the work theyâd been hired to do, which had been woefully neglected during the reign of the previous housekeeper.
And indeed, the duchess remembered, there had been a lot of work to do before the great house once again assumed its proud mantle of excellence. From the tireless Mason, who oversaw every polished silver spoon and dusted off every bottle of wine, to the new housekeeper, who personally saw that every bed had been aired and made up with freshly scented sheets, to the cook, who saw that her kitchen was scrubbed down to the bare wood and her scullery maids worked almost to the bone, to the steward, under-butler, assistant housekeeper, footmen, maids, ostlers, master of music, secretary, chaplain, stable boys, grooms, porters, coachmen, dairy maids, and the head gardener and his staffâall worked together to build the harmonious atmosphere that now existed at Camareigh. They made it the great house that it was, and a great house it was indeed.
There were two wings consisting of the ducal apartments, family apartments, and State apartments, all of which were comprised of various drawing rooms, dining rooms, salons, bedchambers and dressing rooms, antechambers and studies, the ever-expanding Library and Grand Ballroom, the music room and Long Gallery, kitchens and servantsâ hall, and other rooms and backstairsâ cubbyholes too numerous to even know about. Outside, there were the stables, greenhouses, and orangery to be looked after, as well as the topiary gardens, rose gardens, kitchen gardens, and natural gardens, and the extensive grounds of the estate itself.
Close to twenty years now, the duchess thought with a reminiscent smile, she had been mistress of Camareigh; sheâd borne her children under its bountiful roof, and seen many a summer turn to autumn as sheâd basked in the glow of its honey-colored walls. This was her home now, a home sheâd come to love as much as her husband Lucien did, and heâd been born and raised at Camareigh, and had had pride for this great house drummed into him all of his life.
While he was still in the nursery, his indefatigable and imperiously proud grandmother, the dowager duchess, had instilled in him all of her own dreams and hopes for Camareigh, and she had not allowed death to take her until sheâd been assured of Camareighâs survival through succession. The duchess knew that the dowager duchess had been disappointed to find her first great-grandchild was a girl, but she had taken to Rhea Claire, and when Francis had come along a year later, she had been exultant and had presented her granddaughter-in-law with her most prized possessionâa ruby and pearl pendant, suspended from a pearl necklace, which had been a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth I to a Dominick bride. Lucien had gained his grandmotherâs undying devotion, and he had the satisfaction of knowing, when she died a few years later, that sheâd been a very happy and smug old woman who had lived life to the fullest, and seen all of her dreams come true for the house she loved above all else. The dowager duchess may have been a tyrant, the present duchess thought, but despite all of the old womanâs scheming, she had liked her, for the old woman hadnât really been mean or horrible, just stubborn and determined to have her own way. Much like her grandson. The duchess smiled, thinking how Lucien would have hated that comparison, for heâd been at odds with his grandmother for most of his life and had only got back in her good graces by siring a son and heir, soâ¦
âAnd what are you daydreaming about, my love?â the duke inquired softly, startling the duchess, for heâd come up behind her without her having heard him. He pressed a light kiss on her nape, his warm breath tickling the sensitive spot beneath her uplifted curls. âOdd, is it not, that I should have never tired of your fragrance?â he questioned, breathing deeply of
And indeed, the duchess remembered, there had been a lot of work to do before the great house once again assumed its proud mantle of excellence. From the tireless Mason, who oversaw every polished silver spoon and dusted off every bottle of wine, to the new housekeeper, who personally saw that every bed had been aired and made up with freshly scented sheets, to the cook, who saw that her kitchen was scrubbed down to the bare wood and her scullery maids worked almost to the bone, to the steward, under-butler, assistant housekeeper, footmen, maids, ostlers, master of music, secretary, chaplain, stable boys, grooms, porters, coachmen, dairy maids, and the head gardener and his staffâall worked together to build the harmonious atmosphere that now existed at Camareigh. They made it the great house that it was, and a great house it was indeed.
There were two wings consisting of the ducal apartments, family apartments, and State apartments, all of which were comprised of various drawing rooms, dining rooms, salons, bedchambers and dressing rooms, antechambers and studies, the ever-expanding Library and Grand Ballroom, the music room and Long Gallery, kitchens and servantsâ hall, and other rooms and backstairsâ cubbyholes too numerous to even know about. Outside, there were the stables, greenhouses, and orangery to be looked after, as well as the topiary gardens, rose gardens, kitchen gardens, and natural gardens, and the extensive grounds of the estate itself.
Close to twenty years now, the duchess thought with a reminiscent smile, she had been mistress of Camareigh; sheâd borne her children under its bountiful roof, and seen many a summer turn to autumn as sheâd basked in the glow of its honey-colored walls. This was her home now, a home sheâd come to love as much as her husband Lucien did, and heâd been born and raised at Camareigh, and had had pride for this great house drummed into him all of his life.
While he was still in the nursery, his indefatigable and imperiously proud grandmother, the dowager duchess, had instilled in him all of her own dreams and hopes for Camareigh, and she had not allowed death to take her until sheâd been assured of Camareighâs survival through succession. The duchess knew that the dowager duchess had been disappointed to find her first great-grandchild was a girl, but she had taken to Rhea Claire, and when Francis had come along a year later, she had been exultant and had presented her granddaughter-in-law with her most prized possessionâa ruby and pearl pendant, suspended from a pearl necklace, which had been a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth I to a Dominick bride. Lucien had gained his grandmotherâs undying devotion, and he had the satisfaction of knowing, when she died a few years later, that sheâd been a very happy and smug old woman who had lived life to the fullest, and seen all of her dreams come true for the house she loved above all else. The dowager duchess may have been a tyrant, the present duchess thought, but despite all of the old womanâs scheming, she had liked her, for the old woman hadnât really been mean or horrible, just stubborn and determined to have her own way. Much like her grandson. The duchess smiled, thinking how Lucien would have hated that comparison, for heâd been at odds with his grandmother for most of his life and had only got back in her good graces by siring a son and heir, soâ¦
âAnd what are you daydreaming about, my love?â the duke inquired softly, startling the duchess, for heâd come up behind her without her having heard him. He pressed a light kiss on her nape, his warm breath tickling the sensitive spot beneath her uplifted curls. âOdd, is it not, that I should have never tired of your fragrance?â he questioned, breathing deeply of
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