“Ah, that ought to get the message across,” she said with a lilt of laughter.
He grinned. “A little too harsh?”
“Perhaps a little apishly possessive. Threatening to discharge the misdoer ought to be enough.”
He came to her side of the bed and kissed her. “I’ll put the key on your side of the door. Lock it when you are dressing. Unlock it when you are done. Then I won’t have to kill any fool on my staff.”
It was not long before he heard the household begin to stir.
He entered his bedchamber and greeted his valet. “Good morning, Saunders.”
“Good morning, Your Grace.”
Since the door between his room and Adela’s had been left ajar for the moment, he was able to hear the knock at her door when her maid arrived. He also heard the clunk of metal and thud of heavy footsteps as servants brought up her bath and pails of water to fill it.
Adela’s voice was gentle as she let them in and thanked each of them for their service. Once all but her maid had departed, she shut her door, and then shut the door between their rooms which she then locked.
A few minutes later, his tub was brought up and readied for him. He shaved and took a leisurely soak. His efficient valet was particularly chatty this morning, peppering him with questions about which cravats he would like to take on his honeymoon trip and should he also pack His Grace’s formal attire?
“No formal wear, Saunders. We are going to be digging for ancient bones the entire time.” A good suit or two would do for the evenings he and Adela dined out. But he expected they would have supper in their room most nights, and perhaps not get out of bed for days at a time if Adela was feeling particularly amorous toward him.
However, those cave fossils were stiff competition for her attention, so he doubted there would be much romping in the bedchamber when they only had a month or two to collect bone samples and document the drawings found on the cave walls.
“You will be digging for bones, Your Grace?”
“Yes, Saunders.” He finished rinsing the soap out of his hair and off his body, then rose from the tub. “Her Grace is an accomplished archeologist and we shall be spending our days on an actual dig site. Who knows? We might unearth a pirate’s treasure along with elephant bones and the remains of giant birds.”
“Fascinating,” Saunders said, his manner earnest as he handed over a large drying cloth. “This is something I long to do once I am pensioned off. As a boy, I used to explore our Cornwall caves. But I never found anything of historic significance. The bones of a dead pirate was my most spectacular find. He wasn’t dead all that long, it turned out. They arrested one of the local men for the murder. Apparently, it was a squabble over smuggled goods.”
Ambrose laughed as he dried himself off. “Those Cornwall pirates are notorious. Our Devonshire rogues are tame by comparison. We shall let you know what we find. Have you ever been to the Huntsford Academy?”
“Not yet, Your Grace. It only opened recently and I haven’t had the chance.” Saunders took the cloth and put it in a pile with other items to be laundered. He continued to chatter away while Ambrose reached for the clothes neatly set out on his bed. “But I plan to go while you are on your honeymoon trip. I shall have time to fully enjoy the exhibits then. Couldn’t see spending that admission price if I only had an hour to wander about. But it’s well worth the full day’s cost.”
“There will be no charge to you, Saunders,” he said, silently kicking himself for being an unmitigated dunce. This project had consumed his attention for years, but not once had he thought of his own staff. He knew nothing of their interests or opinions. “Go whenever you like. I’ll provide you with a special pass. Bring a guest. Or do you have family in Town? Nephews and nieces who might enjoy the outing? The pass shall cover all of you.”
“That is most generous of you, Your Grace.” He cast Ambrose a smile as bright as any Crown jewel.
In truth, it wasn’t generous of him at all.
He was ashamed of himself for not giving more thought to this man who had served him faithfully for over a decade. Why had he not asked Saunders even once what his interests were? The talk had only been one way, him spouting about his plans and Saunders listening attentively. He thought his valet was merely listening out of duty as any good servant ought to do. But he was listening out of a thirst for knowledge and a love of history, science, and learning. All this time, Ambrose had no idea.
Not an inkling.
Not a clue.
And yet, it was something he could have discovered with just one question.
He continued to silently kick himself as he finished dressing.
Even that reporter from The Tattler had been spellbound by Syd and Gory’s knowledge of the ancient world and the mysteries it held.
“What a clot you are,” he mumbled under his breath.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace. Did you say something?”
“No, Saunders. Just muttering to myself.”
Adela had been going on about making his exhibits available to everyone. She understood the true value of his project, its appeal to young and old, rich and poor, scholar and stable hand, members of the royal family all the way down to menial laborers.
