duties. They did not even feed their own infants, but hired wet nurses to do that job. Yet here was a slip of a girl, not even the boy’s mother, working herself to exhaustion. Such devotion was inspiring to Ian.
It was also aggravating. His throat was sore, his head was aching, his eyes felt as if someone had kicked dirt in them, and he was about ready to fall onto that thin pallet next to Renslow’s bed—but how could he? Worse, how could he seek his own vast feather bed while Miss Renslow worked and kept watch? She never rested, taking only moments for a cup of tea or a bite of a biscuit, half of which she fed to the dog.
Hopkins came to take his turn, but Ian could not let himself prove less stouthearted than a schoolgirl. The valet shook his head when Lord Marden refused to give up his place, and left to find his own bed. Mrs. Birchfield in her nightcap and robe came in, saw her master in his shirtsleeves, and almost dropped the candle she held. Maids and footmen toiled through the long hours, bearing more coal, more hot water, more fresh towels and linen.
“Make sure the staff is rewarded,” Ian told his butler, once he recovered from seeing Hull without his wig for the first time in memory. “And let anyone who needs to, sleep in, in the morning. The dusting and the silver polishing can wait, or we can hire more people. We will not be receiving callers tomorrow, either.”
“Very good, my lord,” Hull replied and bowed himself out as if it were four in the afternoon instead of four in the morning.
“That was very kind of you, my lord,” Athena said when the butler had gone.
“What, not mentioning that the fire’s red glow was reflected on the top of his shiny bald skull?”
Athena’s lips twitched, to Ian’s satisfaction. The poor little puss needed a bit of silliness amid the frantic worry, and her brother seemed to be resting easier after the last bout of fever.
“No,” she told him, “it was kind of you to remember that your servants have to arise early in the morning to get their assigned tasks done. Many employers simply expect their staff to be at their beck and call, day and night, without additional recompense, and without concern for their health and well-being. Not that I am surprised at your consideration, my lord. In the short time I have known you I have found you to be both generous and caring. Troy and I could not have found ourselves in better hands.”
Embarrassed at the girl’s praise, Ian changed the subject. “You sound as if you have experience with demanding masters. Is your brother’s household one where the maids’ hands are worked raw and the grooms have barely enough to eat?”
Now her lips turned down. “My brother and his wife are…difficult employers. Jobs are scarce in the country, so the workers cannot simply quit and move on. Which Lady Rensdale fully knows and takes advantage of.”
“Does she also take advantage of having an unpaid servant to boss around—an unmarried sister-in-law, perhaps?”
Athena smiled. “She tries. But I do what I can to make the servants’ lives easier, not to please Veronica.”
Good for her for standing up for the less fortunate. Not so good for her, Ian thought, to be under the thumb of a mean-spirited, money-hoarding relation. “It sounds uncomfortable. Is that why you came to London?”
“Only partly. I love my life in the country, where I know everyone and feel useful. We came to visit our uncle and a physician I had heard highly recommended. Rensdale was opposed, of course.”
“He
He knew he was proud of Attie. The girl had bottom, all right. He could not imagine another female of his experience, no matter what age, who had the stamina and the stubbornness to keep going all through that long, long night. The well-bred women he knew had paid employees to perform such duties. They did not even feed their own infants, but hired wet nurses to do that job. Yet here was a slip of a girl, not even the boy’s mother, working herself to exhaustion. Such devotion was inspiring to Ian.
It was also aggravating. His throat was sore, his head was aching, his eyes felt as if someone had kicked dirt in them, and he was about ready to fall onto that thin pallet next to Renslow’s bed—but how could he? Worse, how could he seek his own vast feather bed while Miss Renslow worked and kept watch? She never rested, taking only moments for a cup of tea or a bite of a biscuit, half of which she fed to the dog.
Hopkins came to take his turn, but Ian could not let himself prove less stouthearted than a schoolgirl. The valet shook his head when Lord Marden refused to give up his place, and left to find his own bed. Mrs. Birchfield in her nightcap and robe came in, saw her master in his shirtsleeves, and almost dropped the candle she held. Maids and footmen toiled through the long hours, bearing more coal, more hot water, more fresh towels and linen.
“Make sure the staff is rewarded,” Ian told his butler, once he recovered from seeing Hull without his wig for the first time in memory. “And let anyone who needs to, sleep in, in the morning. The dusting and the silver polishing can wait, or we can hire more people. We will not be receiving callers tomorrow, either.”
“Very good, my lord,” Hull replied and bowed himself out as if it were four in the afternoon instead of four in the morning.
“That was very kind of you, my lord,” Athena said when the butler had gone.
“What, not mentioning that the fire’s red glow was reflected on the top of his shiny bald skull?”
Athena’s lips twitched, to Ian’s satisfaction. The poor little puss needed a bit of silliness amid the frantic worry, and her brother seemed to be resting easier after the last bout of fever.
“No,” she told him, “it was kind of you to remember that your servants have to arise early in the morning to get their assigned tasks done. Many employers simply expect their staff to be at their beck and call, day and night, without additional recompense, and without concern for their health and well-being. Not that I am surprised at your consideration, my lord. In the short time I have known you I have found you to be both generous and caring. Troy and I could not have found ourselves in better hands.”
Embarrassed at the girl’s praise, Ian changed the subject. “You sound as if you have experience with demanding masters. Is your brother’s household one where the maids’ hands are worked raw and the grooms have barely enough to eat?”
Now her lips turned down. “My brother and his wife are…difficult employers. Jobs are scarce in the country, so the workers cannot simply quit and move on. Which Lady Rensdale fully knows and takes advantage of.”
“Does she also take advantage of having an unpaid servant to boss around—an unmarried sister-in-law, perhaps?”
Athena smiled. “She tries. But I do what I can to make the servants’ lives easier, not to please Veronica.”
Good for her for standing up for the less fortunate. Not so good for her, Ian thought, to be under the thumb of a mean-spirited, money-hoarding relation. “It sounds uncomfortable. Is that why you came to London?”
“Only partly. I love my life in the country, where I know everyone and feel useful. We came to visit our uncle and a physician I had heard highly recommended. Rensdale was opposed, of course.”
“He
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